A/N: This is the longest I've ever gone between chapters… SORRY! The good news is that it wasn't five months like some other authors (I think I deserve reviews just for that). The other good news is that a lot of the "extra" work I was doing is done for a while, so I have my evenings free again. Things will move quicker now.

Thanks again to all my fan fic friends. Twike the wonderful Beta who is way too busy to be a Beta but does it anyway. Thanks Volexisayang (is that your screen name? I'm too busy to go look and see how to spell it again) for reading my story from the other side of the world.

The characters are not mine.

Chapter 4

Edward wasn't surprised when Jasper invited him to lunch. They'd met at least once a week for lunch for years, but Edward was surprised when Jasper said he didn't want to go to Bella's restaurant. When Jasper said something about it just being the guys today, Edward grew suspicious. He'd been watching over his shoulder ever since Bella decided to make Emmett the target of her pranks. Edward was sure there would be laxatives in his food when he ate or that Emmett would jump out at any minute to exact his revenge.

Carefully watching for signs of Emmett, Edward walked inside the diner and found Jasper.

"Hey man, what's up?" Edward said when he noticed the worried look on Jasper's face. This had all the makings of some sort of a trap.

"This was not my idea," Jasper said and rubbed forehead and looked wary.

"What's not your idea?" Edward swallowed hard and looked around again.

"Alice made me come talk to you about Tori. I know it's probably nothing, but Alice is worried, and she told me to talk some sense into you. She says you need to see Bella's side of things."

"Whoa! Hold on a second. You mean Tori from my office? What does she have to do with Alice and Bella?" Edward was flabbergasted. He had absolutely no idea what his brother-in-law was talking about.

"Bella called Alice upset last night. She's upset about this woman who is putting the moves on you."

"Are you kidding? Emmett's here isn't he?" Edward scanned the restaurant again for Emmett.

"Edward, this is serious. I've counseled plenty of couples who have serious problems after someone acted inappropriately in the workplace." They were interrupted by the waitress who took their orders. Edward took the opportunity to calm down, and try to speak rationally.

"I'm being honest when I say that I don't know what you're talking about. Bella met Tori yesterday, and Tori was a little demeaning to her, but I don't know if it was anything intentional. She definitely didn't put the moves on me."

"Okay, okay, let's back up a little bit. Has Tori done anything to give you the impression she was coming on to you?"

Edward shifted in his seat and rubbed his temples in discomfort as he considered the question. This was starting to feel like an interrogation. He thought back to her interview and how awkward he felt about Tori gushing about how much she wanted to be around him. He also remembered that she had perhaps been a little provocative.

"I'm really not sure," Edward finally answered. "She has been making a big deal about getting to work with me, but I thought she was just trying to flatter me and jockey to move up quickly in the company."

"Well, Bella told Alice, who told me, that Tori was flirting with you and making fun of Bella for being just a waitress."

"That's absurd. I already told Bella it was nothing. It's not like any other woman could hold a candle to Bella anyway. I can't believe she said that to Alice." Edward tried to dispel the irritation that had crept into his mood but found it difficult.

"Hey, I wasn't there. I also don't believe that you would intentionally let anything happen to risk yours and Bella's relationship. You just need to be careful. Women can be sneaky and manipulative. I think maybe Bella would be able to tell better than you if Tori was acting like more than your employee. Women understand other women better than we do."

"That's the truth," Edward huffed. Did Bella not trust him? "I just don't know why she would talk to Alice about it and not me. Well, I guess she did tell me about it, but I was more focused on how adorable her lips looked when she was pouting."

Jasper shrugged and veered the conversation off of the awkward topic. "It's embarrassing the way you look at that girl. I hope you hurry up and seal the deal before you combust."

"I'm going to kill Emmett," Edward growled.

Japer chuckled like he knew exactly what Edward was talking about. "Bella isn't really that naïve. Sure, Emmett's advice to her was valid to a point, but don't you think you've moved past needing to worry about getting to know each other? You're already engaged."

"Well, I certainly think so, but Bella still says she wants a little more time."

"If you ask me, she's probably just insecure."

"What do you mean?" Edward knew Bella had her issues, but he couldn't imagine why she would doubt the fact that he found her to be the most alluring creature on the planet.

"Think about it. You were married before, but this is Bella's first relationship. Women always compare themselves to other women. She's probably worried she won't measure up to Sarah or that she'll embarrass herself with her lack of experience. Not to mention you guys have some baggage when it comes to your previous marriage complicating things between the two of you."

"How do you know so much about women?" Edward asked suspiciously.

"You, my friend, are oblivious, and I'm a therapist. It's my job."

"No, I think you're just metrosexual. Alice always did like her men a little gay."

"Look who's talking Mr. I arrange my closet by colors and came up with the idea of going to the spa for Al's birthday." Jasper crossed his arms across his chest and looked at Edward accusingly.

"Shut up, or I'll tell Emmett you cried when you saw Marley and Me."

"Come on man, I had a yellow lab as a kid. Don't tell me you weren't thinking about how painful it would be to live without Aro."

They both sat quietly contemplating the mysteries of the bond between a man and his dog.

"You ready?" Jasper finally broke the silence.

"Sure." Edward threw some money on the table to cover their lunch and headed back to the office.

He felt the strain of the past few weeks as he drove. Things were wonderful and terrible all at the same time. Bella and the time they spent together were perfection, but that time had been more limited lately by Edward's other projects at home and work. He and Charlie had still come up with very little on what Renee had been up to. Just yesterday, the security program on Charlie's computer alerted Edward to the fact that someone was trying to infiltrate Charlie's hard drive. Edward feared the family was still in danger. With everything else going on, the last thing he needed was another complication. Tori was annoying, but he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt too.

As soon as he got back, Edward sat down at his desk, picked up the phone, and called Bella.

"Hello, handsome," she answered

"Hello, beautiful. I just felt like telling you that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"What do you want?" Bella giggled.

"Well besides the obvious, I just want you to know how much you mean to me. I'm so glad I get to spend the rest of my life trying to show you. I also wanted to tell you I'm sorry if I haven't been very attentive to your feelings lately."

"That's okay. You haven't done anything wrong really." Edward detected a hint of sadness in her voice.

"You know I've just been stressed with work and the renovations. You're the one thing in my life that makes it all worthwhile."

"Um, thank you. That was very sweet and random."

Their love fest was interrupted by a knock at Edward's office door. "Come in," Edward called out. Tori walked in, shut the door behind her, and perched herself on the corner of Edward's desk.

"Um…I've got to go dear. I love you."

"Love you too. I'll see you tonight, and maybe you can show me how much I mean to you then."

"Deal. See you tonight." Edward scooted his chair back trying to put a safe distance between him and Tori.

"What can I help you with Miss Bacino?"

"Was that the waitress?" she smirked.

"That was my fiancée, yes."

"Let me guess, you were childhood sweethearts? You've been together forever, and you can't imagine life with anyone else." She leaned in.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, I just can't imagine someone of your physical and professional stature would be attracted to someone so plain." She ran her eyes up and down Edward's body as she said it.

It was as if a light bulb went off in Edward's head. Tori was making advances at him. Edward remembered back to how much it annoyed him when women would let him know they were available after Sarah died. He'd felt like it was disrespectful to Sarah at the time, but at least then he was technically single. Tori knew he was engaged, but that didn't seem to deter her at all. Edward knew he needed to set some boundaries quick.

"Miss Bacino, would you mind moving to a chair please?"

Tori uncrossed her legs and winked at him before scooting off of this desk and sauntering over to one of the office chairs.

"As you know, I'm engaged to Bella. We were not childhood sweethearts, but my personal life is just that – personal. I am not sure if your behavior is intentional or not, but I am uncomfortable with the level of comfort you seem to want to enjoy with me. I would appreciate it if you would remember that I am your employer, and I expect our relationship to remain solely professional at all times."

The look on Tori's face changed from seductive to angry to sad all in a manner of seconds. Before she had a chance to respond in words, tears started spilling from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I must have given you the wrong impression. I – I just don't know anyone here, and I was hoping we could be friends. It's been harder than I thought moving to a new state, and I just broke up with my boyfriend, and I'm just so alone," she sobbed.

This was the last thing Edward expected to happen. He had absolutely no idea how to respond do this. He stood up, grabbed a box of Kleenex, and walked over to Tori. He handed her a tissue and patted her on the back a couple of times. It always stressed him out to see a woman cry. "It's ok. I'm sure it was all just a misunderstanding. It takes time to meet people and make friends. You can't expect it to happen overnight."

"I just sit at home every night," she bellowed. "I have no social life, no one to talk to. I'm miserable."

Edward squirmed trying to figure out how to end this nightmare as quickly as possible. "You know, I think you might really get along with Bella and my sister. Why don't you join us this Saturday? We're going up to Denver for the Rockies game. It will be fun."

"Really?" Tori looked up and stopped crying instantly. "Thank you so much!" She stood up and hugged Edward. He didn't hug her back, but carefully pushed her away from him.

"I think I'm going to head out for the day. Why don't you stay in here for a few minutes till you're ready to return to your office? I'll email you the details for Saturday."

Edward had been working hard to build up some type of credit with Bella, hoping the more thoughtful, fun, and romantic things he did for her now, would somehow cushion the blow when she learned the truth about her mother. He knew she was going to be mad at him for keeping the truth from her, but his plan of securing credits seemed like the best idea he could come up with. Now though, his plan was shot. When Bella found out Tori was coming with them on Saturday, his love account with Bella would be in the red for sure.

When she got to his house that night, she was wearing his favorite blue top. The way she wrapped her arms around his neck and played with his hair as she told him hello sent electricity buzzing through his body. Edward tried his best to enjoy it, because he was afraid another type of sparks were about to fly.

They ordered pizza and sat down on the couch to watch a new episode of Battlestar Galactica. Edward reflected on Bella's utter perfection once again. The fact that she wanted to watch this with him made him all kinds of hot and bothered. Unfortunately, he was distracted from the show by trying to decide when to tell Bella about Saturday's change of plans.

"I've been thinking about something," Bella said during a commercial break. "If they found planet Earth, and it turned out to be a Cylon colony, does that make us Cylons?"

Edward wasn't sure if she was trying to be funny, or if she wanted to have a serious discussion regarding science fiction theories. He should either make a sarcastic comment and play along with her joke or launch into his own thoughts on the subject. Either way, if he chose wrong, she would make fun of him endlessly.

"I have something to tell you," he said instead. "You know Tori, the new engineer at my office?"

Bella rolled her eyes, nodded her head yes, and paused the TV.

"Well, today I told her she needed to act more professional around me, and I reminded her that I am her employer. I am sorry again for the way she made you feel yesterday. It was uncalled for."

Bella let out a sigh and looked Edward with her big brown eyes communicating appreciation for his chivalrous gesture. Edward loved it when she looked at him like that. It was like she thought he had hung the moon or could beat up Batman. This time though, the look just made it worse. Here goes nothing.

"Well, after I had that discussion with her, she started telling me about how lonely she is and how she doesn't have any friends in Boulder yet. She seemed like she was genuinely suffering, so I instantly thought of you and how you always reach out to people who are suffering. I've learned a lot about that from you." Edward paused to catch his breath. As he'd been speaking, her facial expression had changed and remained completely blank. There was still nothing there.

"Anyway, I thought it would be nice to invite her to the baseball game on Saturday."

"That's a really nice thought, but it's just supposed to be family this time," Bella stated.

"Yeah, I thought about that, but she's really hurting. I went ahead and invited her and suggested she try and get to know you and Alice since she needs to make some friends."

"Oh. Okay." Bella was still expressionless.

"Are you mad?" Edward asked.

"Why would I be mad, Edward?" Bella asked with faked sweetness.

Edward was pretty sure this question might possibly be rhetorical, but in this instance a wrong answer could be lethal.

"Thank you so much for understanding. I really appreciate this." He kissed her hand tried to dazzle her.

"Mmmm hmmm." Bella said and pushed play to start the show again. Edward noticed she didn't joke around or make comments on what was happening like she usually did. She let him hold her hand, but she didn't exactly hold his back. Edward knew if he pressed her, she might start throwing things, so he decided to play dumb instead. Bella said she was exhausted right after the show, and left Edward with only a quick peck on the cheek. Edward continued to act like everything was fine and hoped she would be okay by time for the game. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Saturday morning everyone was to meet at the restaurant and ride together in Emmett's SUV that single handedly caused global warming. When Edward arrived, he was nervous. The first thing he saw when he walked in the door was Tori standing awkwardly off to the side while Rosalie grumbled about painting Emmett's face and arms purple in addition to the head to toe purple clothes he was wearing.

"Come on Rosie, this is the best way to get on the Jumbotron," Emmett whined while Rosalie complained.

Bella walked into the room with her lips pursed and her hands in her pockets. Edward told her all that time that someone as clumsy as Bella should never walk with her hands in her pockets, but he didn't think it was the time to bring that up again. She did not look excited for their day at the ballpark, until she looked up and saw that Tori had already arrived. In an instant she transformed into a new person. She ran up to Edward, threw her arms around him, and squealed, "Finally, you're here! I missed you!" Then she welded her lips onto his until Emmett let out a warning grunt.

"This is going to be sooooo fun. I love watching baseball with the one I love!" Bella beamed. "Oh Tori! It's so nice to see you again. I'm so glad you could come with us today. Edward tells me we'll be great friends." Bella let go of Edward and opened her arms to hug Tori.

"Thanks," Tori said suspiciously. "I'm glad I could make it."

Edward had never been so proud of his girl. Here she was reaching out to Tori, putting any ill will aside, and giving selflessly. That was just one of the many reasons he loved her.

Alice and Jasper arrived, and Alice too welcomed Tori with open arms. Alice and Bella both offered her their undivided attention and spent a long time asking her about her clothes, where she lived before, what she liked to do, and how she liked Boulder.

Jasper gave Edward a dirty look, but Edward had no idea what his problem was. The day was already turning out far better than he expected. The animated conversation continued in the car, and by the time they got to the ballpark, Edward was starting to get slightly annoyed by the girl clique that had formed. Bella and Alice seemed to be going overboard with the giggling and telling Tori stories. Tori seemed like she was trying to keep up, but her laughter seemed forced. Edward thought she looked a little overwhelmed, and he didn't blame her.

Alice had just finished telling Tori something about Bella and Edward's engagement and kept emphasizing words like soul mates and destiny. Edward needed a break from the concentrated estrogen, and he'd barely had a chance to touch Bella all day. "Come to get a drink with me?" He stood and reached out his hand for her.

"Of course," she answered in what Edward could only describe a seductive tone, though he wasn't sure why she was trying to be seductive about getting a soda.

They walked out of the family's box, and Bella let go of Edward's hand. She reached her hand around his waist and into his back pocket. With her other hand, she gave a little wave to Tori and Alice. Rosalie and Emmett seemed oblivious. Rose looked exhausted and sat rubbing her Belly. Emmett kept giving thumbs up to the air and looking over at the Jumbotron.

As soon as Edward and Bella were out of sight of the rest of the group, Bella pulled away from Edward and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Having fun?" Edward said and put an arm around her shoulders pulling her back to him and kissing her forehead.

"Sure, lots." Bella answered flatly and walked ahead of him to get in line for a drink.

They got their drinks, and Edward was disappointed when Bella immediately started walking back to their seats. Baseball was fun to watch, but Edward liked watching Bella better.

As soon as they got back to the box, Bella grabbed Edward's hand and smiled again. He sat in his seat, and she sat on his lap playing with his shirt collar, messing with his hair, and leaning over in front of him every now and then to talk to Tori and Alice. Her proximity was making Edward a little crazy and the way she kept shifting on his lap was not helping. Edward was disappointed and relieved when she finally moved back to her own seat. Things got bad again when Emmett bought them all hot dogs. Between watching her eat and the way she kept putting her hand on his thigh, Edward forgot all about the game, and was only focused on Bella.

"Bella, I'm still hungry. Come with me to get more hot dogs," Alice said.

"Oh good Lord," Edward mumbled and ran his hand through his hair. Jasper was right. He was going to combust.

Bella followed Alice out, and when they were gone, Tori flew into the seat next to Edward.

"Having a good time?" she asked innocently.

"Oh yeah, if you call torture a good time," Edward mumbled.

Tori burst out laughing and slapped Edward on the arm. "Yeah, baseball is a little slow for me. I prefer my activities to move faster."

Did she just wink at him? Edward wondered if Bella was playing a prank on him, or maybe Emmett had put Tori up to this. Surely she wasn't starting this again. Tori was leaning over way to close for Edward's comfort.

"Look we made it! We're on the Jumbotron!" Emmett bellowed and started making wild faces while yelling number one.

They all looked up and waved as their faces were plastered all over the screen.

"I think I need to go use the little girl's room." Tori smiled at Edward. "Need anything to eat or drink... anything at all?"

"No, I'm good. How about you Jasper?"

"I'm good," he answered transfixed on the game.

Edward watched the game, relieved to be rid of all the giggling and girl talk for a few minutes. It wasn't the most exciting game he'd been to. There was lots of field action and strikes thrown but not much hitting or base running. Edward thought it ironically mirrored his love life.

Alice and Bella came back without any hot dogs. Bella slammed herself down into Alice's seat next to Jasper, and Alice sat in Bella's seat next to Edward.

"What's wrong with Bella?" Edward asked.

"She was using the restroom, when Tori came in. Some stranger complimented Tori on the hot guy she was with, and Tori agreed and said something like – oh, I know. He is, isn't he?"

"She could have been talking about Emmett or Jasper!" Edward argued.

"And that's supposed to make it better!" Alice put her hand on her hips and gave Edward a death glare.

"No, no… I mean," Edward leaned over his sister to talk to Bella. "Bella baby, I'm sorry. Look at it this way – you get to keep the hot guy."

Bella continued to remain transfixed on the game, but Edward could see her nostrils flare. Apparently she didn't see the value of Edward's statement.

"I hope that tramp is happy. She completely ruined our fun time," Alice pouted.

"I hope that tramp gets hit in the face with a fly ball," Bella snarled without moving her eyes from the game. If Edward wasn't so worried about how he was going to get himself out of this mess, he would be even more turned on by angry Bella. He loved it when she had that angry passion filled look in her eyes.

"Oh man, are you sure sweetie?" Emmett moaned from his seat. Everyone looked over at him and Rosalie who was rubbing her belly and nodding yes.

"Guys, Rose isn't feeling too good. We need to go."

"Great," Edward, Bella, and Alice said in unison and jumped up from their seats. Jasper was the only one who seemed disappointed.

"Why don't you go look for your friend, sweetie," Bella said to Edward, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We'll meet you at the car."

The ride home was awkward and quiet. When they got back to the restaurant, Edward told Tori he would see her Monday, rushed her out the door, and ran up to the apartment. He didn't want to risk having any more interaction with her than necessary. Bella was already in her room with the door shut and locked. Bella's granddad chuckled when Edward ran by him to her door.

"Bella, sweetie, open the door," Edward begged. There was only silence.

"Please Bella. Let's talk about this. You know I would never even consider thinking of her as anything other than my employee. I prefer brunettes." Edward heard something crash on the other side of the door.

He sat down with his back to the door and tried to devise a plan. He could try to climb her tree again, but the last time he tried that, he'd nearly gotten killed. He could break down the door, but that only guaranteed bruising and having to replace the door, or being really embarrassed if he couldn't do it.

He wasn't even exactly sure what he'd done wrong, but he knew he had to make it right before he left. With a flash of inspiration he started to sing, "Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin'. Can you feel my heart beating. Do you feel the same…"

The door flung open, and he fell back on to the carpet. Bella glared down and him before she started pacing back and forth while ranting.

"You will not dazzle me by playing on my weakness for the Bangles! First of all I can't believe you invited someone I don't know, someone who made fun of me, and someone has been flirting with you to one of the activities on our list! That list is sacred! Second of all, I saw how you let her stroke your arm. Yeah, that's right – it was on the big screen. Caught red handed big boy! You don't think I see the difference between you and me. You could have any woman you want. You think I don't know that! How do you think I feel every time we go out in public and women are ogling you! It's annoying. Why do you have to be so freaking pretty! Did it ever occur to you to tone that down a bit in public? Dress like Dwight Shrute and wear a pocket protector for goodness sake! Women like Tori are maniacal. She knows exactly what she's doing, and you are playing right into it! Really are you that clueless! How can I marry someone who I can't even trust! She is completely inappropriate! She didn't even tell that woman in the bathroom that she wasn't with you. If I didn't still need to wipe, I would have come flying out there and beat her sorry…"

"Bella love, calm down," Edward finally interrupted.

"Don't tell me to calm down! You never listen to the things I worry about. I told you what she was doing and you blew me off! Just because I'm just a waitress doesn't mean I don't know anything!"

"I never said that, Bella. I just thinking you're making too big of a deal out of a small…"

"Too big of a deal!" Bella's rage was interrupted by her phone ringing. She picked it up, and said, "What do you want!" All the anger drained from Bella's face. It was replaced with fear. "Oh. Oh my gosh. Is she okay? We'll be right there."

She turned to Edward "Rosalie's water broke. They're on their way to the hospital. It's too early Edward, the baby isn't due for another month! Please tell me everything will be alright," she cried out.

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine. Women go into labor early all the time." He wrapped his arms around her and she clung to him with all her strength. After offering more words of reassurance, Edward led her to the door and headed for the hospital.

A/N: Next chapter should come much quicker.

Come visit at the forum under AU Human at twilighted dot net.

If you review, I'll go back and re write the chapter so that a fly ball hits Tori right in the nose. It will swell up to the size of Texas and she'll have to spend months in the hospital having reconstructing surgery. Someone will snap a picture of her big nose, and it will get plastered all over You Tube along with her throwing a hissy fit in front of everyone at the baseball game.

EDIT: OK seriously after receiving multiple requests I wrote an outtake with the alternate version, so if you review I'll send it to you.