The Man She Never Knew

AN: Hello everyone that has been reading this story. I hope you are enjoying reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it. Just wanted to say thank you to icefang7, and TigerGirlNC for reviewing. Thanks for the love guys. At least I know someone is enjoying it. I hope to get out a chapter a day, but depending on how hectic my life gets we'll have to see. Enjoy chapter four!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor do I want to. The idea of having my very own Edward Cullen is nice though. (sigh) Well a girl can dream can't she?

Chapter Four: Charlie and the shopping trip

Dinner with the Cullen family was interesting to say the least. Sitting at the table listening to Alice talk about her classes, and boyfriend, Jasper was rather entertaining. She was quoting things he said as if she walked in an orbit around him, and he her. She made it known that he would be arriving in a few days to meet her family, and to be honest, even though I wasn't family, I was looking forward to meeting him.

Edward still hadn't went to bed, but he had dozed off on the couch while we were talking after I had my belongings unpacked until Emmet had to ruin that by deciding that he needed to be awake with a guest in the house and sat on him. I sort of felt bad, because well, who really would want a big guy like Emmet to sit on you? Edward didn't talk much at the table other than to answer questions people had asked him.

Emmet and Rosalie were constantly arguing about what Christmas movie was the all time best. Rosalie thought it was A Christmas Story, Emmet was adamant that it was A Christmas Carol. Finally I looked at both of them and shouted so that they could hear me. "You're both wrong! The best Christmas movie ever is National Lampoons Christmas Vacation! Now stop it and eat your dinner!"

The room had been quiet for a moment until Esme yelled out laughing. "It's about time someone spoke the truth around here! Christmas Vacation has been around for twenty years, and I still laugh through the whole thing!" That statement started yet another argument with everyone over the best part of the movie which Esme and I ended at the same time about the squirrel coming out of the tree.

To say that I had never had so much fun at the dinner table before would have been the wrong term, which was an experience that I will never be able to forget, and never want to. Sitting with them at dinner made me feel, even for the briefest of time, like I belonged to a family. I felt as though I was part of their family.

After dinner Alice and I went to the sitting room to talk about our upcoming shopping trip. We had decided to do it tomorrow, because I was going to have to buy gifts for everyone, and who better to know where to go and what to get like Alice. "So what time do you want to go in the morning? With Christmas right around the corner we should leave sort of early."

I was staring at her for a moment, and smiled. "What time do the shops open?"

"It's a woman after my own heart!" she exclaimed. "Since its Christmas and all, the stores start opening at six."

I laughed. "So we are getting up at four so we can leave by five fifteen then, right?" I knew I had to be up that early if I wanted to shower and eat something first.

"Yeah, and then we can come home and go to sleep for a couple of hours."

"Hey count me in!" I heard Rosalie yell from the dining room. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard Edward groan.

He came walking out of the dining room then and walked over to us and sat down. "Bella, are you sure that you want to put yourself into Rosalie and Alice's hands? I'm giving you an out right now. I don't work tomorrow, I can save you."

I looked at him and smiled. "Do you want to be my knight in shining armor Edward?" I asked sweetly. He nodded. "Good, then you can make sure that you are up at four in the morning like the rest of us and carry my bags through the stores."

"That wasn't what I meant." He stated. "I was going to suggest that you hang out here and watch movies."

"Well you should have thought about that before you volunteered yourself little brother." Emmet yelled through from the dining room. "Don't you know what the navy stands for? If anything that should have taught you something."

"Navy?" I asked not understanding.

Alice laughed. "It's something with Emmet. He was going to join the navy then after doing research decided against it. He isn't against military or anything like that, it just isn't for him, and so he made up nicknames for each branch." Alice paused. "What was the one you have for the Navy Emmet?"

Emmet came running into the room. "Never again volunteer yourself. Edward did you learn nothing?!" He exclaimed. "Now you are going to have to go through the gates of Hades and be bag boy to a bunch of shop Nazis!"

Rosalie decided then to intervene. "Emmet Cullen! Unless you want to go through the gates of Hades with him you better shut your mouth right now! Better yet, you can stay home while I go and buy some really slutty lingerie to wear around the house and you can think about that knowing the whole time you aren't going to be getting any. How does that sound?"

Emmet shut his mouth right then and there. I couldn't help but laugh at him. "You know, it's really sad when a woman has you by the balls with sex, isn't it Emmet?" I said softly so that only the ones in the room heard the comment.

Emmet stared at me for a moment and then busted out laughing. "That's a good one Bella, it's about time you crack a joke."

"Huh, I never said I was joking." And with that Emmet went back to the dining room to make puppy eyes and Rosalie.

"Edward, you don't have to come with us, I know you're tired and need the sleep. I was just giving you a hard time."

Edward looked relieved to say the least. "Thank you." He said with a smile.

"Don't thank me yet. I want you to be up to at least help carry our bags in tomorrow. I mean that is the least you can do to save me."

"Fine." He sighed as he stood up. "I'm going to crash here tonight; I'm too tired to go to my place. Goodnight everyone." He said and started climbing up the stairs.

"Goodnight Edward." I called.

Carlisle was walking out of the dining room then and noticed I was standing up. I had a mind to go to bed as well. Four in the morning came pretty early for someone that had been up since two, but Carlisle had something else on his mind. "Bella, can we talk?" he asked. I nodded and followed him.

We walked down a hallway that led to the back of the house and entered a room. It must have been his office. He sat down on his couch and nodded for me to close the door and join him. I didn't mind in the least, Carlisle, I knew within the first few minutes of meeting him was a good man, and how he ended up involved with my father I had no idea. I took my seat next to him. "So, how is everything so far?" he asked me.

"It's good, I'm a bit tired, but I'm sure that has to do with the plane ride and then all the excitement since I got here. Your family is wonderful."

"Thank you." He said through a smile. "Your dad used to say the same thing to me."

And there it was, the reason he called me into his office. I knew that it was the reason he wanted to see me. I should have just asked to go to bed and deal with the whole Charlie thing tomorrow. "My father, are we really going to talk about him Carlisle?"

"Bella," he sighed sadly. "You may not realize this, but your father was a good man."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Charlie a good man, please tell me that you are joking. If you think Charlie was a good man then you are sadly mistaken." I was angry to say the least. How could my father love them and not me? How could he show them this wonderful and sweet side, and yet leave me feeling as though I didn't matter?

"Charlie wanted you to have something, which only I can give you." Carlisle began.

I couldn't let him go on. "Look Carlisle, I'm not here to fight with you about Charlie, but I refuse to sit here and listen to you sing the man's praises. I'm sorry, but I just cannot allow it. The man might have walked on water in your eyes, but that doesn't change the fact that he showed me the darkened void of space with every day that we lived together.

"I'm glad he was able to find a family with you and yours, but you know something? I was right there, the whole time! I never got what I wanted. I never got my father's approval, or a hug, not even a damn thank you so you know what? Next time you want to preach about that oh so damn wonderful Charles Swan, remember that the man that you knew and the man that I knew were two entirely different people. I guess you can be the sinner and the saint at the same time. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go up to my room and get some sleep." I said as I walked out of his office and headed towards the stairs. I felt the eyes of the others on my back, but I refused to lay my head down and pretend that I had no right to say what I said. Charlie may have been his best friend, but Charlie was my no good excuse of a father, and I think daughter trumps best friend and day of the week.

As I laid there in bed, I couldn't help but think of what I had said to Carlisle. I knew that I was wrong for saying what I said the way that I did, but Charlie was always a touchy subject, and I hate when someone tries to tell me that he was such this wonderful guy, when they weren't the ones that lived with him. I fell asleep with the thoughts of my childhood on my mind.

Waking up at four in the morning was a really dumb idea when I didn't sleep as well as I had hoped to. I made my way to the bathroom and quickly showered then dressed. I tied my hair back in a messy bun and began to head down the stairs. I heard music coming from the sitting room and entered. Edward was sitting there playing one of Mozart's pieces and I stood there to listen. It was as if the melody danced around my soul, and captured me as its prisoner.

I stood there not paying attention to my surroundings when I heard Alice whisper in my ear. "Edward must have had a nightmare. That's the only time he plays this early in the morning." I just nodded but continued to watch him. His eyes were closed as if he was feeling the music flowing through him, and I couldn't help but smile at the fact that he could entrance me with his playing.

I felt someone nudge me and looked to see Alice with two cups of coffee in her hands. "I'm guessing you like yours sweet with just a little milk." She said with a smile.

I just nodded not taking my eyes off of her brother. Watching Edward in his element was something that I thought I would never be able to see again, and I was going to soak up as much as I could while I had the chance. He had just finished playing the Mozart composition and was about to launch himself into another one when Alice called from the kitchen. "Could you play some Bach or Mendelssohn?"

Edward looked up then and saw me standing there. I smiled awkwardly feeling as though I was the cat caught with the canary. He smiled back. "I didn't realize it was around the time you all were getting up." He said softly.

I made my way over to him with a smile. "You play wonderfully. I enjoyed it very much."

"Do you play?" he had asked me. At first I thought about the question wondering if I should answer him or not.

"If you are talking the piano the answer would have to be no, I never learned."

"Do you play any instruments?" he asked.

"I do. I taught myself the guitar. I enjoy it very much." He didn't need to know that I picked it up with the hopes of getting some type of comment from Charlie. When you're fifteen and your father doesn't pay attention to you, you'll use whatever you can to get his attention even for just a moment.

Before Edward had a chance to comment back, Rosalie came busting down the stairs calling the girls towards the door. "Well I better go. I'll see you later today?" I asked him.

"Yeah I'll be here later. Have fun shopping, say hello to Hades for me." He called as we began to walk out the door. I couldn't help but laugh. If this shopping trip was going to be anything like Hades, then I would gladly go through it, because nothing short of an anvil falling down upon my head was going to ruin my good mood thinking of Edward playing that piano.

We had been shopping for the past three hours and the only one that didn't have their arms full was Rosalie. "I already did all my shopping." She exclaimed happily.

Alice looked at her with a smile. "You didn't buy for my boyfriend, and I know for a fact that he bought you something." She said laughing.

I was pretty much done shopping; I had a few more things to buy but nothing that couldn't wait a day or two. Rosalie and Alice helped me with everyone's gift, and they told me the type of things they liked, so they were going to be easy. We were walking by the piano store when a thought struck me out of nowhere. "Hey Alice, does Edward have his own office at the hospital?"

"Yeah why?" she asked me looking unsure of where my thoughts were going.

"Does he happen to have a keyboard there?" I continued on. I hadn't been able to get the image of him playing out of my head, or that beautiful melody all day and I thought of his perfect gift.

"No he doesn't." she said. "Why are you asking me that?"

"I just thought of something was all." And I continued with the girls out of the mall, writing myself a mental note about the music store and Edward.