Up and at 'em, Sunshine!

"Edward, dear, can we please see you in the living room?" Esme asked as sweetly as she could, although her voice trembled slightly.

"Yeah, sure Mom; what's up?" Edward walked in to see his mother and father seated in their well-furnished living room. Both parents were sitting on the couch, facing a lone chair.

"Have a seat, son." Carlisle directed.

"Ookay; what's this all about?" Edward asked, becoming more nervous by the second. He sat down tentatively, a wary expression on his face.

"Glad you asked, Edward. But I think it's you that needs to do some explaining." Carlisle thrust a bunch of papers at him, all in disarray.

"What?" Edward asked as his forehead creased.

"Your grades, Edward, what's going on here? You've never let them slip this far."

"Nothing's going on, Dad. I'm fine." Edward blatantly replied, his voice taking on the typical teenage bored tone. Carlisle knew this wasn't the real story.

"I don't think that I would describe this as nothing, or fine, but quite the contrary, really. I mean, look here! C, C -, D -, C +, D, . Some of your teacher's comments even say 'Is in danger of failing'! I have had it up to here with all of this…rebelliousness! And I have been very lenient. I've put up with the tardy notices, detentions, the drinking, hangovers, but this is where I draw the line. I thought that maybe it was just a phase; that you could grow out of it. It's been a full year, Edward! I know how upset you were, but you have to let it go. Just, please son, your grades have always been so important to you. We always agreed that those were top priority; that you wanted to do well and get into a good college, and to be successful. I just don't know how else to get through to you. You have to understand just how hard it is to have to sit here as a parent and not be able to do anything about what I can see going on right before my eyes. You don't know how sad it makes me, to have to sit back and not be able to help you! I'll do anything, Edward. And as far as that concerns me, that includes helping you even if you don't seem to understand."

"What do you mean, even if I don't understand?" Edward interrupted, a worried expression on his face.

"Honey, what your father is trying to say is that this is an opportunity for you to turn things around for yourself, by yourself. We think that, maybe, you should go out and get a job, you know. Make some money of your own, perhaps stop all of the illegal drinking, and pick yourself back up." Esme explained, acting her motherly self.

"But Mom, you-"

"Let us be clear, Edward, lest you misunderstand what I am trying to get across. This is not optional. Do you understand me?" Carlisle gave him a stern look; he meant business.

"But you can't-"

"Would you like to bet on that? Or do you save that illegal activity for the weekend?" His father was fuming now. "Look Edward, you either get your act together, fast, or your Volvo takes a trip to the chop shop." Carlisle said, his voice dangerous.

"Are you kidding me?! How-" Edward stopped once he saw Carlisle's no-nonsense look. He knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere with that path of conversation. "Okay, but honestly, how do you expect a high-school boy to find a paying job on such short notice?" He thought he had his parents there, but Carlisle was nothing if not thorough.

"Well now, lucky for you I've already got one lined up. I know some of my old colleagues that teach over at the University of Port Angeles, and they have pulled some strings and gotten you a job. It would be 6 days a week, from about 3:30 to 6:30 each day, except Sundays." Carlisle explained.

"What's the job? Like, what would I be doing?" asked Edward nonchalantly.

"You'd be working in the library, as the librarian's assistant. Shelving books; keeping track of late notices; etcetera."

"Are you serious? If you're trying to kill me socially, then you're succeeding. Happy now? I can't believe this! I cannot possibly show my face anywhere ever again. Not once people know that I am a librarian, of all possible jobs! Ugh, you know what, forget this." He huffed, shoving himself off of the chair. "I'm leaving, to go do my homework." He sneered.

"Why don't I just go put on some dorky glasses and develop a severe case of acne while I'm at it?" Edward mumbled to himself under his breath as he stormed angrily up the stairs to his bedroom. "This is so unfair. Where do they get off signing me up to work at the library?" He let his door slam behind him. "What is wrong with them? Weren't they ever my age?" He forcefully threw his backpack down onto the floor and flopped gracefully onto his bed. Hooray for the weekend, he thought, realizing he could put off this "homework" until at least tomorrow. Because with tomorrow began all of this new crap he wasn't ready to deal with; this new person he didn't even want to be. But he could also see that there was no way to get out of it now. Carlisle was definitely bringing the parental hammer down on this one, and he wouldn't be able to escape now that it was aimed at his head. Determined as his father was, it still didn't mean that he had to like what was going down. But as sleep began to tug harder and harder at his eyes, he couldn't really bring himself to care anymore about what his father thought. Or the rest of the world; they can suck it, I am damn tired. And with that last lovely sentiment, he fell asleep.

"Up and at 'em, Sunshine; the world awaits you!" Esme waltzed into Edward's bedroom at 10:30 am, making her way across the room and throwing open his dark beige curtains. This revealed the piercing sunlight from his large windows along almost the entire length of the back wall to his room. Although this accented his gold comforter and tan carpet perfectly, the brightness was harsh on his sleepy eyes and Edward groaned before throwing an arm over his face. "Come on, Edward. You start at the library today, so there's no time to waste. Now, if you get up and get in the shower, I'll even have a warm breakfast waiting for you once you get downstairs." She offered, leaving him to his own devices. After a few seconds of weighing the consequences of giving back in to sleep for a few extra minutes, he decided it wasn't worth the argument and heaved himself out of bed.

"Ugh, hello cruel world." Edward mumbled before grabbing a cream-colored towel off of the one of the shelves that had been set into the wall. He walked into his en suite and turned on the light, looking at himself in the mirror. "Today is so not gonna go well, I can tell. I already feel like shit. Not the best way to start the day." He made his way over to his shower/bath, and turned on the hot water. As he waited for his shower to warm up, he took a look around for a new bar of soap. He looked in his lit up medicine cabinet, in the shelves above the toilet, only to realize it was in one of the two larger, more closet-like cabinets opposite the shower, to the left of the large sink. "Jeeze, I've only lived here all my life, and yet I never seem to learn." Opening the box and retrieving the bar of soap, Edward stripped down and stepped into the hot stream of water. Closing the shower door behind him, he stood under the steamy water and sighed, letting it cascade down his back and over his face. He even turned on the jets behind him. Thoroughly relaxed, he reached for the shampoo and lathered some into his hair. Edward similarly did so with the conditioner afterwards and washed all of yesterday off of him, giving himself a fresh start to the day ahead of him. After he was finished with his shower, he reluctantly stepped out of the warmth and into his bedroom, quickly turning up the heat before going back into the bathroom. Securing the towel around his waist, Edward ran his fingers through his hair, deciding it was a mess not worth the work, and that he would only fail to make it look presentable. "Who cares? Surely a bunch of quiet nerds aren't going to. I'd look better than any of them on my worst day." He commented cockily, shaving the stubble off of his face. After slapping on a bit of aftershave and brushing his teeth, Edward turned off the lights to his bathroom and exited to his bedroom, coming to stand in front of his dresser. Opening the top drawer, he pulled out a pair of boxers and put them on, discarding the towel onto his floor. "Hmmm, what does one wear to the library?" Edward asked himself, chuckling lightly. He walked over to his armoire and threw open both large doors, revealing a rack of nicely hung shirts and jackets. He decided on a forest green t-shirt which, unknown to him, brought out the stunning shade of green that was his eyes. After pulling these on, Edward opened up the second drawer of his dresser and pulled out a dark pair of jeans. Once he was fully dressed, he grabbed his cell phone off the charger and put it in his pants pocket. Edward walked downstairs, following the enticing aroma of fresh blueberry pancakes and eggs.

"Yum; thanks Mom." He said, grabbing the plate Esme was holding out for him and taking it to the kitchen table. He sat across from his dad, who was currently reading the paper between sips of his coffee.

"Morning, Edward. Ready to become a responsible child?" Carlisle asked, smirking slightly.

"Sure, Dad, sure; I'll just be happy to get in and get out of there." Edward replied.

"Well, regardless, I want you to be polite, Edward. You'll be working under the supervision of Isabella, one of the head librarians there. She's very nice so don't go making a right fool of yourself. Keep in mind that your behavior reflects me as well, and the last thing I need is for my colleagues to view me differently because you couldn't get along with others. So, that means actually being nice, am I clear? No sarcastic remarks, no name-calling; I expect you to be a gentleman." He waited until his son was looking him directly in the eyes. "You're not three years old anymore, Edward, you know how to interact with others." He gave Edward a stern look, seemingly waiting for an answer.

"Okay! I get it, I'll place nice alright? So is she old, the librarian?" Edward asked, his mind focused on other things than his behavior.

"Isabella? No, she's your age, I believe. But don't you go getting any ideas, Edward Cullen! She is a good girl, but I'd hate to have to deal with you after someone actually turns down your advances. Ha! You know what? Maybe it'll do you some good, a reality check of sorts. You have to realize that as of right now, there are more important things in life than having a girlfriend. So don't go corrupting any of the girls at the library." He's actually laughing at me! Edward was shocked at the blatant rudeness his father was showing.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I'm attractive. And we'll see about me being turned down. Hasn't happened yet, don't see why it has to now." Edward, finished eating, pushed back his chair and grabbed his car keys from the living room. "I'll see you guys later, I have to get to work."

Just before he could put his hand on the door handle, Edward heard Carlisle yell after him, "Don't forget! Since it's Saturday, you only work until 3:30 today!" Edward paused as he listened, then opened and closed the door without responding to his father. He stood there on the porch for a moment as he heard the loud bang behind him. He then trotted down the porch stairs and got into his sleek, silver Volvo. Feeling at home in his car as always, he put the key in the ignition and pulled out of the driveway. Once he was on the expressway, Edward smiled to himself as he revved the engine up to just over seventy, reveling in the feeling of speed, letting go of all of his thoughts. Edward loved the rush that went along with going so fast and furious in his car. He continued to drive, following the directions his dad had printed out for him once he got to the more public roads.

"This is it." Edward pointed out, once he had parked in the parking lot in front of the University of Port Angeles library. He got out of his car, making sure to lock it, twice, before he walked into the building. He made his way up to the information desk, which was rather large and circular, so that you could access it from all sides. Edward took a deep breath and cleared his throat, gaining the attention of a quaint-looking, yet naturally pretty brunette, who held up her index finger, indicating she would be with him in a moment. Once she finished checking out some books for the boy in front of her, she told him to have a nice afternoon and walked over to where Edward stood.

"Hi, can I help you?" She asked him, her eyes innocent as she waited for him to respond. You sure can, Edward thought, before answering her.

"Yes, actually; I'm Edward Cullen, and I'm here to work? I was just recently signed up for a job here." He informed her, looking her up and down. Her expression changed slightly, not to Edward's notice, but she answered anyway.

"Oh yeah, I remember. I'm Isabella Swan, one of the head librarians here at UPA, but everybody calls me Bella. I can help you get started, and feel free to voice any questions you may have to either me or any of the other staff members." Bella rattled off in mostly a monotone voice, none too happy that he had actually shown up. Just because his daddy's some head honcho, he thinks he can get whatever he wants here. Well, I've got news for you, Cullen, this is my place, and I am not about to let you ruin it. Bella meant business, so she decided it would be best to act as professionally as possible. She could yell to Alice later if she was still angry, which, if her day was to be spent with Pretty Boy here, she certainly would be.

Hello once again :) Soo, what did you guys think? I know it's a little OOC, but I happen to really like a more bad-ass Bella. And don't worry too much, she hasn't changed too drastically. I wanted to say thanks so much to both v-alice and xoxvivisxox, who happen to be my two reviewers from the prologue :) Thanks! It really means a lot to me! A shout-out also goes out to all of you great readers that added this story to their favorites lists and put Ultimatum on Alert! I cannot tell you just how happy that makes me :D So really, from the bottom of my heart, thanks! I must say, though, I would REALLY treasure it forever if I got some more reviews this time. Now, I don't mean to be a review-whore, but they just make me so happy :) I can't help it! I finally know how other authors feel when they talk about reviews, they totally make my day that much brighter :) Well, I'm done sounding like Ms. Queen of Pep, haha, so I hope you liked this chapter. Lemme know watcha think, and have a great Spring Break (to whom that applies, like me). Have a great day!

~Shannon