*Disclaimer - Sadly, I own nothing of Twilight with the exception of merchandise, bought and paid for. I do, however, own my love for borrowing the characters and playing with them however I choose to. I thank Stephenie Meyer for creating the TwiWorld and for allowing us to have our fun with it. She owns Twilight, the insanity it created in my mind is my own.

Shug is my super beta reader. I thank her, as well as my awesome behind the scenes motivator and free therapist. ;) And I thank each of you for sticking with me on this one. *mwah*

Whatever Works

It Might Get Weird

The weekend proved to be interesting. With Edward not working, there were mini battles erupting at every corner. Despite being made very happy with the gift of the London house, nothing else her brother did seemed to sit well with Alice. If he tried to help with Esme, she didn't need his help! (Insert bratty sister attitude.) But when he stayed in his own room, that was wrong too. This would be the longest two week visit known to man.

Conversely, the tension with Jasper seemed to be easing daily. Emmett was a big part in that, I was sure. The three of them had been inseparable for years, and he had been in the middle of the spat through no fault of his own since the big fight. He took advantage of the visit to rebuild their friendship, as well as being a bridge for both of his friends to try to smooth things over between themselves. No one knew Edward's moods like Emmett, so he knew when to not push them together and distract Edward so he wouldn't lose it.

Personally, I thought Edward was doing an amazing job of coping with the situation. There was tension, certainly, and many, many sighs. A lot of cheek-biting too, but he kept his cool even when being disrespected in his own home by Alice. Jasper seemed to go out of his way to keep her emotions level, and not be a burden to Edward in any way.

"I'm really trying to get with it and support their relationship," Edward said to me on the way down to the pool. "I am trying. It drives me nuts when she flaunts it though – do you notice? She'll go and sit on his lap, looking directly at me like she's challenging me to say something. I can't watch them together."

"You're not going to get used to it overnight," I replied gently. "Just keep trying. You're doing great."

Of course, I had noticed. She was far more physical with Jasper when her brother was around, and I knew it wasn't coincidence. On the other hand, I couldn't be certain it was intended to hurt him – she could just be doing their defiance thing, proving to Edward that she and Jasper could and would be together, because they were right for each other. There absolutely was a deep connection between the couple. I had been envious of the way they interacted from our first afternoon of tea and Scrabble. Their eyes often met and locked, and it was like a silence dialog passed between them with each look. Together, they were relaxed and soothing for one another, and obviously very much in love. It was something I had never experienced myself and hadn't given much thought to – but when faced with it, it was most definitely enviable.

Edward was coaxed into a good mood at the pool, surrounded by friends. He was witty and animated and very playful. His lovely hands kept finding ways to come in contact with me, and every touch sent a tingle through my entire body. I really enjoyed when he'd pull me into the deep end for chats and hold onto my hips so I wouldn't have to work so hard to keep my head above water.

"Are we in a bubble again?" Emily swam over to tease us. I had noticed she was keeping a watchful eye on us, particularly since we were spending so much time together upstairs, but she hadn't issued any further warnings to me.

"Actually, dear Emily, we're plotting." He winked at me and pulled me against his side as he freed up one arm to reach out and draw her into our circle. "Jake is becoming too cocky, don't you think? All that muscle makes him think he's invincible when really, he's the baby of the family and always will be."

Her arm slid around my waist as well, and we formed a bubble for three. "What are you proposing?" she whispered conspiratorially.

"We team up, arm ourselves while he's over there sunning himself…"

"Thinking he's the greatest thing God ever created…" She giggled. "Emmett needs in on this."

"Oh, most definitely!" Edward was beaming with a mischievous grin. "And Bella still owes him from a previous attack." His fingers slid up my ribcage, tickling me. It was more than the current contact that made me flush; the overgrown brat had reminded me of the foot action in the pool that time, and he knew it.

When he went to recruit Emmett, I did some conspiring of my own with Emily, and after the attack on Jake, she and I turned on Edward. Of course, his boys took after us in his defense, and Jasper walked unwittingly into the battle zone. He took his attack with grace, laughing even when Edward reloaded his Super Soaker just to shoot his old friend in the ass. After which, he stepped up to Jasper, handing over his weapon.

"I think we can say we're even. Truce?" He held out a hand.

Jasper eyed him for several moments while we all waited in silence for their scene to play out. It was huge for Edward to make this gesture. I pleaded silently for Jasper to accept it. Slowly, he raised his hand to wipe the dripping water from his face, and then he did one rapid shot of his own, directed at Edward's face. "Now we're even."

"I knew you would do that! You never change, Whitlock." Edward laughed as he shook the water from his face. As Jasper pulled him into a bro hug, he returned it, giving him a slap on his back. The shirt he still had on was positively soaked, and it was loud.

"That's the last shot I ever take at you, man. You're my brother."

My eyes got teary hearing Jasper's vow, and Edward gave him another slap before releasing him and turning away. He dove into the pool without another word. Emmett gave Jasper a nod of approval and pulled him off to the side for a private chat. I sat on the pool edge and smiled as Edward swam towards me. He ducked underwater before reaching the edge and grabbed onto my feet, pulling them apart so that when he emerged, he was between my legs. He rested an elbow on each side of me, squinting at me in the sun.

"You turned on me again."

"You teased me again," I replied with the same playful tone he used.

"Think we're ready to stop teasing each other?" His hands moved to my waist, and I flinched at the cool feel of his fingers on my hot skin, arching my back and, in turn, putting his face about an inch away from my chest. He sucked in a breath and used his hands to urge me even closer to the edge of the pool. "Come in with me," he pleaded in a whisper.

I slid myself into the water in front of him, his hands never leaving my waist. My arms draped around his neck in what was now a familiar position for us in the pool.

"You're trembling," he commented softly. "Are you cold?"

"A little," I replied. Truthfully, the trembling had much more to do with his hands on me and the general close proximity of our bodies as we teased each other. I wasn't about to tell him that.

He held me tighter and lowered us both so only our heads were above water. With a sly grin, he lowered his hands to my butt and hitched me up, urging my legs to go around his waist. It didn't take much – it was where they wanted to be. "Much better," he murmured against my shoulder. His lips traced a path from my shoulder to my neck – not kissing me, just running his lips along me. I shuddered more intensely. He moaned under his breath. "That's what I was hoping for."

I was hoping for a sinkhole to open up and take just the two of us down to a more private place to explore what it would be like to stop teasing each other. "There's um… people… around…" I mumbled with my cheek pressed to his head.

"I really hadn't noticed," he mumbled back, his lips not leaving my skin as he trailed them from my neck up to my earlobe. "If we don't see them, maybe they don't see us. Don't look at them, Bella. Look at me."

I did and found myself lost in his eyes. He pressed his forehead to mine and held onto my hips, swaying with me in the water as if we were dancing in our own little bubble. Edward issued a soft moan when one of my hands released my grip on the back of his neck and wove through his hair. His moans were exquisite. His hands, eyes, voice, and even his feet rivalled for first place in my favorite things about the man my legs were uncharacteristically wrapped around. I had never behaved like this – teasing or otherwise. It just felt like the thing to do when in a bubble with a guy like Edward. An unexpectedly splash burst our bubble, and we both looked to the source with annoyance.

"Alice has been trying to get your attention," Jake announced with a grin.

"She's spent her life trying to get my attention. Why is now any different?" Edward quipped as he looked over my head. "What?" His voice was clipped with the annoyance that he felt as he directed his own attention to his sister. It sounded like he had at least some of the same frustration I was feeling.

"I want to swim, and Mum's in her room alone."

"Okay…?" He chuckled and shifted me in his arms. My hip collided with his, and I sucked in a breath as I gripped him even tighter. "Do you need water wings to come in the water without Mum?"

"She's alone, Edward. It's your turn."

"My turn to do what, exactly? She's been on her own before, Alice. She will survive without one of us babysitting."

I suddenly felt very awkward and very much on display, clinging to the son of the woman I was there to take care of. "I'll go," I announced, dropping my hands to his shoulders, preparing to peel the rest of my body off him.

"No…" he whimpered. "Don't leave me now… not like this…" He shot a look at Alice and spun us so his back was to her. "Sorry for this. Bad timing. Again."

I didn't have anything to say in return. Why did he only do things like this at times when it couldn't ever go past the teasing stage? Was that his plan – to tease me to a certain point of arousal to see just what he could get me to do but not have to follow through? It certainly seemed like it.

~ 0 ~

Sunday kicked into gear late. We had split into groups Saturday night, and I would say both parties imbibed to their limit or beyond.

The guys had a poker game set up for the evening festivities. Emmett had taken me aside to apologize for taking Edward away from me for the evening while they did their male bonding thing and also to thank me for my part in getting Edward to ease up on the hostility towards Jasper. I didn't see me having anything to do with that; I gave credit to the three of them for finding a way past their difficulties.

Alice, Esme, and I went down to spend the evening with Sue and Emily, during which Alice confronted me with the ultimate question: "So, are you and Edward together?"

Excellent question. I wished she had asked it of her brother instead so she could tell me if he was merely an insufferable flirt or if he really was interested in pursuing something more. I issued a weak "Nooo!" complete with a snort and adamant head shake. Alice lifted one eyebrow, just like her brother would when he was calling bullshit. At least I was spared a smirk reminiscent of him. Alice's version involved the pursing of lips. It was just as effective. The room became unbearably warm.

Their card game was still going strong when I came back to the main house, and I hadn't even heard Edward come upstairs – whenever that was. After the griping he did about Alice's attitude towards him with their mother – "She only wants me to be the caregiver when she's had enough!" – Edward slept off his hangover instead of making an early appearance downstairs. He ignored her glares when he finally came down. I was the one who got her up and about anyway, and we had a barbecue and lazy time at the pool planned for the afternoon. It was better that he let it lie with a look rather than escalating it into a need for tea and biscuits.

"Thank you for saving me from my sister's whining today." Edward flopped into the vacant lounge chair next to mine. "I only had to endure the wicked glare. The whine is much worse."

"How did I spare the whine?" I asked in confusion.

"By being with our mother this morning? Alice may have gotten her pissy ass out of bed early, but she didn't do the work. Jasper told me you got her set for the day and managed some exercise?"

"Oh! Right. That's why I volunteered to be with her yesterday too. We're slacking off on her routine, and I don't want her falling behind on therapy."

Edward chuckled, sitting up lean across the span between us in order to whisper. "She's probably still getting her exercise when she walks to the bathroom two or three times a night."

Quirking an eyebrow at him, I sat up straight myself. "How do you know that?"

"Weak bladder. Unless you're getting up with her several times a night, I guarantee she's making the trips on her own."

"Ohhh, she's a sneaky one!"

"I'd also wager that she won't stay in the pool for long. She's focusing very hard on keeping her legs immobile right now."

Emmett had insisted on carrying her into the pool, and she was currently sitting on a step, waist deep in the water. We sat with our heads pressed together watching the adorably sneaky lady try to put one over on us. "We should do this more often. She may be able to hobble back and forth from bathroom to bed, but there's still a lot of strengthening to do before she can be completely independent. The water will give her good resistance with even the slightest movements."

As if sensing our commentary, she requested Emmett's help getting her out of the pool, and after she was settled in at a table in the shade with Sue, the games began. We kicked it off with a regular round of Marco Polo – what pool gathering wouldn't? Alice won. It's like she had a sixth sense about where everyone was at any given time. Then we teamed up and had relays. I was skeptical from the onset of that one, but everyone insisted it was fun. The idea was that one person would mount a boogie board while the other team member would drag them down the length of the pool. Then the team would switch, and rider became hauler.

Edward partnered up with me and lost me several times along the way as I tipped off the board, requiring us to go back to the starting point. We still reached the end before our competitors, Jasper and Alice. We hung on the edge for a few moments, mocking them before we made the switch. Edward may have been a master at hauling me, but I couldn't get us going at all. After several false starts (I tipped him off a few feet away from the edge), we got a different game plan going, and he crouched lower, using his arms to help me out by paddling in the deeper water until I got him going. There were no rules stating that he had to hold onto the board he was on… most just did to avoid tipping.

Clear winners of the first round, we sat together to watch the next sets: Sam and Emily; Emmett and Jake. The male duo was hilarious – both strategizing to make the most of their bulk against Emily. They had been smart with starting Emily as the hauler from the shallow end so she could get a decent run going before she had to swim the rest. They actually made it there before the dynamic duo. Jake proved to be a stronger swimmer than Sam, however, and wrapped up the win. We refused a final match between us and them, giving them the Ultimate Duo title without argument.

We then broke up the games to start the barbecue. Jasper had pre-cooked and marinated ribs, and he guaranteed us he was the best rib griller we'd ever encounter. He didn't disappoint. They were indeed, the best ribs I'd ever had and a perfect companion to the corn on the cob and various salads we had all had a hand in preparing. I had never realized how much I had missed out on with family gatherings like this. It had been just Dad and I for so long, and we didn't have family around. Edward may not be able to stroll around the streets of the city at this point, but he had something very special at his home. I envied him that and was so grateful to be included in it this way.

The clean-up was quick, with everyone pitching in at dusk. Jasper brought his guitar out to mess around with. He and Edward took turns on it, with everyone singing along – though there was no question the two of them held all musical talent of the group. Sue accompanied Esme back to her room when the night air didn't get any cooler and she needed some relief from the heat. We broke into another round of Marco Polo, with Jake as our designated lifeguard since we had been drinking both with and after dinner.

Whether or not alcohol played a role, the game suddenly turned into a tandem challenge. The designated Marco was solo, but he was to tag us in pairs. We started out with the same pairings as earlier, and Emmett was Marco while Jake observed. I had drunk enough that it sounded like fun but not so much that I wasn't hyperaware of the fact that I was about to get very intimate with Edward's head as I watched the other couples mount up. Emmett laughed at my awkwardness and reminded Edward how he had gone about it himself the day of the trade-off in the pool. Okay, so my hoohaa had met the back of Emmett's head, and now it was about to get acquainted with Edward. How did this life come about again? Oh yeah… this was my workplace. Crazy stuff.

Whenever Marco tagged a couple, he would take the girl, and the new Marco would be solo. I rode every guy with the exception of Jake, our watcher and commentator. Somehow, I ended the game mounted on Edward – lovely – and made the most ungraceful dismount in a fit of giggles. His capable arms pulled me to the surface and held me while I choked and sputtered. He waited until I was breathing, rapidly but with success, before he laughed at me.

Once again, I was thankful for the muted lighting, because I was glowing with the heat he created in me and the remainder of my alcoholic buzz. "I should really go in," I said. My arms were draped around him casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Work tomorrow. Back to reality."

"Tell me," he mumbled. "I've got to be on set at five." He looked around us, scoping the scene. "I expected Alice to be right there with her 'poor baby' remarks."

"I think they went in already." Sam and Emily were off in the corner cuddling, and Jake and Emmett were gathering empties.

"We're almost alone." A bright smile spread out on him, and then he chuckled, looking shy all of a sudden. "I have an urge to do something."

His lips were almost grazing mine, and I was sure he was going to kiss me. My heart raced in anticipation. "What's that?" I whispered.

"I want to…" He shook his head. "Nah, you'll think it's weird. It would be awkward."

That got me giggling. "What would be weird and awkward?"

"Bella, truthfully… there's a spot on you that's incredibly appealing to me…"

Considering just about every part of me had either been against or at least near his head, I couldn't determine what spot he was referring to. And did it matter? Hell no! The fact that he found any part of me appealing was amazing. "That is weird," I stated.

His crooked grin emerged. "That's not the weird part."

"Oh."

"Can I try it?"

His earnestness when he asked that question got me giggling again. "Try what?"

"It might get weird," he said in warning. He lifted me onto the side of the pool and took one of my hands placing it on his cheek. He then edged his cheek slowly up my arm until he was at the crook of my elbow. He nestled his head in there, smiling up at me before he turned and gave it a lick. Not a lap – like he was having a taste of ice cream – but a slow, sensual lick along the crease and back before closing his mouth over it briefly. Shivers ran through me. Letting out a short titter when he broke contact, he bent, laying his head on my lap for a just a moment, sighing. When he stood, he placed a hand on either side of me and looked directly into my eyes.

"So, was it weird?"

"Totally," I replied, breathless. The weirdest and most erotic thing anybody had ever done to me.

"Thought so. You're shivering." He climbed out in a rush and returned with towels, draping one over my shoulders as I stood.

"I should go," I mumbled, lips quivering as I rubbed at my arms.

"Let me do that." He dropped the towel he was holding and took over. His hands had a lot more coverage than mine did.

"I have to go while I'm still able to weave my way through the garden."

Amused, he pulled me against him and rubbed my back through the towel. "You don't have to go through the garden, silly confused Bella. You're upstairs, remember? Come on, I'll walk with you so you don't get lost."

In truth, Edward was more disorienting than the booze or the exhaustion I was feeling. When he deposited me safely in my room and bid me goodnight, I was completely lost.