Hey guys! I'm sorry for not updating but after my last updates my computer got inected with a virus that was just cleared out last Friday. So, I had absolutely no way to update! Ugh! However, when I did come back online I saw how many of you continued to check up with my stories. I love you all for your great loyalty and amazing enthusiasm!

This chapter is sort of fluffy, but it was fun to write so enjoy it! Let me know what you think of it at the end!

lots. of. love.

PLT!

~AliceSwift

"You'll come back.

When it's over.

No need to say goodbye."

~The Call.

~Regina Spektor.

The next day was Wendesday and, as promised, Edward had gone home after school to do homework. I did my homework and then wrote different things for awhile.

I loved writing, and it was more than just a phase as my father thought. All types of writing were beautiful. Poetry, fiction, songs. Words put on a page and arranged in a way to make you feel a certain emotion. That was truly amazing to me. How using different words could paint a different pictures. Words of read, or blue, softer words and letters like pink and yellow would make you think and discover things you might not have otherwise. I only hope that one day I could write something as amazing as some have before me.

I'm not sure if I wanted to be an author, or journalist, or a writer of any sorts for that matter. But, for right now, writing was a hole that I could bury myself in whenever I wanted.

And I loved being in that hole.

Later that night the phone rang, seemingly too loud. I had been alone all night, Charlie was working late so I had the house to myself.

"Hello?" I asnwered. A sigh of relief came from the other end.

"Bella, thank God you're home. Are you with Edward?"

"No, he's at his house. Why?" she sounded out of breath.

"In that case, would you mind doing me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I need you to watch Cynthia, Lucy, and my little cousin."

"How little?" I asked. I would do this for her no matter what the answer was, I was just curious.

"Eight months."

"Your aunt did that to you?"

"Yeah, I thought that it might help me get on her good side so she could help me out occasionally." Before Alice's parents had died, her mom had a falling out with her sister. I'd heard that Alice's aunt hadn't even goone to the funeral. After hearing that Alice was watching her younger sisters by herself, she had a slight change of heart. Though, she didn't want anything to do with them, she had called Alice a week ago to make sure they were okay. I assumed that's when they made the plans for Alice to watch the baby.

"However, I forgot that I picked up an extra shift at the diner. So now, I have three kids at my house that need someone to watch them and I have to be at work in ten minutes."

"Bring them here. We'll be fine." I said, smiling sympathetically to myself.

"Ah! Thank you so much! I'll be right over!" she hung up the phone and before I knew it I heard her little, beaten up car park in my driveway.

I opened the door for them, expecting all hell to break lose. But, surprisingly, they were all calm. Cynthia held a heavy book bag and looked tired, Lucy was sucking her thum, and Alice held a baby carrier that was filled with quiet sighs.

"I know this is really short notice, but they've been fed and just need a place to sleep really."

"Alice, it's okay. Everything will be fine." I held her shoulders and gave her an honest look. She nodded.

"Come on in, guys." I stepped aside to let them in. Cynthia took Lucy's hand and led her to the couch.

"Okay, here's the diaper bag." she handed me a blue and pale yellow bag. "There are four bottles and tons of diapers. There's also one change of clothes and a few blankets." She walked past me and put the carrier on a red chair in the corner. "Lucy is not aloud to sleep with her fooler and if she has an accident in bed she has to stand in the corner for five minutes." she said this in a louder tone, looking at Lucy who straightened up a bit at the sound of this. Alice slyly handed me another, smaller, bag with pink lettters reading Lucy on the front. She whispered that her two foolers and a few diapers were in there along with a ton of baby wipes. Also three sippy cups that I could fill with anything that wasn't carbonated. I nodded and she continued, talking too fast.

"Cynthia has Algebra and History homework to do, along with a study guide to complete for her Chemistry test tomorrow. She is not aloud to go to sleep until she has finished all of that and if she tells you that I let her have anything more than milk and juice after seven, she's lying." she smiled at me and I nodded.

"Okay, I'll be leaving now. Be good for Bella, don't give her any trouble." she kissed Cynthia and Lucy on the forehead before turning to me. "Thank you so, so, so, so, so much." she gave me a hug and after that a smile fulled with energy.

"Don't mention it." I said and she smiled again before turning for the door. "I'll be back at two at the absolute latest. Hopefully, before that."

"Okay, we'll be fine." I said as she walked into the darkness. I realized quickly I was missing a crucial detail. "Alice!" I called and she opened the door of her car a bit.

"Yeah?"

"What's the baby's name?"

"Lucas." she said and I smiled at her. She shut her door, drove away, and was soon out of sight.

For the first two hours everything was fine. However, as Lucy digested, here energy shot back up. It was almost eight thirty when she started getting out of control.

"Hey Bella!" she called. I was rocking Lucas in my arms, feeding him a bottle as she got too close to my face.

"Yes?" I asked.

"What's that?" she pointed to a radio in the corner.

"A radio." I said.

"What's it do?" she went over and started pushing buttons. All types of music blasted in sequence. Lucas screamed and Cynthia yelled at her, complaining of a headache.

"Lucy." I went over to her and turned it off. "Don't touch that again."

"I want to color." she ran off behind me and I shook my head, trying to stay calm. I pulled the diaper bag off the chair and got a new bottle out of it.

"Lucy!" Cynthia cried. "Why did you do that?" Lucas kicked, shreieking again and threw the bottle across the room.

"What did she do?" I asked, wlaking over to get the milk filled bottle.

"My study guide! It's ruined!" Now Cynthia was yelling, Lucy was crying, and Lucas was screaming in my arms.

"Bella!" I heard a voice call my name from the opening door. "I have a-" he turned around to see what was going on inside. The look on his face made me smile, he looked terribly confused.

"Edward! Lucy destroyed my study guide for school!" Cynthia yelled at him.

He looked over at me, his eyes smoldering, he wore his crooked smile. I couldn't help but blush as I walked over to the couch.

"Babysitting for Alice." I explained and he nodded, his eyebrows raising slightly.

"What subject is it for?" he asked, going to Cynthia.

"Sciene." she flung the packet at him.

"Well, these lines are scribbles made by a four year old. They're a very complex way of studying vocabulary words. Match a color that reminds you of a word to that word. Then study the word and remember what color it was." Though what he said didn't make much sense at all, Cynthia looked anlightened and got straight to work.

Lucy was crying in the corner of the room and he went over to her. "Oh, Lucy. What's wrong?"

"Cynthia yelled at me." Cynthia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, well, how about we-" he stopped and gasped. "What was that?" she looked confused.

"What's what?" her small hand pushed her hair out of her face.

"That noise." he cupped his hand behind his ear and she did the same. "It sounds like...like..." he looked at her from the corner of his beautiful green eyes. "I know what it is!" he said.

"What? What is it?"

"It's an-" he looked at he small face, jam packed with anticipation. "airplane!" he picked her us, tossing her slightly in the air and she cooed out in joy and happiness.

"Little Lucy airplane coming in for a landing." she laughed and begged for him not to put her down.

"Noooooooo! Higher! Higher!" he tossed her a few times in the air and her voice jerked as she landed in his hands, looking huge in comparison to her small rib cage.

"Landing in ten...nine...eight...seven...six..." as he counted down I notcied how comfortable he was around kids. I guess I'd never been in a position like this before where we've both been around children for more that a few minutes.

"...five...four...three...two...one!" he made a landing sound as he plopped down next to me on the couch, softly enough not to disturb Lucas.

"How was your flight Lucy?" I asked as Edward kissed my cheek and whispered a lingering hello in my ear.

"Fuuuuuuuun!" she laughed as she tipped backwards on the couch, trying to make the same airplane noises as Edward had.

"And who do we have here?" Edward asked quietly, noticing that he was asleep.

"Lucas. He's Alice's cousin." I looked down at his face, seeing how at peace he was in rest. Young, innocent.

"She's speaking wither her aunt again?" he asked, putting his arm around me.

"You could say that." I said, yawning.

"How long have they been here?" he asked me.

"About two hours now, almost three." his eyes widened and I shrugged.

"Well, what can I do to help?" he asked. I looked at Lucy, in a corner with two crayons in a cross shape, flying through the air with sound affects. I looked at Cynthia who was using the other crayons to finish her homework.

"I think you already did." I said, leaning into him.

"Did I?" he asked smugly. I reached my neck up and kissed him.

His lips soft on mine, feeling right and perfect. His cool, sweet breath lingering on my lips as we pulled away. I looked up into his eyes and a crooked smile grew on his face. I smiled, feeling hot blush on my cheeks. He kissed each one of them, cooling the flush, and then pushed my hair out of my face.

"I love you." he whispered in my ear, kissing my neck three times before reaching my collarbone and bringing his head up too look at my eyes.

"I love you too." I said. Letting my head fall on his chest. Hishand ran through my hair and I was alsmot asleep when he spoke again.

"Bella," he said. A hesitating tone in his voice.

"Yes?" I asked, opening my tired eyes. He glanced down then back up at me. "Let me take him for you." he said. I was too tired to let him not. I looked up at his eyes and smiled to myself.

My Edward-amazing, beautiful, perfect.

How could he not come back after the war? Surely he would, no one would ever kill someone as amazing as him.

A sweet, soft, familiar tune drifted into my ears. The lullaby Edward had first written, played, and sung to me in the ninth grade.

I sighed and let myself fall asleep, curled up on his lap.

He'd come back when it's over. There was hardly a need ot say goodbye.

Okay, so the next chapter will be a little like this one. I'll probably have a little from this chapter in Edward's perspective then some Alice/Edward banter which is fun to write! Let me know what you think! See you all next Tuesday!

Love you all!

lots. of. love.

PLT!

~AliceSwift