A/N: Sorry this took so long. I got busy writing some other fan fic for the Twilight Gift Exchange. I will let you know when you can read that one. It's cute.

Last chapter Bella tossed Tori to the curb and had her way with Edward.

Thanks for being patient! Thanks also to Twike the Beta. I've been working her overtime, and she's about to get married, and she's cool. I love you Twikers!

Chapter 8 Revelation

Bella wasn't kidding about wanting to practice. Edward didn't think he could love her anymore than he already had, but after she gave him that gift – oh wait – no more calling it a gift. They hadn't left the house for two days. Edward called Angela to tell her he was working from home. Bella called Emmett to tell him Edward had made her dinner, and she had some sort of food poisoning.

Bella was a quick learner and nothing if not determined. There was something so raw, so sensual about her. It was as if she was discovering a whole new side of herself. Edward had always been attracted to the passion she had for the things that were important to her, and he was glad to admit that he was very, very important to her. This type of passion was something different than what he'd experienced before, and he was quickly becoming addicted to it.

Now that they had taken their relationship to a new level, he was more worried than ever about Charlie coming to visit. This was not a good time for Bella to be mad at him. Bella being mad at him could mean no more… Nono, he couldn't even think about that. It was too horrifying.

He whistled and practically skipped down the stairs that morning. They were meeting Jasper and Alice for lunch before going with Emmett to pick up Charlie from the airport. Bella had been nervous, but she'd been doing a good job of distracting herself. Edward found Bella in the kitchen making coffee. He tiptoed up behind her, grabbed her by the hips, and kissed her neck.

Bella giggled like it was tickling her. "Stop that. My fiancé will get jealous."

"Oh, really?" Edward said.

Bella turned around to face him. "Oh, it's you. I thought that it was Franz my lover, Franz." She wrapped her arms around his neck and draped her body against his. "I guess you'll do."

"You'd better get ready. We've got to run some errands before lunch."

"I was just thinking about going back to bed," Bella said and started to kiss Edward's collar bone just above his shirt.

"Belllllaaaa," Edward groaned. "I've created a monster! Ow! Did you just bite me?" Edward could feel Bella giggling against his neck.

"Go get ready," he pushed her off of him.

Bella stuck out her bottom lip and pouted. "Ok, I'll just go take a shower, all by myself. The hot water can massage my sore muscles. I am feeling quite dirty," she winked at him and ran her hand around his body as she walked past him toward the stairs.

Good. She needed to get ready. Edward started to pour himself a cup of coffee and looked for the paper and tried to stop shaking his leg nervously. The second he heard the water turn on, he couldn't take it any longer and bolted upstairs.

Xxxxxxx

"Oh stop being such a big baby. So what if we don't get to stop by the Apple store for you to ogle before lunch;, it's not like you were complaining earlier," Bella said trying to snap Edward out of his irritation for not being able to run his errands.

"I'm not being a big baby. It's just a big day," he admitted. The reality of what would transpire in just a few hours was beginning to weigh on him.

"I know," Bella sighed and looked out the window. "Just promise you won't leave my side. I know I can get through anything as long as you're with me."

"Don't worry. I won't let go of you for a second," he promised. He wanted to add something about even if she tried to push him away, but he thought better of it.

They pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "We're a little early," he looked at his watch trying to decide if they could make it to the Apple store and back in five minutes.

"Good," Bella ran her hand up and down his thigh before pulling his face to hers. Yes, he had definitely created a monster.

They were both flushed five minutes later, and Edward couldn't wipe the goofy grin off his face. Bella laced her fingers through his as they walked into the restaurant. Alice and Jasppser were sitting on a bench near the door waiting for a table. They walked in and Alice jumped up to hug each of them. Edward hated to have to let go of Bella even for a second to hug his sister. The second they were able to they sat down nearby, and Edward wrapped his arms around her. She was talking to Alice, but her body was still trained on Edward. It was as though now that they had been together, they couldn't handle being apart even for a second.

Alice was talking a million miles an hour about her plans for the rest of the holiday weekend, but as she talked she began to look from Edward to Bella and back to Edward repeatedly. She stopped in the middle of a sentence and said, "Something's different."

Edward felt his face turn bright red. He looked down at Bella thinking she'd look like she'd just been caught, but she just smiled at Alice.

"Oh, my gosh! You finally did it!" she shrieked and Edward felt the need to crawl under a table and die. He couldn't think of anything worse than his little sister announcing he'd deflowered his fiancée to a crowded restaurant.

"Alice, shut up," he growled.

"Thank God, finally!" Jasper went to give him a high five. The look Edward gave him made him stick his hands back in his lap quickly.

To Edward's surprise, Bella jumped onto his lap, and smiled at Alice. Edward was used to Bella getting embarrassed so easily. What happened to his prudishe little sweetheart?

"So did you try those things Rosalie and I told you about?" Alice asked.

"Some of them," Bella said. "I still want to try that…."

"Please! She's my sister!" Edward freaked, and his hand flew over Bella's mouth.

"So Bella, how are you feeling about your dad coming?" Jasper asked, and Edward shot him an appreciative glance.

Once Edward allowed Bella to talk again, she said, "I'm trying not to think about it or get my hopes up about it too much. I've had the perfect distraction over the past few days." At that she wiggled herself in Edward's lap causing him to practically throw her on the seat next to him. She was completely out of control. If she acted like this in front of Emmett and her dad, Edward would never make through this day alive.

Alice and Jasper both laughed and Edward was glad everyone was enjoying themselves at his expense. Bella and Alice spent most of the lunch discussing wedding plans. It was coming up quickly, and Edward couldn't wait to make Bella his wife. Seeing the light in her eyes as she discussed it was almost enough to bring a tear to his. Edward made a mental note to stop drinking soy milk. He'd heard it had estrogen in it, and it was obviously turning him into a girl.

Jasper kept trying to ask more questions about Charlie's visit, but Bella kept changing the subject. There had been talk of everyone going up to the Cullen's cabin on Grand Lake, so Charlie and guys could fish. The kids were ecstatic about meeting their grandfather. Edward couldn't relax though. He was the only one who knew just how potentially awful the next few days could go.

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The atmosphere was thick as they waited near the baggage claim. Emmett, Bella, Edward, Emory, and Emily all waited for Charlie to arrive. Emily and Emory had made signs welcoming Grandpa Charlie. They'd never actually met him, but had talked to him on the phone before. They were bouncing off the walls with excitement. Belle explained to Edward that Emmett and Charlie talked more often than she and Charlie did. They even went on a fishing trip to Canada every few years. She'd resented their relationship and was hurt that her dad spent time with Emmett but not her. She'd only seen him a handful of times over the past ten years. Edward urged her to give Charlie a chance and to keep an open mind. He knew from their many conversations that she wanted to believe that her dad loved her and wanted her. Edward was pained that Bella had been hurt for so long.

Bella was twirling her hair and chewing on her lip non-stop. Edward made sure he was touching her somehow at all times, and hoped that his presence would soothe her. He wasn't sure how the next few days would change her life, but he was determined not to let her push him away no matter how angry she got.

Edward was holding Bella's hand when they saw Charlie walking toward them. Edward could see who Emmett got his strength from. Charlie had broad shoulders, and though he wasn't as unnaturally large as Emmett, Edward didn't really want to arm wrestle him. He and Bella had the same eyes and similar facial expressions. He was dressed in jeans, a plaid shirt, and boots. Edward could just imagine his sheriff badge pinned to the front of his shirt, and a gun holster still strapped to his hip. Edward hadn't noticed until then, but the Charlie and his kids even shared a similar walk. Edward found this amusing, but decided to wait till later to point it out.

Emmett pointed him out to the kids, and Emily went running for him holding her sign. Emory looked at his dad for approval, and when Emmett shook his head, Emory headed Charlie's direction too. Charlie stopped and squatted down when Emily reached him. She instantly threw her arms around his neck and said, "Grandpa Charlie!"

Charlie put his bag down on the floor next to him and hugged her back. "You must be my Emily," he said. When she finally let him go, he stood up but she grabbed his hand and held it. She handed him the sign she made and he thanked her. Emily beamed with satisfaction.

"Emory, this is Grandpa Charlie!" Emily announced proudly.

"I know dummy," he rolled his eyes at her. Charlie held his hand out to shake Emory's. Emory shook his back.

"I'm so glad to finally see you in person, Emory. You're practically a man now," Charlie said with a huge smile on his face.

Emory broke into a grin. "My dad says it's a grandpa's duty to take his grandson fishing."

"Of course it is," Charlie agreed. "I've also heard you have an impressive baseball card collection. I can't wait to take a look at that."

Emory nodded enthusiastically. "Hey dad," Emmett opened his arms wide to hug Charlie. They embraced, and Edward felt Bella's grip tighten on his hand.

"Hello, Bella." Charlie turned to face her.

"Hi, Charlie." Charlie didn't wait for her, but reached out pulled her into a hug. He held on tight, and didn't let go for a long time. Bella didn't move at first, but after a few seconds reached her arms around his back and hugged him.

"I missed my baby girl so much," he said without letting go.

"I missed you too, Ddad." Edward let out a thankful breath when she called him dad instead of Charlie – one small step at a time he told himself.

Everyone was happy to have Emily entertain them on the way home. She was asking Charlie questions a mile a minute like how old was he, what was his favorite color, who was his favorite Disney princess, and if he would play house with her later. Charlie happily answered each question and agreed to the play date.

When they arrived at Emmett's, Rosalie greeted Charlie with a kiss on the cheek, while Emily said, "This is Maude. Daddy calls her Emaude when mommy's not around. He said that Maude will be mad that her name doesn't match the rest of ours, and that he will get mommy to change her mind. He told me not to tell mommy about his plans."

Charlie laughed and winked at Rosalie who was rolling her eyes. "Emory and Emily you guys go straighten up your rooms so you can show them to Grandpa Charlie in a little bit." Rosalie handed Maude to Charlie, and even Edward felt a little choked up at the proud look on Charlie's face as he bounced Maude and looked around the room at his family.

"Thank you for letting me come. This – I – I was afraid I'd never get the chance to do this. I don't deserve any of you," he said.

The atmosphere grew heavy at Charlie's words, and Bella stepped closer to Edward as if seeking the comfort of his touch again.

"Come on Ddad," Emmett said. "Don't say stuff like that."

"Kids there are things I need to tell you. Things I need to explain." He handed the baby back to Rosalie, and dug his hands in his pockets.

"Uh… Charlie do you want to eat first or how about some small talk before we dive into the deep stuff," Edward suggested nervously.

"Edward!" Bella looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Please, son," Charlie pleaded, "I need to get this out before I lose my nerve."

Bella looked at Edward, then looked at Charlie, and then back at Edward. "What's going on, Edward?"

"When I met your dad, he told me some things he's never shared with the two of you. We talked quite a bit, and in the end he agreed with me that you need to know what he's been going through. I'm just… well… this isn't going to be easy for you to hear what he has to say."

"You're sick aren't you?" Bella's hand flew to her heart.

"No, no, nothing like that." Charlie handed Maude back to Rosalie. "Can we all sit down?"

They all seemed to move in slow motion toward the living room furniture. Once they were seated, all eyes went to Charlie. Edward had been dreading this moment for months, but he knew it was necessary. He wished there were some way he could take all of Bella's pain away. The pain from her father's abandonment was like an old wound she'd covered up with a Band-Aid. She could ignore it most of the time, but every now and then, if she bumped it just right, the pain was almost unbearable. Treating the wound once and for all would hurt, but in the end it would prevent more problems down the road.

"What is it Ddad?" Emmett asked.

"You know I'm not really good with words, so I … well I wrote it down. What I want to tell you. I know it's stupid, but I want to read it to you so I don't mess it up." Charlie pulled a wadded up piece of paper out of his pocket and smoothed it out. Bella was holding Edward's hand so tight that it hurt.

Charlie stared at the paper in front of him for what seemed like forever. The silence grew uncomfortable, before he finally cleared his throat and began to read, "When I sent you two to live with your granddad, it was the hardest thing I ever did, but I don't regret what I did. I had to keep you safe. I married your mother, and though I loved her., I didn't know her very well. Our marriage was difficult, and she made it clear that she was not satisfied with the life she had with me in Forks. Your mom traveled a lot, as you know, and it seems she had another life we didn't know about."

"Dad, stop," Emmett interrupted. "If you're planning to tell us mom was having an affair, you don't need to. We all know mom wasn't a saint. Bella and I knew she wasn't really just going on nature retreats. We heard you fighting about it one night. We were young but not stupid."

"I'm sorry, Ddad. We know that must have been awful for you," Bella added.

Charlie's eyes remained fixed on the floor. "Please, just let me read this," he finally said and went back to the paper. "When your mom got sick, it was like we became a family for the first time. I fell in love with her again, and I believe she truly grew to love me in that time as well. The happiness we all shared during that time made losing her more painful, but I'm grateful for it. I believe your mother loved us all very much, but there was another part of her life that we knew nothing about. During the last year of her life, it seems that she made some powerful people angry and took something important from them. I do not know who these people are, but after her death they began threatening me and demanding information. They threatened the two of you and that is why I sent you to live with your grandfather. I had to keep you safe. These men have the power to hurt us, and they have continued to make threats over the years. It was hard for me to face the truth about Renee, and even now I'm not sure what the truth is. I regret not being a part of your livesfe. I regret the pain I have caused you. Edward has helped me to see that I should have told you the truth sooner, but please believe me that I love you more than my own life, and I have died a little each day since I left you here." Charlie folded the paper back up and stared at his hands.

"Dad, I have no idea what you're saying," Emmett said puzzled. "Who are these people you're talking about?"

"The only thing we know so far is that they are connected to a large company named Volterra Corp. We don't know what Renee's involvement was, but she seemed to have control over a large sum of money that they were unable to access after her death," Edward explained.

Emmett and Bella both looked at Edward like he'd grown a second head. "What do you mean 'the only thing we know'? Emmett asked.

"Your mom had a disk hidden in the house. It was the only thing I found that I think these goons might want. When Edward came to Forks, I asked him to take a look at it," Charlie said.

"You've known about this?" Bella asked letting go of his hand.

"Please Bella, you have a every right to be angry with me, but I felt that it would be best for you to hear all of this from Charlie. I begged him to tell you."

Bella's eyes didn't hold the fury that Edward feared. They were sad and confused as she looked at Edward. She nodded her head slightly like she understood and then looked away.

"So she was like a secret agent or in the mob or something?" Rosalie asked.

"I don't know," Charlie answered with a slow breath. "I wish I knew."

Charlie went on to explain the encounters he'd had over the years with the strange men. Emmett and Bella both looked shocked to find out the truth about the times their house had been torn apart. Bella was visibly shaken when Charlie told about getting things mailed to him that they took from Bella's room and about Emmett's brake line being cut.

Emory and Emily were getting restless. Rosalie had sent them back to their rooms about five times trying to explain that the grownups were talking, but Emily seemed like she might explode if she was left out of the fun much longer. Rosalie suggested they get ready for dinner and talk more about everything after the kids went to bed.

Edward was worried about Bella's reaction. He'd expected drama, yelling, tears, and anger. Instead she was solemn and quiet. "What are you thinking, love?" Edward whispered in her hear.

"I don't know what to think," she answered and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm just confused, and I feel sorry for my dad. I spent so much time thinking he was selfish and too wrapped up in his pain to love me the way I needed him to. I didn't know. I didn't understand that he cared. He still should have made sure we knew he cared. We needed to be there for him too."

"You're right. He wasn't perfect, but I think he did the best he could." Edward reached up and stroked her hair. "This is a chance to start again."

"I knew my mom was messed up, but who could even imagine her doing something to hurt us?"

"We still don't have enough information to really judge her actions," Edward reminded her.

"I just want to understand. I want some answers."

Edward took her face in his hands, "I will do whatever it takes to make sure no one hurts you or this family ever again. I'm going to figure this out. I'm going to find the answers you need. I promise."

"I want to know who my mom was," Bella look at him asking him with her eyes to find out for her. Edward nodded in assurance that he would give her what she needed.

After dinner, everyone was more relaxed. Charlie spent some time getting to know his grandkids. Bella continued to hold on tightly to Edward, and he was so grateful that she wasn't pushing him away, that he wanted to thank her over and over. He reflected on just how far they'd come together. They communicated more, fought less, and tried to understand the other's perspective more. Even over the past few weeks in dealing with Tori, he'd come to understand Bella better. She had been unconditionally giving him her trust. More than anything Edward wanted to deserve it.

Once the kids were in bed, Charlie answered more questions. There were tears shed by everyone in the room, revelations made, and bonds formed. Edward knew this was going to be hard, but he really couldn't have imagined it going any better. Charlie showed them the picture of Renee with the man that he'd found, and Bella asked if she could hold on to it for a little bit.

Once Edward and Bella got home, they both started getting ready for bed. Bella looked drained, and when they climbed under the covers, Edward held his arms out to her. She settled into his embrace and began to cry. Edward felt helpless, but he caressed her head, and, whispered assurances to her,, and held her until she was asleep. Edward couldn't think about anything but his need to make this right for her.

The next day they had plans to meet Charlie for lunch at the restaurant. Bella still seemed down. It was a stark contrast to how she'd felt just the morning before, but Edward was determined to give her time without giving her space. They arrived at the restaurant early and sat at the bar to wait for Charlie, Rosalie, and the kids to arrive. Bella took out the picture of Renee and stared at it as if the people in the photo might start talking and explain things to her.

Her granddad came up behind them and hugged her from behind. He noticed the picture in her hands, and tensed. "Where did you get that?" he asked angrily.

"Charlie brought it. Why do you know who this man is, Granddad?"

Bella's granddad's face turned pale and he took the picture in his hands examining. "That's Phillip Dwyer," he finally seethed before he threw it on the bar and starting yelling expletives in Italian.

A/N: Review or Charlie and Emily will walk into the tent while Bella is getting some practice. You don't want to do that to poor little innocent Emily do you?

I've also started an interesting thread. Check out The Adventures of the Littlest Edward on the twilighted forums under Eye Candy if you want to laugh. I'll post a link on my profile when I get around to it.