A/N: I know I know. I let you down. It's been too long. I just haven't felt inspired lately, but I'm trying to swing back into it. I could say something weird like the characters won't talk to me, but I don't like being all schizophrenic.

Thanks to all of you who have kept reading! I love all of you.

I was um thinking that most of us usually read a lot of M rated fics, and well you might remember the story before this one was called Return to Me, and its rated T, and well so is this one, but I think RTM is better and um well there is a category for non smutty stories for the bellie awards, and well I'm not telling you what to do…. I just noticed that there was a category and if you want to nominate any T rated fics for that then well um the web site is thecatt dot net and so that's just something for you to think about.

Thanks for being my Beta Twike. I love you.

If you want to read an AWESOME story, check out Rabbit Hole by Profmom72. It's AU and under my favorites - check it out.

Characters are not mine.

Warning: This chapter is ridiculously short.

Chapter 9 Formation

Bella felt numb. It was a stark contrast to the way she'd felt the past few days. She'd been on feeling overload as she experienced the new facets of her relationship with Edward. He'd made her feel so alive, so wanted, so aroused. Bella didn't think she would ever get enough of him. Edward thought she would be mad when she found out he'd kept information from her. Part of her thought she should be too, but something between them had changed. She knew in her soul that his every thought was about her and what she needed. He understood, even more than she did how much she needed to hear this from her dad. Edward would never do anything to hurt her or risk her well being. She knew it wasn't a decision he made lightly, and she loved him even a tiny bit more for it. Plus, the next time he did make her mad, she could still use this for ammunition.

When they woke up that morning, she wished she could just forget everything and go back to molesting Edward, but everything else was hanging over her like a thick fog. There was so much to process that she felt herself suffocating.

She and Edward were shocked at her grandpa's reaction to the picture, but she felt a spark of adrenaline run through her. Maybe finding out what happened wasn't as impossible as she'd first thought. Bella watched the anger in her granddad's face and tried to patiently wait for him to end his tirade so she could find out what in the world was going on. He said the man in the picture was Phillip Dwyer. Charlie had been wondering for years who this guy was and her granddad had the answer all along.

Charlie arrived at the restaurant, and before anyone knew what was happening, granddad had him pushed up against a wall holding the picture in his face. "Where did you get this?" he snarled at Charlie.

"It was hidden with Renee's things," Charlie said patiently letting the old man get his anger out. Bella knew Charlie was a force to be reckoned with when he wanted to be. He was ex-military and the chief of police after all, but he had a way with people and was usually able to deescalate any situation before it became volatile. Bella felt grateful he wasn't pushing or getting mad at granddad's behavior. She hadn't seen her granddad this mad since the time Emmett got arrested in college for indecent exposure.

"Granddad, please, tell us what's going on," Bella pleaded. Granddad's muscles started to relax and they could visibly see his grasp on Charlie's shirt loosen.

"The picture was hidden. I think it has something to do with the men looking for her stuff," Charlie explained to Granddad.

"I should have guessed it sooner! She told me she would never see that bastard again!" Granddad sat down at the bar next to Bella and buried his head in his hands. "I should have killed him when I had the chance."

"Granddad!" Bella gasped.

"Granddad, please tell us what you know," Edward said calmly.

"That Phillip took my Renee and ruined her. Before him she was full of joy and life, and he turned her into someone I couldn't recognize. He was poison to this family. Maybe he still is."

He stopped and glared at the picture again. Bella could see his hand shaking, and she started to worry this was too much for him.

"She met him her first year at Dartmouth. I was so proud of her for getting that scholarship, and I knew my Amelia would have been happy to see our daughter there. She went planning to study medicine – cardiology. She was going to save herself and her future children. This Phillip ruined all that. He brainwashed her until she was willing to follow him anywhere and do whatever he asked. He came from old money, the kind of money that makes you used to getting what you want. He was smart too. Renee stopped calling; she refused to visit at Christmas; and soon I was so worried that I flew out to check on my little one. I found her living in a house too grand for any college student. She had dropped out of the university. Her arm was broken and there were brown and yellow marks all over she wouldn't explain to me. She could barely even look at me."

"Granddad, why didn't you ever tell us about this before?" Bella asked.

"I never wanted to think about him again." His fists were clenched and the rise and fall of his chest was quick. "I forced her to come home with me. She told me Phillip would kill us both if she left him, and she was terrified. I took her straight to the airport and put her on a plane to Italy to stay with my cousins. I thought she would be safe there, but I worried she would run away. She claimed she loved that monster even after everything he did to her. Normally I would have not been so happy about my only daughter meeting a military man and marrying so quickly, but when Charlie came along I was so happy she was safe and not going back to Phillip Dwyer."

"I bet she was going to see him when she took those trips," Charlie said.

"At least we have more information to go on now," Edward said. "I'll call Tyler at the FBI and see if he can find anything, and I'll start my own search tomorrow."

"Granddad, are you okay?" Bella noticed he was looking pale.

"I think I need to lay down, Picolla. This was quite a shock for my old heart."

Bella walked her granddad upstairs and put him to bed. He looked weary and suddenly old. Bella knew her granddad and mom's relationship had been strained before she got sick, but she always just thought it was because they lived so far away. Bella's mom had always been eccentric, different, easily distracted, bored with regular life. She didn't know what to think about her mom now, but her admiration and love for the men in her life had grown exponentially in the past twenty-four hours. Yesterday Charlie had been an absent parent, practically a dead beat in her mind, but today he achieved sainthood. Granddad was still her hero. Emmett well – she might be willing to trade him for a good massage, but he had married Rosalie, so she was stuck with him too. Then there was Edward. It was as though he was her prize for having to live through the hard times.

A happy sigh slipped from her lips as she walked downstairs to find her trophy. He was sitting next to Charlie eating spaghetti. Bella walked up between them and put her arms around each of their shoulders. She kissed Edward on the cheek and then Charlie. Edward kept eating, but Charlie put down his fork and smiled at Bella like he'd just won the lottery. Bella laughed and went to the kitchen to get herself a plate. She consciously decided not to worry about Renee or Phillip Dwyer until she had something tangible to worry about. She wanted to concentrate on spending time with her dad and enjoying her family.

"So dad, we thought about going up near Idaho Springs and camping after church tomorrow. You guys can fish on Monday, and then we'll come back Tuesday before your plane takes off," Bella said.

"Are you sure you should be at such high altitudes sweetie?" Charlie asked.

Bella noticed Edward's eyes get wide and then his shoulders shaking as he tried not to laugh.

"Yes, dad. I love hiking in fact." She glared at Edward. "My heart is great."

"Okay, good." Charlie seemed willing to take her word for it. "You were lucky to get that thing."

Edward gave Bella a sad smile, and she just nodded in agreement to his statement that was more true than he knew. After lunch the three of them picked up the kids and took Charlie around Boulder showing him the sites. They went back to Pearl Street, went down 29th street to look at the outdoor science exhibits, they drove by the college, and then Emily begged to show him the big waterfall, so they made the short drive out of town to Boulder falls.

Charlie was great with the kids, and he looked at them like with pure wonder in his eyes. Bella found herself laughing most of the day, and held onto Edward, not because she needed him to comfort her, but because she just liked having part of her connected to him every minute. Edward seemed so much more relaxed than yesterday, and they were actually enjoying themselves. Bella felt a little bit of sorrow creep back in while she watched Edward laughing and pushing Emily on the swings at the park near the waterfall. He loved the kids so much, and Bella felt guilty for taking away his chance to be the father of his own children. He promised her it didn't bother him, but she didn't see how he could possibly mean that.

She would have to do whatever she could to make it up to him. She decided she would start making it up to him after dinner with the family that night, and then after she woke up from a fairly graphic dream, and then again the next morning. Edward didn't seem to mind her enthusiasm at all. In fact he seemed downright giddy which made Bella feel powerful and confident. She could make him happy. She knew that now.

They were still in bed avoiding getting up to get ready. Bella was tracing her fingers up and down Edward's chest. He was awake but his eyes were closed as he enjoyed the sensation of her touch. They were interrupted when his phone rang.

"Who is calling me on Easter morning?" he grumbled before reaching over Bella to get to his phone.

"Oooh I hope it's the Easter Bunny," Bella giggled.

He pushed talk. "What is it Angela?"

Bella was feeling a little frisky, so she slowly began to kiss Edward's bicep as he held the phone to his ear. Edward gave her a dirty look and pushed her back on the bed away from him with a thud. Oh no he didn't.

"Where did she find this guy?" Edward paused while Angela talked. "No, she was right. I don't want her calling my personal phone after hours unless it's an emergency."

Bella got on her knees, bent over, and started licking Edward's leg going up from his knee. Edward ignored her until she got up near his thigh, when he quickly slammed her on the bed holding her away from him with one arm and holding the phone with the other. Bella struggled underneath the weight of his arm, but he held her effortlessly in place.

"Why would this guy need something that extensive? What kind of investors does he work with?"

Bella pinched Edward's arm hard with her nails, and he snapped his arm away from her. He looked down at her, and she was giggling furiously. "Listen Angela, I have to go. Just tell Tori to get everything ready to present to him. I know she can pull something like that off, and I'll be back Wednesday to check it and make any changes before he meets with us on Thursday."

Edward said goodbye, got off the phone, and lunged for Bella. She sprang off the bed quickly and went running through the house away from him. Edward chased her and caught her at the top of the stairs. He started tickling her, which made her laugh so loud the house shook. The look on her face made Edward laugh too, and they finally collapsed together on the floor exhausted.

"I want to wake up every morning like this," Bella said. "Well except for the quick mention of ho bag's name. I'd rather she make like a tree and leave this town."

"Some guy is coming in from Chicago who wants to hire us for a big project for an investment firm. Tori found him, so I guess it's only fair that I send her to Chicago to work on it. If it's as big as Angela thinks, it might take months!"

"It's an Easter Miracle!" Bella cheered.

A/N: Review or else they will all get raptured at church (well all except Jacob) and we'll never know what happened with Renee. Hello apocalypse.