Bella

I sat at the bar and watched Katie eat, highly amused. She was shoveling the food into her mouth as quickly as she could, as though afraid someone was going to snatch the plate away from her. Edward was pacing back and forth between the table and the bar, then doing a lap around the island as he talked on the phone to his mom.

"No, Mom, it's nothing serious. Well, it's serious but not in a bad way. Well, not exactly anyway."

I rolled my eyes and slid out off the bar stool to spoon more eggs onto Katie's plate.

"Who's he talking to?" she asked curiously as I picked up a biscuit and spread some jam on it, settling at the table next to her.

"His mom," I smiled. "We were going to go have dinner with them and my cousin and aunt and uncle and some friends of ours but since you're here, we thought we'd just have a quiet evening here instead."

She faltered in her food shoveling. "I'm getting in the way aren't I?"

"No, sweetie, of course not," I said immediately, smoothing her unruly red hair. "Sometimes, I have to admit that I don't like being around tons of people. I've never had a quiet Thanksgiving so it'll be nice to have one this year."

She looked doubtful, but resumed her death grip on the plate and the shoveling. I grinned and sat back, eating my biscuit.

Edward sighed and dropped into the seat across from me. He reached over and snagged a piece of bacon off the plate in the middle of the table. "She's upset."

"In what way?" I asked, pushing my coffee mug to him and standing to get one for myself.

He ran his fingers through his hair as I brought the pot over and refilled his mug. "She wants to come over this evening and meet Katie. She and Dad want to come have dinner with us and talk."

I grimaced. "Talk?"

He nodded and stared down into his mug.

"So should I fix something for dinner then?"

"No, she said we should just eat leftovers or whatever. She'll call Cassie and make excuses and then she and Dad will come here with the dishes they were taking to the Hale's."

I sighed and shook my head. "No, I think I've got stuff in the freezer for meatloaf or something. We'll do that and some potatoes."

"Bella, come on, don't make this more than it has to be," he protested.

I shot him a look. "I was already taking potatoes and pie to the Hale's. All I'm adding is the meatloaf and I'll probably roast some broccoli."

He ran his fingers through his hair again in frustration. "It's not a big deal Bella, they just want to talk about Katie and what's going on with her."

"It is a big deal, Edward. You have a child you didn't know about and now she's our responsibility. You don't think that affects everyone around you? Including your parents?"

"Of course I do," he growled in frustration. "I know that my past actions are coming back to bite me on the ass and I'm just glad you're taking it as well as you are. I'd hate to lose you over this."

I snorted. "I'm not the kind to walk out after seven years together over your stupidity."

"I'm sorry." We both looked up at the small voice. We'd momentarily forgotten Katie was sitting. I grimaced to myself as I realized what we'd said.

"No, sweetie, we're sorry. You just caught us by surprise," I said softly, sitting at the table next to her and taking her hand in mine. Her plate was empty again but she was sitting staring at her lap, her eyes bright with tears. I sighed and reached for her. To my surprise, she let me pull her into my lap, curling against my body and hugging me tightly. I rocked her gently, smoothing her hair back from her face and kissing her crown. "I've always wanted to be a mommy and I'm already not doing a very good job."

She looked up at me with surprise. "You aren't a mommy?"

I smiled sadly. "No, not really, but I'd like to try to be your mommy if I could, even if just for a little while."

She seemed to be thinking about that for a moment. I could hear Edward quietly munching on some bacon and I grinned as I glanced over at him. He could eat in any situation, through any emotion. It was a wonder to me the man didn't weigh 300 pounds. He gave me a sheepish grin and shrugged, grabbing another piece.

"I think that'd be ok. I'll teach you."

I laughed softly and grinned. "Great. Now," I sat back and she climbed down from my lap "I have to make some food for dinner tonight. Would you like to help me or would you rather watch TV or play some games? Edward will play with you."

"You bet," he said immediately. "I'm sure you know some games I don't."

"I can help cook," she said with a grin. "I like cooking."

"Perfect," Edward grinned back. I was struck by the similarities in their faces in that moment. "You ladies cook, I'll clean out the fireplaces and get them ready for more fires and then I am taking a nap. It's the Cullen way."

I laughed and nodded. "I'll bet it is." I looked down at Katie. "Come on, let's wash our hands and get started."

I pulled the stepstool out from the pantry and set it in front of the sink. Edward piled all the dishes in the other one and started cleaning up from breakfast. I rolled up the sleeves from Katie's oversized shirt and then pushed my own up, turning on the water and dispensing the soap. I washed my hands quickly and let Katie do hers while I pulled out the ingredients for meatloaf and started to measure out everything.

Edward reached up and flipped on the radio and I grinned as the oldies station started playing. It was the tail end of some Beach Boys song and I laughed as Edward struck a silly surfing pose, eliciting giggles from Katie. The next song was "Brown Eyed Girl" and Edward immediately dropped his dishrag and grabbed me around the waist, two-stepping me around the kitchen and attempting to sing to me.

I laughed and sung along with him on the sha-la-la part. Katie watched with fascination from the sink as Edward kept dancing me around the kitchen island, dipping me back and kissing me when the song ended. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back, sighing softly when the kiss was broken.

"I'm sorry I'm a shit," he whispered softly enough that Katie wouldn't hear him. "I do still want to schedule those appointments with Mrs. Cullen if she's still interested." He rested his forehead against mine and looked at me hopefully.

I grinned and kissed his nose. "Of course, Dr. Cullen. I'm definitely interested in appointments with you."

He kissed me again and I felt Mr. Happy waking up and poking me in the stomach. I laughed softly and pulled back shaking my head. "Little eyes, Dr. Cullen."

He grunted softly and nodded. "I'll go take a cold shower then."

"No, wait a while. After we make everything I'll settle her with a movie or something and then I'll join you."

His eyes darkened and he dug his fingers into my sides. "Cock tease."

I grinned and pulled away. "You know you love it." I winked and rejoined Katie at the sink.

Edward

Hell yes I loved it when she teased me. I shook my head and resumed my dish washing, grabbing things as they finished and washing those as we went. Bella soon slid the meatloaf and the potatoes into the refrigerator to put into the oven later. I cleaned out the fireplaces we'd used the night before and had just reset them when I heard Bella announcing they were done.

Bella was smiling down at Katie. "So, can you watch a movie while we go take a shower? Edward's probably going to take a nap since he works a lot and doesn't get to sleep much."

"Sure. I like movies."

I grinned and motioned for her to follow me. "Come on, I'll set it up for you."

She followed me out of the kitchen as Bella made her way upstairs, winking at me. I led Katie down into the basement where I'd set up the entertainment system. It worked so well in Decatur, I'd decided to do the same thing here. Bella liked it because if I was up late watching a game we'd recorded, she wasn't bothered upstairs. I settled Katie in the basement on the large sectional and put in The Little Mermaid. She curled up around the arm of the couch, her legs tucked up to her chest.

"Bella will be down when she's done, ok?" I for sure didn't want her coming upstairs before we were done. How awkward would that be, explaining sex to my daughter I'd only known about for 12 hours? She nodded her understanding, her eyes locked onto the screen. I watched her for a second before heading upstairs.

Bella was standing on her toes, her hair hanging loose down her back. She'd changed into a red silk nightie I loved and in her current stance, I could see she wasn't wearing any panties.

"Need help?" I grinned, shutting the door behind me, making sure to lock it in case Katie made her way upstairs before we were finished.

She grinned at me as she turned. "I think so. There's a box on the top shelf of my closet I'd like to get but I can't quite reach it."

I came over and grinned down at her as I stepped right up against her back. She leaned back against me. "On the other hand, maybe I don't need that box." She turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing me deeply.

"No, I don't think you do," I murmured, pulling back enough to unfasten my pants.

"She won't come up?" she panted, pulling on my shirt.

"I told her not to and I locked the door."

"See, you're parenting already like you've been doing it for years," she grinned at me, pulling me back to her for another kiss. I grinned back at her and lifted her up, carrying her over to the bed, dropping her on it and crawling on top of her.

We stretched out against each other, kissing and touching, enjoying the moment. Bella hooked her knee over my hip and lifted her hips against me lightly. I nuzzled her neck and kissed her collarbone. She fisted her fingers in my hair and moaned softly.

I was ready for it, I was making my way to my home in Bella, when there was a knock on the door.

"Bella?"

I groaned softly and rested my forehead on Bella's chest.

"Yes sweetie?" she called breathlessly.

"Can you tell Edward there's something wrong with the movie?"

She looked up at me apologetically. "You should go deal with that."

I stared at her incredulously. "Me?" I gestured down to the enormous erection oozing pre-cum between her legs. "I'll scare her."

She rolled her eyes and pushed me away. "Fine, I'll go." She stood up and grabbed her ratty bathrobe out of the closet. I pulled the blankets over me and shot her a dirty look as she wiggled her fingers at me and disappeared out the door, taking Katie's hand.

"Fuck my life," I sighed, pulling the pillow over my head and thinking about whatever I could to kill the erection. It took a while but it finally wilted. I rolled out of bed then and made my way to the bathroom and climbed into the shower.

Bella

I curled up on the couch with Katie. She leaned against me, her head resting on my breasts as we watched Ariel and Sebastian and Flounder singing and swimming. Katie was mindlessly fingering the terrycloth of my robe. It was around noon and Esme and Carlisle would be here at two, but she had time to just sit and watch the movie. I wanted to try to prepare her for them, though. It would likely be intimidating to meet grandparents she'd never met before.

"So, Katie," I said finally, "you know that Edward is your dad, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, his mom and dad are going to be here in a couple hours. They're your grandparents."

She was quiet. "Ok. Do they have other kids?"

I shook my head. "Nope, Edward is an only child. And you are his only child."

"So I'm the only grandkid?"

"Yep."

She was quiet, still fingering my robe. "What are they like?"

"Well, Esme is his mom and she's really nice. Very pretty. She plays the piano." I gently stroked Katie's hair as I told her about Carlisle and Esme. She was fascinated, listening raptly as I talked about her great-grandparents who would be there at Christmas and who I was sure would hear about her tonight if they hadn't already.

"Do you think she'd teach me the piano?"

"She might. Edward plays, you know. We have a piano in the living room upstairs that he plays for me sometimes. Maybe if you ask him he'll play tonight."

She smiled. "I'd like that."

I squeezed her to me. "He'd like that, too."

I heard the pipes rattling, signifying the end of Edward's shower. "Bella?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"Is my mommy coming back?"

I was quiet, stroking her hair and thinking about the note Tanya had left with Katie's bag. "I'm not sure sweetie."

"She's been sick," she said softly. "She said that she was going to take me to my daddy before she had to go away for a while."

I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. "I think she might have gone away for good then. Is that ok?"

She shrugged one small shoulder, picking at my robe with her other hand. I kissed the crown of her head and pulled her into my lap.

"Why don't we go shopping tomorrow and get you some new clothes, ok? It seems like everything you have is kind of torn up."

She nodded. "I'd like that."

"For now, let's go start picking something out, ok?"

She nodded and scrambled out of my lap. "Ok." She looked at me shyly. "I like you Bella."

"I like you too, Katie."

Edward

I woke up slowly to Bella rubbing my back. I rolled over and smiled up at her sleepily. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," she smiled back. "Your parents will be here in about ten minutes. They just called to say they were leaving."

"So no time for a little slap and tickle?" I asked hopefully.

She laughed and shook her head, leaning down and kissing me affectionately. She was dressed in jeans and a pink sweater that looked amazing on her. She finger combed my hair back from my face and smiled. "Maybe later."

I made a pouty face. "I don't think yesterday should be my only holiday sex. I should get more. I haven't had sex with you in ages."

She rolled her eyes and stood up, pulling me up with her. "I'm sorry but you're the one who wanted to be a doctor with the crazy ass hours. And I can't help it that my period was last week."

I grumbled as I stood, wrapping my arms around her and walking her to the wall, pressing her against it and lowering my mouth to her neck. "So I have to make do on the shower stuff from yesterday as the only sex for a week?"

"Yep." She pushed me away and grinned at me. "Just think, all the build-up will make for awesome sex later."

"I'm used to awesome sex more often."

"Get over yourself Cullen," she laughed, heading towards the door. "And get dressed. You've used up a couple of minutes trying to whine your way into my pants."

She winked at me as she headed out the door. I made a face at her and moved to the closet. I pulled on the sweater from last night and some jeans. I padded down the stairs just in time to hear the doorbell.

"I got it," I shouted, as I heard Bella moving around in the kitchen. I opened the door and grinned at my parents as they made their way inside. Mom handed me the casserole dishes while Dad helped her out of her coat. I put the dishes on the small table and chewed on the inside of my lip anxiously.

"How are you?" I asked hesitantly.

"We're fine, how are you?" asked Mom, taking the dishes and making her way towards the kitchen.

"Good. Katie's in the kitchen with Bella. I think you're really going to like her."

Mom paused and so did Dad. "Our granddaughter is in the kitchen?" Dad asked softly.

I nodded. "Yep."

They exchanged glances and then nodded and headed into the kitchen ahead of me. Bella was bent over, pulling food out of the oven. I grinned at the heat of the oven pinking her face. Katie was sitting at the bar, looking at a large Where's Waldo book that Bella had in her collection. Her hair had been brushed and Bella had pulled it into two long braids tied off with ribbons. Her clothes were clean but stained and torn and too big. First thing we needed to do was get her some decent clothes.

"Katie, this is my mom and dad. Mom, Dad, this is Katie."

Katie looked up then, smiling her gap-toothed grin at Mom and Dad. "Hi. Can I call you Grandma and Grandpa?"

Mom sucked in her breath. "You want to do that?"

Katie nodded shyly. "My other grandparents aren't very nice but Bella said you were. And since you're Daddy's parents, I thought it might be nice to call you that."

I looked at Bella with surprise, seeing the same expression on her face. Daddy. I was amazed at her quick acceptance of us and her immediate acceptance of my parents. I really wished Tanya had stuck around to tell us more, but it seemed like she hadn't been as big of a fuck up as I'd originally thought.

"That'd be nice," Mom was saying. "I'd like you to call me Grandma if you'd like to."

Katie slid down off the stool and came over to Mom shyly. She hung back a moment and then threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Mom's waist and hugging her tightly. Dad stepped forward and quickly took the dishes from her so Mom could drop down to Katie's level and hug her back. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.