Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, I just enjoy playing with the characters.

Chapter 2

December 27th, 1999

Edward and Rosalie ran down the gravel driveway. Panting and out of breath, they came to a stop. Edward snatched her water bottle from her hands, and poured water into his open mouth, allowing it to splash all over his hair and face as he did. He then pulled the hem of his shirt up to wipe at his face, smirking at the glazed expression that came over his girlfriend's face.

Edward always looks so sexy after our morning runs…who am I kidding he always looks sexy! Rosalie stared at him as rivulets of water ran down his marble white throat, disappearing under his t-shirt. She wished she could caress every inch of his chiseled body like the water did. Edward was strong and muscular, but not bulky. He was tall and lean, more a Greek god than a man. Oh the results of the Cullen genes. I hope our children will look as perfect. When Edward lifted his shirt to wipe his face, Rosalie couldn't help but stare at his perfect stomach, muscles flexing as he leaned back to finish off the water in her bottle. I kind of want to lick him… Suddenly, Rosalie noticed that Edward was shaking as he tried to hold in his laughter.

"See something you like, Rosie?" he teased.

"Oh, shut it Edward! Ugh, sometimes you can be so full of yourself!"

"Well you're certainly not helping reduce my ego when you stare at me like that. I think you've got a little bit of drool there too," Edward chuckled.

"I do not! You're a liar Edward Cullen," Rosalie screeched, her face flushed from both the run and embarrassment. "Besides, what do you care what I think, you've practically ignored me these past few months!"

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked, taken aback.

"I called you, texted you, left voicemails, and emails while you were out of town on business trips. You barely replied to any of them. And our work schedules clashed, so even when we were both in town, we didn't see each other much." To let Edward know she was teasing, she poked him in the side and pouted. "So rude."

"Rosie, I was busy finishing up the work on my MBA and then my professor found me this job that I couldn't turn down. You know I was busy with all of that."

"Hmm busy with something or someone?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"No," he laughed. "It was more than one someones. You know me."

Now Rosalie started laughing loudly, "Pshh I think not, Edward. No girl would ever waste their time with you! Well, other than me of course. You wouldn't even know what to do with one."

"Oh reallyyyy? So would I do this with a girl?" Edward began playing and pulling at the straps on the sports bra Rosalie was wearing.

"Stop it Edward. Stop it!" she giggled, pushing his arms away as he snapped the strap sharply on her shoulder. She finally shoved him away and readjusted her top. Sticking her tongue out at him, she finally demanded, "So did you even remember me or not?"

"Do you want me to lie or tell the truth, Rosalie?"

"Lie."

"Fine. If I have to lie, then… I didn't think of you at all," Edward said with a wink. "And are you still interested in the same crazy guy that doesn't know what to do with girls?"

"I think..." Rosalie trailed off.

"You think..?" Edward moved closer to her.

"I think…" Rosalie looked down, hiding her smile.

"What do you think?" Edward asked, worried now.

"I think…I can beat you to the house."

"Haha Rose, don't bet on it," Edward said cockily.

"Yeah?" Rosalie sharply elbowed him in the stomach and sprinted full speed towards the house.

"Cheater!" Edward cried, clutching his stomach. He ran faster trying to catch up to her, when she turned and hurled her empty water bottle at his head, laughing as he then stumbled and tried to pick it up. "No fair!" he wailed as she rushed inside.

After showering, changing, and saying goodbye to Rosalie, Edward wandered around upstairs before entering Jasper's room and plopping down onto the bed. "Whatcha watchin'?" he asked.

"Insight bowl. Minnesota Golden Gophers and Texas Tech Red Raiders," said Jasper without taking his eyes off the screen as he munched on Doritos from a giant bag.

"Hey Fatty, I mean Jazzy, don't you have to be getting ready for school? What's the score?" Edward asked, plucking the chips out of Jasper's hand and popping them in his own mouth.

"38-35, we're behind but we have possession. And give me the bag. Get your own," grumbled Jasper. "Come on…come on… YES TOUCHDOWN!" he yelled. "Man, we've got this, we're solid."

"Hey, don't be so sure," Edward chuckled. "You can never know with those damn gophers. Anything can happen at the last minute!"

Siobhan plopped down on the bed too, on the other side of Jasper. "Oh god, what are these lead pipes you call your legs," she grunted as she lifted Jasper's right leg to stuff and tie his shoes on.

"Hey what is this? He still hasn't learned to tie his fucking shoes! Fatty!"

"Language!" cried Siobhan.

"Go back to Stanford, Edward! No one wants you here!" cried Jasper, trying to kick Edward with the foot that wasn't being held hostage by Siobhan.

"What is going on boys?" asked Esme from the doorway.

"Mom, I'll tell you what's wrong," said Edward, crossing the room over to the doorway. Wrapping his arms around his mother's shoulders, he continued, "You have overfed your son here and turned him into a pumpkin!"

"Edward," Esme chided, stifling her laughter.

"Hey!" complained Jasper. "When I go to boarding school at stupid Riverside, you're all going to forget me. Who even goes halfway through eighth grade just for the summer term! Everyone is going to already fit in except for me because I had to get stupid mono! Can't I just wait and join at the start of ninth grade? Sivvy, nobody loves me!"

"That's right Jazzy, mom loves me more!" Edward taunted. Esme lightly slapped his arm.

"Edward, stop teasing your brother, it's not nice. But it's true, I have missed you. You aren't going to leave me again are you?" she asked looking up into her son's clear, green eyes.

"I will if you feed me like you did this pumpkin!" he replied, and promptly pulled them out of the room as Jasper's left shoe came flying at his head.

December 28, 1999

Edward stared down hundreds of feet into the bustling metropolis that was Austin. From his father's office at the top of the Cullen Corporation building, Edward felt as if he could watch over each and every person going about their business in the city that day. His father cleared his throat, and Edward turned back to face him.

"This is all for you my son," Carlisle began. "From today, this building, the company, the whole Cullen Empire belongs to you. Cheers!" Edward raised his glass of scotch to his fathers, before drinking. "Look at that portrait over there, son. That's your grandfather. You know Edward, 30 years ago he said certain things to me in this room which I will now repeat to you. He said 'life offers many paths to choose from, but you must always choose the one that is right, the one where you don't have to bend your morals, where you don't have to give in to temptations. Never take a step in life that will bring shame to your family's name and honor. Anyone can make money, but earning respect is not always as easy.' I haven't forgotten his words, even today. And neither should you."

Edward had remained silent throughout Carlisle's speech. His face was blank but with each word his father said, he looked a little more apprehensive, but still he clung to Carlisle's every word, storing it in his memory. Edward had always valued his father's advice and he knew that his father had never led him wrong in his life. "Edward, you must promise me that you will follow the traditions of this family." Green eyes staring into green eyes, Edward nodded. "Promise me you will never compromise the self-respect of our family."

Edward cleared his throat and said, "I promise Dad, that I will always keep our family's name held in only the highest respect." Shaking his father's hand, "I promise that I will always keep you happy papa," he vowed.

December 29, 1999

"WE….. WONNNNNNNNNNN! ALICE! ALICE! THE AGGIES WON!"

"WOOOO HOOOOOOOO! That's awesome B!"

"I know! Right? I mean Texas A&M totally deserved to win the Holiday Bowl this year!" Bella spun in place, arms thrown out to the side, grinning as her dark curtain of hair flew out behind her. She came to a stop and wobbled a bit before asking her sister, "Hey, can you take care of the shop for a few, Alice? I have to go tell Maggie what happened! Do you know where she is?"

"Um I think her mom said they were meeting some guy's family for a marriage proposal. So they're most likely at home entertaining their guests."

"Got it, thanks Alice!" Bella jumped on her bike outside and began pedaling down Park Plaza Drive and all the shops. She cut through the Fiskville Cemetery as she always did when trying to go from her Heritage Hills neighborhood over to the Windsor Hills neighborhood to meet her best friend, Maggie. The ride only took about 5 minutes when Bella rode the most direct route. The Hills of eastern Austin were not the nicest areas to live in, but it was the best that the Swan and Byrne families could afford. Neither of the girls had TV in their own homes, so Bella always watched the game on the small television in her store at the gas station and then relayed the results and scores to Maggie. On other days, the girls would go to the homes of Alice's friends from school and mooch off of their TV to catch the games. Football was big in Texas, but especially in the suburbs of Austin.

When Bella reached the Byrne's house, she crept around the house to the backyard. The glass sliding doors gave her the perfect view into the living room. Bella saw Maggie sitting in the chair facing her. Mrs. Byrne was in the chair next to the sofa talking to an elderly woman, a younger woman whom Bella assumed was the potential groom's mother, and a young boy, the groom's brother maybe? Bella was in the perfect position such that Maggie could see her but Mrs. Byrne and their guests could not.

Inside the room, Mrs. Byrne finished pouring ice tea for her guests and then introduced herself. "I'm Siobhan Byrne and this is my daughter Maggie. Maggie, say hello."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Victoria Moran, Mrs. Mary Moran, Mr. Jamie, I'm so delighted to meet you all." Maggie said sweetly.

The old woman had not been paying attention to the introductions having been too preoccupied with wiping her thick lensed glasses on her skirt. She looked up to see Siobhan in the seat next to her and said, "Oh your face is so bright, like the moon. What a beautiful bride you are!"

Siobhan was visibly flustered as she hurried to correct the old woman's mistake. "Uhhh, uh no my daughter is the bride actually. She's over here, Maggie," she emphasized.

From outside, Bella had finally attracted Maggie's attention. "We won! WE WON!" she stage-whispered, over-exaggerating the words, hoping Maggie could read her lips.

"…and Maggie is very quiet and introverted," Mrs. Byrne was saying.

Maggie's brow furrowed as she tried to decipher the message Bella was trying to get across. "We won the match?" she shouted, finally understanding Bella. "Oh!" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands and turning red with embarrassment, suddenly realizing where she was.

"Quiet and introverted, hmm?" mused the groom's mother Victoria. "I see…"

"The…SCORE…..FORTY-SEVEN to NINETEEN!" Bella mouthed to Maggie again.

"So how old is she again?" wondered Mary, the grandmother.

"Forty-seven!" screamed Maggie.

"Forty-seven?" asked Victoria.

"Huh? Seven?" asked Mary.

"No, no. Sorry I'm twenty-three," corrected Maggie, paling at the death glares her mother was sending her from across the room. She glowered at Bella and tried to motion to her to leave. Maggie actually thought she might like this Teague Moran whom she might marry. Also, her mother might just murder her if she turned down another marriage proposal. Her mother was always saying, 'There are only so many eligible southern Irishmen who want to have an arranged marriage! You can't afford to be so picky!'

Bella could tell Maggie was getting impatient for her to leave so she decided to quickly tell her the name of the tight-end who made the final touchdown securing the win, "GREG PORTER." Bella knew he was Maggie's favorite player on the team.

"Hm that's seems better," muttered Victoria. "Anyway, I think I should tell you about my son, Teague. He's-"

"GREG!" cried Maggie, jumping up from her seat.

Mrs. Moran stood up too, angrily saying, "Greg? Listen Mrs. Byrne, Siobhan, if there's someone else in your daughter's life then I don't see why I should waste-"

"No, no, no, no," cried Siobhan. "She just means...her um…uncle greg! Yes her uncle greg! She was very attached to him and always remembers him on happy occasions!" Siobhan was hurriedly trying to cover up all the mistakes her daughter had made when she noticed Bella outside from the corner of her eye.

"You naughty little monkey! Come on I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't forget soon Isabella Swan!" screeched Siobhan, dragging Bella by the ear as Maggie ran behind after them.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm sorry Mrs. Byrne, I was just excited about the game!" wailed Bella.

Siobhan barged into the Swan's house, still pulling Bella behind her, shouting "Do you know that you almost ruined the perfect marriage proposal for Mag-" she came to a stop when she entered the Swan's living room. "Charlie, what happened to you?"

"Daddy?" Bella asked, twisting out of Siobhan's strong grasp. "Are you okay? What's wrong? Alice, why is Dr. Gerandy here?"

"Bella, what was that I heard about you disrupting Siobhan and her guests!" Charlie demanded.

"Charlie, calm down, it was nothing," Siobhan soothed. "You're BP is too high for this kind of stress. Please lie down."

"WHAT? Dad your hypertension is worse again?" said Bella.

"Yes and it's all because of the worry you cause me, Bella!" growled her father.

"Listen Mrs. Byrne, Mr. Swan, I've increased the strength of your prescription, please fill it and get the new medicine. And just try to reduce your stress, relax , and take care of yourself, please," said Dr. Gerandy as he left the room.

"Are you mad at me Daddy?"

"Yes, Bella, I'm disappointed in you! You are 23 years old now, you need to start acting responsibly!"

"No, Charles its fine. The proposal went through, I was just overreacting." Siobhan said.

"Siobhan you're spoiling my two daughters!"

"Charles, Alice and Bella are just as much mine as Maggie is to me. I told you, they accepted the proposal so Maggie is fine."

"Maggie, they accepted the proposal? Didn't they look at you properly?" Bella teased

"Hey, B shut up!" Maggie snapped.

"Someday all of you girls will get married, you know," reminded Charlie.

"No Daddy, I never will. I'm always going to stay with you," said Bella, hugging her father tightly.

"Yeah! Me too!" pouted Alice.

"I only hope that the man that you pick will love you more than I do, Bella," sighed Charlie.

"Ha, I don't think such a man exists," laughed Bella.

January 1, 2000

The tiny silver Audi screeched to a stop outside the Cullen mansion.

"Okay Rose, tell me, what's wrong."

"Oh shut up Edward. You sucked tonight. You didn't dance, you didn't eat, you didn't laugh. You didn't even say I looked pretty tonight."

"Hey Rose, you look beautiful tonight.

"Really? How sweet, Edwar-"

"I'm sweet and I also lie very well," he smirked.

"You know what, just go."

"Really, Rose, you do look beautiful…"

"Is that a lie or the truth?"

"I think…" Edward teased.

"You think…?"

"I think…."

"Edward, I think you should leave."

"Well I wasn't planning on going home with you tonight anyway, but thanks for the offer!" he smirked.

"Ugh! Good night!"

Edward quickly stepped out of the car as rose revved the engine. As she turned sharply and pulled away from the house, he called out, "Byeeee! I was lying though!" Chuckling to himself he walked down the driveway and entered the house. Rose was so easy to annoy. Just another reason why I love her.