Saturday Morning, Early
Bella's POV

When my alarm went off at seven o'clock Saturday morning, I almost decided to throw it against the wall, roll over, and go back to sleep.

Fortunately, Angela knocked on my door and walked into the room, flipping on the light.

"Ang! Too bright, too bright!"

She just laughed and said, "Girl, ya gotta get up! You know your dad'll be here in two hours. We should be ready to go when he gets here. Take a shower and wake up, then come out, and we'll make omelets together, okay?"

I smiled. Angela and I had been making omelets together for years and had it down to a science. "Okay, okay, I'm up. Be out there in a few minutes," I mumbled groggily.

She left the room and closed the door behind her as I climbed out of bed. Grabbing a pair of old jeans and a ratty T-shirt, along with comfortable panties and a bra, I made my way into the bathroom and set them on the counter. After making sure both doors were locked, I undressed, answered Mother Nature, and then climbed into the shower, turning the water on as hot as I could stand it. With a quick wash of my hair and body, I called it good. No need to worry about shaving today, thank goodness. I wasn't awake enough to handle not cutting myself.

After drying off and slathering on a thick coat of deodorant—there would be a ton of sweating involved with the moving in of furniture—I dressed quickly and brushed my hair, pulling it up in a ponytail to let it dry. I went back to the bedroom, threw on my socks and sneakers, and then headed to the kitchen to help with breakfast.

The smell of coffee hit me as soon as I opened my door. "Oh thank you, thank you! Come to me, Nectar of the Gods!"

Angela laughed as she handed me my doctored mug.

I took a careful sip. "Mmm, just what I needed."

"Good. Ben'll be out in a few minutes. He was getting in the shower as soon as you finished. I have everything chopped for the eggs, and the biscuits are in the oven. If you wanna start making the omelets, now would probably be a good time."

I nodded, cracking eggs into a big bowl. All of us liked cheese and bacon in our omelets, so I went ahead and added the shredded cheddar cheese and the chopped bacon, which Angela had already cooked, and mixed it all together. In went a little bit of salt and black pepper with the eggs, a bit of cooking spray into the pan on the stove, and then I poured a bit of the egg mixture into the skillet.

Ben came in as I was taking the first omelet off the stove, so I put it on a plate and handed it to him, letting him add ingredients to the middle before he folded it over. I quickly made Angela's and then mine and turned off the stove before heading over to the stuff Angela had chopped. After topping mine with some green peppers, mushrooms, salsa, onions, and more cheese, I finally decided that was plenty. Angela had set out glasses of milk and juice as well as napkins and silverware, so I took my place at the table.

Looking around, I laughed. "We're so predictable," I said, grinning. "Angela has her spinach, onion, and tomato, and Ben, you have 'everything but the kitchen sink' in yours. Is that leftover asparagus from the other night?"

He grinned. "Yes, and it's delicious."

I shuddered. To each his own, I supposed.

A minute later, the buzzer on the oven sounded. "Oh! The biscuits," Angela cried, rushing over to the oven and grabbing an oven mitt before pulling out the tray. She turned off the oven and the buzzer before tossing all the biscuits into a basket and grabbing the butter and jam out of the fridge on her way back to the table.

None of us talked much as we ate, except for the occasional moans because of the food. After we finished, the three of us worked together clean up the breakfast mess. When we finished, it was only eight o'clock, so we went into the living room and flipped through the channels until we found a movie that we all liked.

Forty-five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I hopped up and peeked out the window to make sure it was my dad. When I saw him standing on the porch, I threw open the door, wrapping my arms around him. "Hi, Dad! Thanks for coming up to help."

He gave my shoulders a squeeze. "No problem, Bells. I, uh, Sue wanted to come and help. I hope that was okay."

I looked over his shoulder to see Sue, his still fairly new wife, standing off to the side. "Of course it was okay. Hi, Sue! it's good to see you. Come on in, guys." I moved out of the way so they could come inside.

Angela and Ben got up and came over to us. Angela gave them both a hug, and Ben shook their hands.

"Thanks for coming up, Charlie," Ben said. "Not sure how I'd, uh, I mean, we'd have moved everything in if it were just the three of us."

Sue said, "Bella, could you and I sit down for a minute before we go? I'm going to go shopping and need your help making a list."

I smiled and nodded, motioning for the others to go ahead and sit down in the living room. "Come on into the kitchen, Sue. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

She nodded. "Is there enough for your dad? He was in such a rush this morning that I couldn't get him to slow down enough to drink any, and I know he'll really be able to use it."

I laughed and poured him a cup, leaving it black, and then handed it to her.

"I'll take this in to him while you pour mine, if that's okay. Just black for me as well," she said.

"No problem. Just meet me at the table."

I poured two more cups, adding in sugar and creamer to mine, and took both mugs to the table just in time to see her sitting down with a piece of paper and a pen. "What are you going shopping for?"

"Well, I told your father that you probably hadn't thought to get groceries and things like that. Was I right?"

I blushed. "Of course. I did take toilet paper! We had paper towels there, along with other cleaning supplies, but I didn't think about groceries and things like that."

"That's where I come in, then," she said, smiling. "Let's make a list of things you know you want. Then while you guys are all moving in the furniture and stuff, I'll go get the stuff on the list. That way you don't have to worry about it while you're trying to unpack and get everything set up. Does that sound okay?"

"Okay? It sounds perfect! Thank you, Sue. I appreciate it so much." It was such a sweet thing to do, and since my mom wasn't around, I appreciated the motherly gesture. "By the way, how are the kids?"

"They're good. Leah just got married recently, as you know. She and her husband live on the reservation and are doing well. Seth is still in college, loving every minute of it. He and Jacob are still roommates in an apartment off campus. Jake graduates next year, and Seth the year after. I think both their plans are still the same, to come home after graduation and work in Forks. Both have serious girlfriends, although I don't know if they're looking at long-term or just serious for now."

"Oh, good! I haven't talked to either of them in ages. Now that I'm this close to Forks, I'll have to get in touch with them. I still have their e-mail addresses somewhere in all my stuff, so once I'm all moved in, I'll hit them up. Please give Leah my best and tell her I said congratulations."

She smiled. "I certainly will. Now, let's talk about groceries."

We spent about fifteen minutes making a list, and then I grabbed our mugs and rinsed them out, putting them into the dishwasher. "Dad, could you bring me your coffee so I can put it in here before we head out please?" Once he'd brought in his mug, I added it to the others and started the dishwasher. "Everyone ready?"

Ben, Angela, and Sue nodded. "I'll drive the truck over. Dad, do you wanna ride with me?" He nodded, so I continued. "Sue, you can drive Dad's car, and then Ben can bring his, filled with boxes, and Angela can bring mine. That way, everyone has a way to get home after we finish, and Sue has a car to go shopping with. Sound good to everyone?"

"Oh, that reminds me. I brought a few boxes from my house as well, Bella," my dad said. "Stuff, uh, of your mom's that you wanted."

"Thanks for remembering, Dad. I appreciate it." I smiled to let him know I meant it. "Okay, everyone good with the plan?"

"Works for me," Ben said, grabbing his keys out of his pocket.

I tossed mine to Angela and saw my dad slip his to Sue. We grabbed everything we needed and then filed out the door, letting Ben lock it behind us.

Sue said, "Which way are you going to go?" When I pointed to the right, the way Charlie's car was already facing, she said, "Okay, I'll go ahead and pull up and out of the way, and that way I can follow behind you guys."

Ben and Angela got into the vehicles and followed Sue down the street a bit so they could be in line when I was ready.

"Ready, Dad?" I hopped up into the cab of the truck, and after he was in and we were both buckled up, I started the massive thing and carefully pulled out onto the street. We waved as we passed the cars and made our way the few miles to the store.

~*~*~CIBD~*~*~

Edward's POV

I woke up just before my alarm was set to go off, hopped out of bed, and took a fast shower. I knew that Emmett would never stop teasing me if he could see how excited I was about seeing Bella again, so I tried to calm myself down before they all came over. Before heading into the kitchen to start breakfast, I threw on a pair of old jeans and a ratty Beatles T-shirt, padding barefoot into the kitchen.

I'd just started to get out the ingredients when there was a knock on the apartment door, and my family let themselves in.

"Good morning," Alice's voice rang out.

"Morning, guys," I called from the kitchen. "Make yourselves at home. I'm just starting breakfast."

I heard the guys settle down on the sofa and flip on the TV, and then Rose and Alice walked in.

"Can we help?" Rose asked.

"Nah, I've got it covered, but thanks. What's all that?"

Rose and Alice both had their arms full of pretty vases filled with fresh flowers of different varieties.

They set them on the other counter as Alice replied, "We wanted to give Bella a welcome gift and thought that since she was moving into a new place, flowers for both the store and her new apartment would be pretty."

As I put the biscuits into the oven, I smiled. "I'm sure she'll love them. That was really sweet."

They sat down at the table and talked with me as I fried up the bacon and scrambled the eggs. Just before it was all ready, I asked, "Can you guys pour glasses of orange juice and coffee for everyone? Breakfast should be ready in about two minutes."

Rose got the milk and juice out of the fridge while Alice got out mugs for the coffee and small glasses for the juice. They began putting them onto the table as the guys wandered in and sat down. I dished up the eggs and bacon, got the biscuits out and added them to the plates, and then turned off the stove and oven.

"Jasper, here's your plate," I said, handing it to him before setting mine down at my place. "I took our eggs out a minute or so before everyone else's so they aren't as done."

He grinned. "Thanks, man. Smells delicious."

I finished handing out plates and grabbed a fork for everyone. I saw that the girls had put out the butter and a knife for the biscuits already, along with the milk and sugar for those that wanted it with their coffee.

Everyone dug into their food, and all was quiet until Emmett piped up. "So, Eddie," he said, ignoring my growl at the use of the nickname, "ready to meet your potential father-in-law?"

I choked on the juice I'd just drunk and glared. "Geez, Em, keep comments like that to yourself today, please. I just met her a few days ago. You want 'em to think I'm some psycho crazy stalker or something?"

He laughed so hard, I was afraid he was going to choke. "Dude, it's not like you're sneaking into her bedroom while she sleeps! But okay, man, I get it. I'll be cool around Bella and her family and friends."

I flashed him a grateful smile.

"Still, you didn't answer my question..."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure it'll be fine. After all, it's the group of us, not just me."

We finished eating, and Emmett and Jasper got up to do the dishes after being prompted by Rose and Alice. The three of us sat there drinking our coffee and talking as the guys loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the mess I'd made cooking.

By the time they were done, it was almost nine o'clock. I said, "Okay, I'm gonna go down and open the store and wait for Sasha, who should be here anytime. I'll call you guys when Bella gets here. Lock the door behind you when you come down, please."

A few minutes later, I'd made sure Sasha was settled in for the morning and was sitting at the piano, working on my latest composition, when I saw the U-Haul and caravan of vehicles pull up next door. I grabbed my phone and called upstairs, telling them it was time. A minute later, the group came out of the office and met me by the door.

We walked outside, and I noticed Bella and her friends Angela and Ben alongside an older woman. An older man, who I assumed was her father, had his back to me and was up near the front of the truck, a cell phone to his ear. Bella and the others were all standing next to a few stacks of boxes. Angela saw me first and nudged Bella. When she looked up, I saw surprise flash across her face before she smiled, looking happy to see me.

"Hi, Edward! This is a surprise. What are you doing here?" She looked around me to see the rest of my family. "Umm, hi. I'm Bella."

"My family and I came to help you move all your stuff in. This is my brother, Emmett, and his wife, Rosalie. Shorty there is our sister, Alice, and the one she's jumping up and down beside is her boyfriend, Jasper."

"Nice to meet you all. You certainly didn't have to come help!" She turned to yell at her dad and the older woman. "Dad, Sue. Come meet some friends of mine."

The man turned around, and my eyes grew wide. "Chief Swan? You're Bella's father?"

~*~*~CIBD~*~*~

Bella's POV

When Edward said that to Charlie, I gasped. "How do you know my dad?"

"I knew his name sounded familiar," Angela murmured to me.

"Hey, kids. It's good to see you all. I haven't seen your parents in a while. I heard they were overseas?"

Edward smiled. "Yes, sir. My dad works for Doctors Without Borders every so often." He looked down at me. "You never mentioned your last name or where your father lived. My parents moved to Forks when Alice started college. We know your dad from our visits home to see our parents over school breaks and things. That's why we live here now, so we can be close, but not right on top of them."

"Ahh, what a small world!" I was still having trouble processing that they were here, let alone that they knew Charlie. "Dad, Edward owns the music store"—I gestured to the building next door—"and lives above it."

"Oh, great! Edward, keep an eye on my little girl, will ya?"

He smiled quickly in my direction before replying. "Of course, Chief Swan."

"Please, call me Charlie." He motioned to Sue. "I don't know if you know her kids, Seth and Leah, but this is my wife, Sue. Her late husband's name was Clearwater. She came to do some grocery shopping for Bella while we unload the truck."

Before we could get any further into playing "This Is Your Life," afraid of any embarrassing stories that might come to light, I decided to take control. "Let's get moving, everyone. I wanna be finished by lunchtime so I can buy everyone pizza in my new place." It was then that I noticed the flowers Alice and Rosalie were holding. "Oh, do you need to go set those down in Edward's shop?"

"No, silly," Alice said, her voice twinkling with laughter. "These are from us for you as a 'welcome to the neighborhood and good luck on opening the store' gift!"

"Thank you so much," I said, touched. "They're beautiful! Here, lemme open the door so you can put them down. I'm sure they're heavy by now."

"Ah, I can hold on to a car's engine, and Alice can lift stacks of fabric taller than she is. No biggie," Rosalie said, smiling.

Still, I quickly unlocked the door and tossed the truck keys to my dad, who went to unlock the truck. Alice, Rosalie, and Angela followed me inside, while the guys stayed outside.

Sue stuck her head in. "Okay, Bella. Is there anything else you need besides what we talked about earlier?"

"Get some beer and sodas to go with the pizza for lunch today, please. Hold on, and I'll get you money from my purse."

"Don't worry about it now. You can pay me back for that later. If no one else wants anything, then I'll head out." When the others shook their heads, she waved and then left.

"Bella, Edward has told us how you two met, but not much else. We'll have to all sit down together later and chat," Alice said, smiling. "You, too, Angela. He told us that you and Ben are newly engaged and moving to Seattle. Congratulations! It's a great city to live in. Jasper and I have lived there for a while but are about to move here, actually. So we're switching towns!"

Her excitement was contagious, and within minutes, the four of us were chatting like long-lost friends about Seattle, Forks, and Port Angeles.

"Hey, you ladies gonna stand there in the way talking all day, or unlock the door to upstairs and let us through?" Emmett's voice was muffled as he, Jasper, and Edward came into the store with their arms full, my dad and Ben behind them, each carrying heavy boxes, as well.

"It would probably be easier to go up the stairs outside," I said, smiling as the guys rolled their eyes.

Alice and Rosalie set the vases down on the floor in the corner, away from all the action, and then the four of us went to grab our own armfuls of furniture and stuff from the truck. We left the heaviest stuff for the guys, carrying the smaller pieces inside and up the stairs as quickly as we could.

An hour or so after we started unloading the truck, the guys from the local furniture store delivered the two chairs and the table for the shop. Everyone admired them and said they looked great by the windows, so I was extra pleased that it wasn't just me. I gave them one last look and then continued carrying things upstairs.

A few hours later, the truck was empty, the flowers were on the counter in the store and the kitchen, and Sue and I had just finished putting away the groceries while my dad and Edward hooked up the washer and dryer so Alice could wash some of the new bedding I'd gotten. Angela and Rose, as she'd told me to call her, had agreed when she'd said there was no way she was letting me sleep on unwashed bedding. I'd shrugged and said that was fine, but I was way too tired to wash anything today. They waved away my excuses and said that was fine, they would do it themselves.

I paid Sue for the lunch drinks and then asked, "Okay, who's ready for pizza?"

There was a chorus of cheers from the bodies littered around my living room.

I asked who wanted what, and when everyone shouted at once, I decided to forget asking and just order four or five different kinds and hope that everyone would be happy. I was too tired to try to sort it out more than that.

I called in the order and said, "You guys make yourselves comfortable. I'm gonna take a drink and go wait downstairs for the pizza."

Edward walked into the living room from the hallway, where he'd finished helping my dad with the washer and dryer. "Do you mind company?"

Alice, Rose, and Angela all laughed quietly, poking at each other and looking at me teasingly when I shrugged and said, "Sure, that'd be nice." I turned and glared at them before grabbing a soda from the fridge. "Do you want something?"

"A beer would be great, thanks," he said, smiling. He took it from me and then opened the door, letting me walk out ahead of him before he shut the door behind us. "Don't mind Alice and Rose. They're mainly just teasing me. I, uh, talked quite a bit about you last night at dinner."

My heart fluttered at his admission. "That's okay. Angela's teased me a lot, too."

We sat down in the new chairs by the store window and set our drinks on the table.

"This was a great idea," he said, nodding to the setup.

"Thanks! We were eating lunch the other day, the three of us, and I realized it might be a nice place for people to come in and sit while they look over books they wanna buy. There's just enough room that it doesn't feel crowded, I think."

He nodded. "You're right. There's plenty of room, even with the chairs and table. So you're little Isabella Swan, hmm?"

I laughed and said, "I swear, everyone at the station still acts like I'm the same as I was when I was six years old and visiting Charlie! I was more shocked than you were when it turned out that you knew my dad, believe me. I certainly didn't expect that."

"Well, we really didn't talk much about stuff like that at lunch the other day, so it's no surprise that it never came up in conversation. Did you grow up in Forks?"

"No, my parents divorced when I was little, and I moved to Phoenix with my mom. I spent summers with Charlie, though, until college, when I would see him as much as my schedule allowed. That's how I met Angela and Ben, when I was visiting one summer. She and I became instant friends and looked forward to every visit. I never even had friends in Phoenix that I was as close to, as odd as that sounds. Once we got old enough, we began writing letters, and then e-mailing, as well as talking on the phone almost every day until we could see each other. Sometimes her parents would let her come visit me in Phoenix during a long weekend, and of course, I'd see her when I was visiting Charlie." I smiled, thinking back to the past when things seemed so easy. "When we got close to graduation, we both decided we would go to school in Seattle. She and Ben had begun dating in high school, and he was gonna go to the same school as us, so we've all been pretty inseparable for years now."

"It must be hard, knowing they're moving back to Seattle soon," Edward said softly, his eyes focused solely on my face as he watched me.

"It is," I said, nodding. "I took it especially hard at first, since I really didn't know anyone else here in town."

"Well, hopefully knowing that I'll be right next door and my sister and Rose are here in town will help a little. At least this way, you know you won't be completely alone." He smiled, and I felt my heart flutter again.

"I think it will, yeah," I said, smiling back. "Alice seems a lot like Angela, actually. She was very..." I paused, trying to think of a polite word to describe his pixie-like sister.

"Energetic?" he voiced.

I laughed. "Yeah, that's a good word. For such a little person, she sure has a lot of energy."

He snorted. "Emmett and I have called her the Energizer Pixie for years. She loves it. Fortunately, she has Jasper, who's as calm and mellow as she is outgoing and energetic. They balance each other out well. So how about your mom? Does she still live in Phoenix?"

I felt my smile fade away slowly. "No. A few years ago, she and her husband Phil were driving home after a baseball game—he was a pro ballplayer—and were hit by a drunk driver. They were killed instantly."

"I'm so sorry, Bella," Edward said, frowning. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have said anything."

I shook my head. "It's okay. It's been a while, but it's still hard for me to talk about."

I was saved from saying anything else when the guy drove up with our pizzas. I pulled a stack of cash out of my pocket, and Edward waved it away. "My treat. Consider this my 'welcome to the neighborhood' gift," he said, grinning.

"Are you sure?" I hated taking things from people, like the groceries and stuff from Sue and my dad, and the pizzas, which cost quite a bit, from Edward.

"Positive. I'll get it if you'll grab my drink and then the doors on our way up."

After he paid and took the pizzas, I locked the door behind him, and then we made our way upstairs. We walked in and laughed at everyone in the living room. Ben had brought my Wii over and had apparently set it up while we were downstairs. Someone had also hung the TV. The guys all had controllers in their hand, playing doubles tennis against each other. Angela, Alice, Rose, and Sue were sitting back, drinks in hand, watching the men play and laughing at how ridiculous they looked.

"Pizza's here," I said and then scooted out of the way as the guys tossed their controllers to the couch and ran to the kitchen.

After everyone had their pizza and drinks, we sat around the couch and floor in the living room, all talking about Forks and the latest happenings in town. Sue talked some about the issues the tribe was facing out on the reservation, and I promised her again that I would contact Seth and Jacob both, asking her to give my regards to the others on the rez that I knew.

When the pizza was gone, my dad stretched and looked at his watch. "Well, kiddo, I hate to eat and run, but I have to get up early tomorrow for work. If you need any more help, just give me a call, and I can always run up here on my next day off." He looked around the room. "I think you'll have plenty of help right here in town, though, so I won't be surprised if you don't need your old man much anymore."

I stood and gave him a hug. "I'll always need you, Dad. You and Sue don't know how much I appreciate all the help today. Thank you both so much." I let him go and gave Sue a hug, as well.

"We're glad we could help," she said, smiling. "You have my number, right?" When I nodded, she said, "Call me anytime. I know your mom would love to be the one to help you, but since she can't be, I just wanna make sure you know I'm here if you need me."

My eyes welled with tears, and I brushed them away. "Thanks, Sue. I know. I'll give you guys a call soon and plan to come down and visit once I've got the store up and running."

"Maybe we'll all come down," Alice chimed in. "I'm sure my parents would love to see us once they get back!"

"I'm sure they would," my dad said, nodding.

"I'll be right back, guys. I'm gonna walk them downstairs." I waited until Sue had grabbed her purse, and then I followed the two of them out the door and down the stairs outside.

After hugging them again, I watched as they climbed in the car and left, waving as they drove away. Once they were out of sight, I collapsed onto the bottom step of the stairs and began to cry.

Several minutes later, Alice poked her head out of the apartment and spotted me, rushing down to put her arms around me. "Bella, sweetie, what's wrong?"

I sniffled once, calming myself down. "I guess it just hit me that I'm finally on my own. In a couple of weeks, Ben and Angela will be gone, and my dad won't be in the same town, either, so I'm truly on my own. The thought is just a little scary suddenly. I'm being silly, I know."

"No, definitely not silly. Although, Bella, you know you aren't really alone. Edward really likes you already, and he lives right next door. Heck, I've seen the bedroom windows. You could practically touch hands if you lean out enough! Plus, you share these stairs and the balcony, so I'm sure you'll see him out here sometimes. Rose and Emmett are here in town, and in a month, Jasper and I will be here full-time, too. I've only known you through Edward for a few days and for myself for a few hours, but I know we're gonna become good friends. Trust me, after a few days of knowing all of us, you'll be itching to really be alone!"

I giggled, which made her giggle, and soon, we were both laughing. "Thanks, Alice. I feel better now."

"Good! Now come upstairs so we can beat the boys at a video game before you have to go turn in the truck and we all have to get home."

I laughed and stood up, wiping the remainder of my tears from my cheeks before we walked upstairs to kick some serious male ass.