Thanks to following people who reviewed: Ali Edward Cullen, LovesTwilightFanFics83, MikasaMassacre, latuacantante4him, SHUbaby5182, shaelove, Jagga-Love, Mrs Cullen-Ackles, Ups and Downs x, Angelwells, mozartandi, redglasses, ju007, and Tori Lea
Okay so I'm a dope. I mixed two characters up. When I said Jace Wayland, I meant Lucius Vladescu from "Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side." The two are way too similar. It was a horrible mistake.
So this chapter was fun to write. I loved it, the girl loved it, Ash loved it and B loved it. Do you know what this means?
YOU'LL LOVE IT TOO!
SHUbaby5182: You have my permission to kick Tanya in the baby maker. AS IF you needed it, but there you go. Kick away.
Shaelove: Thanks for the ego booster. My head is WAY too inflated. The girl wants to stick a pin in it. You rock my socks and shake my shoes, but more importantly you tingle my toes… Boo YA!
"Stop calling him squatty and stop insinuating that he's stupid. Jake is a very nice guy."
"Nice. Now that's an overrated quality." Lucius unhitched one side of the ropes restraining his horse, and she half reared. He patted the mare's neck, "Isn't nice overrated?"
--- Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side
BPOV
My Adonis was standing at the bottom of the staircase, gazing up at me. His mouth was agape as he watched me descend the stairs and I smiled when Alice reached over to close his lips. It was hard to walk in the heels that Tanya had given me, but it was worth it for the look on Edward's face.
Edward's gray dress shirt was tight; hugging his lithe frame and I could see his body through the material. The sleeves squeezed against his upper arms and his pants were tight; when he walked, they gripped his thighs.
When I finally reached the bottom stair, he stepped closer to me. The heel of my right shoe caught the bottom stair and I slipped. The arms that I had been admiring before wrapped around my waist, lifting me from the staircase.
"Easy, my Bella."
I bit my lip at his husky voice and when I glanced up to see his face, he was smiling that crooked grin. Once I was settled, he glanced down at the present on my wrist, "It looks beautiful, Bella, but nothing looks as amazing as you."
His lips grazed across my wrist, gently touching the bracelet. The soft kiss moved down my arm and soon, he was dragging his lips across my knuckles. I couldn't think, or breathe until he backed away, "Simply gorgeous."
I could feel the heat in my cheeks as he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close. His family was smiling at us, so I turned away to hide my face in his shirt. Alice's high soprano giggle caused me to uncoil from Edward's chest, so I decided it would be time to offer a proper greeting, "Thank you for coming to our home."
Edward's mother stepped forward and before I could react, her arms were around me, "No, Bella, thank you. It's beautiful." The hug lasted longer than I expected, but it felt nice. Like a mother's hug should be. She spoke again, but this time her voice was softer, "If you need anything, call us or come over. Okay?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen." She stepped back and smiled softly, reaching up to push a strand of hair from my face.
"Please, call me Esme."
I nodded, not trusting my voice after what she had told me. Had Edward's parents seen through Tanya's charade?
Mr. Cullen took Esme's place so that I could greet him. Edward stood behind me, watching as his father hugged me gently, "Thank you for having us, Bella. I've never seen Edward smile so much."
Edward's father smelled of spice, like his son, but there was another scent there. His aftershave lingered in my nose, in only the way a fathers could. It reminded me of hugging Charlie when my mother was still alive; when he didn't have that ridiculous mustache.
After retreating from the safe haven of Mr. Cullen's arms, I stepped back to lean against Edward, who automatically wrapped his arms around me. He spoke softly in my ear and his hand pointed out each of his siblings, "You already know Alice."
I nodded and he chuckled softly, the whisper of his breath whooshing past my ear. He pointed to the blonde girl that I'd seen earlier, on the boardwalk, "That's Rosalie and her boyfriend, Emmett. He's my brother. Then," he turned me toward the blonde boy who looked like Rosalie, "that's Jasper. He's Rose's twin brother."
I smiled at each of the Cullens and they all nodded toward me in return. The atmosphere around me was calm and when I snuggled against Edward's chest, surrounded by his family, it felt like home.
"Bells?" Daniel stepped out of the kitchen, a small smile on his face when he saw me in the comfort of Edward's arms. I knew he'd interrogate Edward later but he wouldn't spoil my moment.
"Daniel? Isabella? Are you in here?"
Daniel's dark brown hair fell into his eyes, shrouding the color of his irises. The smile slipped from his face and his lips pressed into a thin line when he heard her approaching. Edward kept his arms around my waist, protecting me from my stepmother.
Tanya was carrying a carving knife in her left hand and her hips swung as she entered the foyer. Her smile was stiff, covering any emotion that she was feeling, "Sorry about that. It smelled like something was burning."
EPOV
Bella tensed in my arms when Tanya entered the room. The woman spoke again, "Welcome to our home."
I glanced over at Daniel, who was standing in front of Tanya. His stepmother draped her arms over his shoulders, angling the knife toward the boy. I heard my mother inhale sharply, before she spoke, "Thank you for having us."
Carlisle wrapped his arm around my mother's waist in an effort to calm her, his lips gently dragging across her temple. I watched his lips move, but I didn't hear anything he said.
Tanya released Daniel and he turned to glare at her, "Dinner's ready. I hope everyone is hungry!" She didn't wait for anyone to respond. Instead, she grasped Daniel's shoulder and shoved him toward the dining room.
My chest rumbled against Bella's back as I growled, alerting her and Alice, "Don't worry, Edward. We'll figure something out."
I didn't trust my voice, so I nodded, accepting Alice's words as the truth. Esme and Carlisle started after Tanya, not trusting her with Daniel. As we reached the dining room, I noticed it was low lit; the long table was the centerpiece of the room. Tanya sat next to Bella's father, who was seated at the head of the table.
Daniel patted the seat next to him, and I pulled the chair out for Bella to sink into. Alice sat next to me and I took a deep breath, hoping this dinner wouldn't end in chaos.
--
The food was delicious but every time Tanya spoke, Bella would flinch. Daniel eyed his food carefully, eating it slowly as if worried that his stepmother had poisoned it.
"So what do you do for a living, Carlisle?"
My father sipped his wine, before setting it back on the table, "I'm a neurosurgeon." I could tell my father felt uncomfortable; he was usually the talkative one.
Tanya smiled sweetly and reached her hand out, laying it on top of my father's, "You're so brave. Fixing people's brains must be a trying job."
"I wish he'd fix your brain." Daniel, who had been eating mashed potatoes, snorted as Emmett spoke in a low voice, "How do you live with her?"
Daniel shrugged, "Just take it day by day and pray that she'll get a silicone leak and die."
"I can take care of her for you…just give me a fork and I'll pop one of them."
Bella giggled, "I think you'd need something stronger than a fork. Her skin's plastic, you might need a steak knife."
"What are you darlings laughing about?" Tanya smiled and rested against her hands, watching us closely.
BPOV
I sighed and ignored my stepmother; instead I stabbed ruthlessly at the chicken on my plate. Daniel set his fork on the table and smiled at Tanya, "Emmett and I were just talking about the many uses of silicone."
"Daniel, just eat your food." Charlie, who had finally glanced up from his plate when he sensed an argument coming, grumbled.
My brother rolled his eyes and mumbled something, before scooping more food into his mouth. Edward gently squeezed my thigh, "How's your food, love?"
His green eyes held more than a question about food. They locked on mine as if he were trying to read my mind, "It's good, how's yours?"
"Isabella, we are all eating the same thing. If yours is good, then his must be good."
Edward hooked his arm around my leg and rubbed my knee; as if he were afraid I jump across the table and choke her.
"Tanya, could you pass the gravy please?"
I heard someone snicker softly as Tanya picked up the gravy boat, passing it to Esme. Alice took this opportunity to speak up, "Would it be all right if Bella and Daniel came over to our house after dinner?"
The china fell from Esme's hands and splashed onto Tanya's lap, coating her in the thick liquid. My stepmother jumped to her feet, anger shining through her normally cold eyes. When she looked at Esme for an apology, Mr. Cullen spoke up, "Oh Esme, you're such a klutz."
He sighed and dabbed at her clothes, rubbing away the imaginary gravy staining Esme's outfit.
Tanya screamed when she saw that no one was attending to her, "Excuse me! I'm the one with gravy on my dress!"
I was too shocked to speak. Had Edward's mother done that on purpose, or had I imagined the snicker when she asked for the gravy.
Charlie got to his feet and walked slowly toward the kitchen. When he returned to clean off Tanya's dress, my stepmother growled and snatched the damp towel from his fingers.
"Just give it to me, Charlie."
He shrugged and settled back down into his seat, saying nothing else as Tanya cleaned herself off.
"So can they come over?" Alice was bouncing in her chair, demanding a response.
Tanya's face was beet red when she finally answered Alice's question, "No, they cannot. Bella needs to help me clean up and Daniel is grounded."
"Why am I grounded?"
"You can clean up yourself!"
"How about I ground you both?"
My teeth ground together and I heard Daniel snarl, his upper lip peeling back over his teeth.
Tanya simpered softly, trying to gain back the image she had portrayed for the Cullens, "I'm sorry, but they will not be coming over tonight."
--
I was upset and scrubbing at the dishes from that night. The Cullens had left soon after dinner and Edward had spared me a longing glance before following his family. Tears dripped down my cheeks as I thought about my lost opportunity to be with Edward tonight.
"Bella, hurry up! Your tears will not clean those dishes any faster." I swiped at the salty liquid staining my cheeks, smearing my make-up with soapy bubbles.
Tanya's heels clicked as she left me alone in the kitchen. I sighed and scoured the dishes with a sponge, emanating my frustration onto the plates.
"Hey Bells," Daniel, who had been scrubbing the dining room floor, began to dry the leftover dishes, "I'm leaving as soon as they make us go to bed."
I turned to him, eyes disbelieving, "Where are you going?"
"Leah's coming up and I'm going home with her. We've already bought the tickets."
The tears started again as I stared at my brother, "What about me?"
He sighed, "Bella, you'll be fine. The Cullens can look out for you now. They seem like good people, but I don't fit in there. You do. You have a place with Edward."
"But who's going to interrogate him? Make sure he won't hurt me?" Daniel smiled and reached over to wipe the tears from my cheeks.
"He doesn't need an interrogation, Bells. I can tell he's a good guy and I'm sure his family will take care of him if he hurts you."
My lower lip trembled and the tears threatened to fall again, "But I want you here too. You're my family, Danny. I don't want you to go."
"I'll have my phone and you can call me anytime, okay? You'll be fine, Bells. If I didn't think you would be, I'd stay here until I was sure."
"It's time for you two to go to bed. No talking, just go. I'm sick of seeing you tonight." Tanya had returned to the kitchen, so I turned away from my brother.
She walked toward us and shut the faucet off, "Go. To. Bed. Now."
EPOV
"I can't believe the gull of that horrible woman! She treats those children like slaves!" Esme was ranting as we drove home. She was glaring at their house in the rearview mirror.
Alice piped up as I stared out the window, a shadow of depression clouding my face, "Don't worry, Mom. We're going to get her out of there."
"You'd better. God only knows what else that woman might do to them."
I heard her response to Alice's statement and turned away from the window, "So you approve?"
Carlisle chuckled, but kept his eyes on the road, "Of course, Edward. Bella and Daniel seem like nice kids; I have no problem with them living in our home."
"Then stop the car."
Carlisle hit the brakes and my siblings stared at me, "Why am I stopping the car, son?"
"Because, we're going to bust them out."
Alice giggled, "They'll be there after we change, Edward. There's no way I'm wearing this dress if we need to scale a balcony."
"So you'll help me?" My voice sounded needy.
"Well duh."
"Of course, Edward."
"Don't be stupid, little brother."
"We'll do it tonight."
I smiled and Alice wrapped her arm around my shoulder, leaning in to rest her head against mine, "That bitch won't know what hit her."
It's another Cullen plan set into action.
Okay, so this is my last already written chapter. Now I have to start writing again!
Anyway, I loved the scene with the gravy because I could definitely picture Esme doing that. She's so protective and she's able to see through people's fake exterior… I love Esme :)
Emmett and Daniel together may cause a lot of trouble… That's why I had to separate them… For now…
So, I have a question: Would you rather date Emmett or Daniel? I know you haven't seen much of Daniel, but answer the question
Which would YOU rather be with? HMM?
Hayden