January 1, 2000

Edward strolled into the living room and smiled at the scene in front of him. His mother and his grandmother Elizabeth were sitting together on the couch, looking over some book in their laps. Jasper and his father were crouched around the game table playing Trivial Pursuit. It was the picture of a perfect family.

"What is the longest river in the world?" Jasper asked Carlisle.

"Umm the Nile."

"Are you sureeee? Confident…?"

"Shut up and tell me the answer," Carlisle retorted playfully.

"Hey mom, hey dad," Edward called out. "Oh, and Fatty."

"Stop it Edward," Carlisle warned.

"Sorry dad. So what's everyone up to?"

"Oh nothing," Jasper explained. "We're just playing Trivial Pursuit and mom's planning Dad's surprise party-! Oh!" he gasped.

"Fatty!"

"Jasper!"

"I'm sorry mom!" Jasper wailed.

"Nothing stays in that boy's stomach," Esme said, exasperated, as she shut the planner she had been writing in.

"Ha, that's because it's so full of food already," Edward chuckled.

"Edward…" Esme smiled. "So, why are you back so early anyway? It's New Year's; you should be out celebrating with Rosie."

"I did mom," Edward sighed, plopping down on the couch next to her, slinging his arm across the back. "It's just that these society parties are so boring."

"Well your father always loved those parties, because of the girls." Esme stage-whispered with a wink.

"Esme, what are you telling the boys!" Carlisle complained. "Besides, I never would have found you if I hadn't gone to them."

"He was so happy when the proposal was made," Elizabeth interjected. "You know, it was a great tradition that the elders of the family would choose the bride."

"Yes, well you can't trust these children these days, mother." Carlisle grumbled.

"No, Carlisle. Everything has changed these days, children now–"

"Nothing has changed Esme." Carlisle cut her off.

"But these days kids do choose –" Esme tried again.

"Nothing has changed Esme."

"I just meant…"

"Nothing has changed. I said it already. That's it. Enough."

February 17, 2000

"Health and a long life to you. Land without rent to you. A child every year to you. And if you can't go to heaven, May you at least die in Irelandddd!" Bella sang loudly in her best friend's ear.

"Enough with the rhymes Bella! I'm not getting married until April anyway!"

"Ohhhh marry in May and rue the day! Marry in April, if you can, that's joy for the maiden and joy for the man!" Bella sang again, this time in a terrible Irish accent that attracted looks from the other walking around the Windsor Hills Target. "Okay, okay. I'll stop embarrassing you Maggie, but only if you let me meet your groom! When's this Teague Moran coming?"

"Calm down, Bella! Anyway, he's supposed to come in today. And yes, he will meet you, just be patient. I'm sure he'll meet you at your shop okay?"

"Okay, awesome! So what did you say he did for a living? He's a poet, right?"

"Yes, B." Maggie sighed.

"Then I'll get along with him just fine!" Bella smiled. "I write poetry myself, you know."

"Oh really, B?"

"Yepp, just listen to this couplet," Bella giggled. "Oh what heartache I have gone through in life, Siobhan and Maggie are the causes of my strife!"

"Shut up, B! You're going to get us kicked out of Target!"

~~O~~

"Girls, come look at this!" Siobhan called when she heard Bella and Maggie enter the house. "I have a newspaper article of my boss and his son because it's the man's fiftieth birthday soon. Their picture is right on the front page of The Austin Daily Herald. They're the owners of Cullen Corporation, the leaders in the US oil industry today, you know." she gushed.

"Ooooh lemme see!" cried Bella, grabbing for the newspaper.

"Oh no you don't!" Siobhan held the paper away and slapped at Bella's hands. "This is the only copy I have and I will not have you wrinkling it and getting it all grimy."

Bella just rolled her eyes.

"I saw that Ms. Swan. Anyway, there's going to be a big party at their house, and since I am Jasper Cullen's nanny, we are all invited! So don't do anything to embarrass us, Bella!" Ohh just worrying about this girl is already giving me a head ache! Ugh, I thought my doctor said I wouldn't get these migraines anymore… Oh, where is my Advil. I hope we haven't run out…

"Oh come on, Mrs. Byrne. You know I always behave perfectly," Bella said with a smirk. "Hang on, though. That's the date of Charlie's birthday too!"

"Yes, but you can celebrate with him earlier, and then come to the party at Mt. Bonnell okay? I already told your father, and he said it will fine but that you better behave!"

"Okay, okay. Gosh I'm not like three years old. Hey, and don't say I act like one Maggie!"

"Yeah, yeah," Maggie tossed back, carefully examining the toenails she was trying to paint.

"Oohhhh the street fair! I'm going!" Bella squealed, excitedly. "And I'll remember to hang around the shop and meet your fiancé okay, Mags? Great, byeeee!" she called as she rushed out the door to where the parade was processing towards the fairgrounds.

"And she says she isn't a three year old…" Maggie and her mother murmured together.

~~O~~

"Ewww where are we Edward?" Jasper wailed as Edward's silver Volvo pulled up at the fairground gates.

"Stop being a snob. We're at the Heritage-Windsor Hills Fairgrounds."

"Ewww this place is tacky."

"Shut up, you brat. Mom sent us here to deliver some medicine for Siobhan, so you wait here in the car, while I try to find the shop where I'm supposed to give it to her friend."

Edward wandered around the fairground, hoping he could find someone to tell him where the shop was, since he didn't know the exact address. I think the name of the owner is some kind of bird…Goose…Cygnus…Swan! That's it. Hey, what's going on up here…?

Edward had come to the center of the grounds, where a temporary dance floor had been set up and people were swinging partners around, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Edward's eyes were immediately drawn to a young woman twirling about in the center, switching partners as the moves were called out from the musicians' platform. Her slightly curled hair was whipping back and forth as she danced, so it was difficult for him to see her face. The crowd standing around was wilding clapping and cheering the girl on. He heard her unrestrained peals of laughter and caught a glimpse of large chocolate brown eyes sparkling with mirth. The song finally came to an end, and the other dancers pulled back, allowing the girl to bow and curtsy to the audience. As the crowd cleared out, she brushed her hair back away from her face, slightly out of breath, but still smiling. As she turned around, she noticed Edward still standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching her.

Cautiously, she approached him, her smile now a little more cautious, her eyes questioning him. Edward was struck speechless, when he finally saw her face, unobscured by the tendrils of hair that cascaded onto her shoulders. Her pale, creamy skin was flushed a delicate shade of pink from the exertion, but now a deeper red was blooming on her cheekbones as she waited under Edward's steady gaze. He watched as her wide eyes flicked down to the floor and then peeked up at him hesitantly. You idiot you're making her nervous. Why are you getting so worked up over a random Hills girl? You're Edward Cullen! For God's sake say something to her!

But the beauty spoke first. "Hi, I'm Bella Swan." she introduced herself, extending her tiny hand forward.

Did she just say Swan..? Edward reached forward to shake her hand. "Ah, Bella Swan, you are just the person I was looking for actually! My name is –"

"Oh, I know exactly who you are!" she cried, her hesitation disappearing and excitement spreading across her face again.

~~O~~

"Ugh, how down market is this place!" Jasper pouted from his seat in the car, crossing his hands over his chest sulkily. "And where is Edward anyway?" Scrambling up, sick of waiting, he sighed, "Fine, I'll just look for you myself!"

Climbing out from the car, Jasper locked it and shoved the keys in his pocket, wondering which way his brother had gone. As he turned around, he felt something crash into his chest. He looked down to see a tiny girl glaring up at him before two larger boys ran up to them.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" she cried, placing her hands on her narrow hips and looking Jasper up and down, taking in the chubby boy's unwrinkled jeans and pristine leather jacket. He is sooo not from around here, although I do like that jacket…

"I- I- I'm sorry ma'am. I'm just looking for my brother. He should uh be around here somewhere." Jasper was oddly intimidated by the tiny girl. She looked a little tough because of her short, black spiky hair and piercing dark blue eyes.

"Well, I don't really care Chubby. I'm Alice, this is Felix, and this is Demetri, and you've got some nerve barging onto our home turf without even asking permission!"

"I'm… sorry?" Jasper replied, confused. Is this girl even for real? Doesn't she know who I am? Of course not, these people are probably too low-class to know who the Cullens are.

"Yeah, well you better be. Now, if you want to continue on through the fair, you better pay up." Alice demanded, sticking her tiny hand out, palm up, under Jasper's nose. I bet I can con some money out of this little pretty-boy. He seems like the kind of spoiled rich kid who ended up on the wrong side of town.

"What no way! Who do you think you are?" Jasper cried.

"Hey, you better watch what you say Chubby." The taller boy Demetri said.

"Yeah, no one talks to Alice like that," the other one, Felix, added.

"Umm, umm," Jasper was seriously starting to get scared as the boys advanced towards him menacingly. Oh where is Edward… Okay, think Jasper, think… "Hey, look up there!" he shouted, pointing up at one of the buildings. The trio of bullies turned for an instant, and Jasper ran off screaming. "Edward! Edwarddddd! Help!"

~~O~~

Edward stood dumbfounded as Bella had started talking a mile a minute, waving her hands wildly, as she expressed her excitement about whatever it was she was saying. She is talking so fast I honestly have no clue what she's talking about. Something about Maggie and Teague and me being a…poet?

"Ohh and you are such a cute little Irishman! And you are going to love Maggie! There really is no sweeter girl in all of Austin! So Teague," Bella finally paused for a breath. "Why don't you recite some of your poems?" She smiled, wiggling her eyebrows at Edward.

"Um, exactly what am I supposed to say? I don't get it, who is Teague?"

"Oh, you are soooo funny. So anyway, I know you've come to see me, right?"

"What…No actually, I'm here for Siobhan, or I guess it could be you if you're the family friend…"

"Aww you call her by her first name? That's a bit personal." Bella teased, nudging him with her shoulder.

Edward was seriously confused. Is this girl even competent? I mean, I know she's beautiful but does she have no brains? What on Earth is she talking about…? "Um, no. It's just that Siobhan brought me up."

"What? You're so silly. 'She brought you up,' what a sense of humor! So anyway, have you set the date for the wedding?"

"Whose wedding?"

"Um yours to Ms. Byrne…" Is Maggie's fiancé a dimwit…I mean I thought he was supposed to be some intelligent poet. He seems like he has no idea what's going on.

"What are you talking about Bella, how can I marry Siobhan?"

"Ohh my gosh, you are too funny Teague. Pshh I mean Ms. Byrne not Mrs!" Bella giggled.

Oh man this is some kind of weird Twilight Zone thing going on. I just wanted to drop off Siobhan's migraine medicine and now this beautiful, crazy girl is going on about some poet named Teague and a wedding!

"Well anyway, I can't wait to tell Maggie how much I like her fiancé, no matter how silly you are acting." Bella smiled at Edward.

What is she talking about?

~~O~~

"Help! Help! Edwarddddd help!" Jasper screamed, as he ran as fast as he could, arms flailing about as Alice, Demetri, and Felix sprinted behind him.

Jasper screeched to a stop in front of one of the fair booths. "Hi, do you know where Siobhan lives? Siobhan Byrne! No? Oh god… Edward!" Jasper wailed, still being pursued by Alice and her hulking bodyguards.

~~O~~

"So, do you know where your soon to be mother-in-law works?" Bella asked, trying to engage Edward in conversation as he had gone oddly silent, standing next to her with a bewildered and confused look on his face. "No? Well anyway, Mrs. Byrne works for some real big people. Yeah, they're way up there. I think they have a huge estate down in Mt. Bonnell. Actually, their photo was in the newspaper today! Wanna see? I can find a copy around here somewhere…"

Hold on. Is she talking about me now? I mean me, as in Edward Cullen…? "Yeah, please show me."

Bella quickly returned with a copy of the Daily Herald and flicked it out in front of Edward's face. Still talking to him, she continued, "Haha yeah, they have a whole article on the big snobs."

Bella glanced down at the small picture on the front page of the publication. "Hey, the Cullen boy kind of looks like you Teague…" Bella suddenly gasped. "Oh shit, I'm a dead duck!" she whimpered.

At that remark, Edward began laughing hysterically. Oh god, it's so ironic that Bella Swan would say that. "Oh wow, Bella, 'you're so silly. What a sense of humor,'" he repeated her prior words to him, chuckling as she palmed her face and kept muttering about being a dead duck.

"Edward! Edwardddd! Thank God, there you are!" Jasper cried as he rushed to Edward's side. "You have to help me, E. There are these crazy goons after me helpppp!" He pulled his jacket to cover his head, as he ran off again screaming, with Alice and her friends not too far behind.

"Ah, yes, that's my lovely brother," Edward explained to a now annoyed looking Bella before she turned away, crossing her arms with a huff.

I can't believe that he let me go on like that for so long! I can't believe I just met Edward Cullen and totally embarrassed myself!

Unable to help himself, Edward tapped on Bella's shoulder so that she turned around to face him again. Looking deep into her soulful brown eyes, he murmured "Listen, you really do have a great sense of humor." He chuckled before parting with one last line, "And I really do hope I see you again sometime."

"Hmph!" Bella said to herself, before walking back over to her store. Just as she reached her doors, a sandy-blond haired man tapped on her shoulder. "Yes?" she snapped at him.

"Hi I'm Teague Moran. Maggie's groom."

"Oh yeah, then I must be Lady Gaga!" Bella screamed before turning on her heel and slamming the door in one Teague Moran's face.

A/N: So, what did you all think? Review and let me know!