Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

A/N: AMAZING! That's what you all are. Thanks for all the feedback and for being so awesome! I'm always so excited to see how much you all are liking the story, so please…keep those great reviews coming! And to those of you who comment on one specific part that you really liked – that's awesome! I like knowing what you are enjoying the most! Anyway, I know the last chapter was bit shorter, but I think that's how things are going to go for now. Since I'm getting busy, it's much easier to write a shorter chapter. So this way, it will actually be feasible for me to update twice a week like I want to. And now, enjoy…

-perfectshadeofdarkblue

Best Definition of Good Intentions

12 – Always Afraid of What You Can't Control

"Charlie? It's Carlisle," the young doctor spoke into the phone while taking a seat at the table. His wife was in the kitchen, scrambling eggs for breakfast.

"Morning." The voice was no louder than a whisper, sounding as though merely a ghost of its former self.

"How are you doing, Charlie?" Concern blanketed every aspect of the question.

"Alright," Charlie said again, sticking to speaking as little as possible.

"Are you going into work again today?" Carlisle knew the answer, but wanted confirmation, trying to draw responses out of the older man.

"Got nothing else to do." Charlie typically didn't work on Sundays unless he was needed at the police station, which rarely happened in the small, quiet town of Forks. But ever since he'd caught his wife cheating on him four days earlier, he'd nothing but work for the sake of having something to take his mind off things. He couldn't bear to have a minute to himself, to be left alone with his thoughts.

"You're always welcome to come over here. I'm sure it might do some good to get out of your house, maybe spend some time with Bella."

"I doubt that'd do her any good," Charlie mumbled back.

"I think you're wrong about that," Carlisle said adamantly.

"I'm sure I'm right, Carlisle," for the first time, the voice was louder than a whisper. "I'm sure she hates me now. After all it's all my fault, she's right to blame me, to hate me. I was doing something wrong to let this happen and another thing wrong to let her see it like she did."

There was silence for a moment before Carlisle continued.

"Have you talked to Renee, Charlie?" he asked quietly.

"No," Charlie admitted.

"Has she called?"

"Yes."

"You can't avoid talking to her, Charlie, just like you can't avoid talking to Bella just because you don't know what to say." It was the same argument Carlisle had argued over the past four days, never making as little as a dent in Charlie's demeanor.

Esme set the eggs down in front of her husband and held out her hand, palm up. She had a stern look on her face, as though she were about to scold one of her children. Carlisle handed the phone over, shrugging his shoulders. As he started eating, Esme planted a kiss on his cheek in goodbye and walked towards the porch.

"It's Esme, Charlie." She didn't want for acknowledgement before continuing, "Anything I can do for you?"

"No, Esme, really, I'm fine." Charlie didn't want anyone making a fuss over him, especially the Cullens who were already doing so much by looking after Bella. Charlie was sure he'd be fine; he just needed something to distract him for awhile.

"What about dinner? You've been working so much, you probably haven't even been eating. I'll cook some food for you. Bella and I can bring it over later today," Esme was refusing to let him turn her offer down.

"That's really not necessary."

"That doesn't matter. I'd like to do it for you, plus it'll be nice for Bella to have something to do – to get out of the house."

Charlie's interest peaked at the mention of his daughter's name. He sounded hurt as he asked, "She's not doing well?"

"About as well as can be expected," Esme answered.

"Are you sure she should be coming over here then?" He wanted to see his daughter, more than anything, but he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, seeing him or returning to the scene of the incident.

"Of course. She needs to see you. She's lost now, doesn't know what to do. You can help her."

"I can't help her. I don't even know how to help myself, how can you expect me to know what to say to her?" he admitted quietly.

"It'll come to you," Esme reassured him.

"How can you be so sure?" Charlie asked defiantly.

"Have faith, Charlie," she paused then, giving him one last chance to rebut. "We'll stop by later tonight, Charlie."

Esme walked back inside to replace the phone on its cradle and could see her husband's black car leave the driveway on his way to work. She set the work cleaning the kitchen from the first round of breakfast while she waited for the others to make their way downstairs for their meals. Much too soon, Emmett was bounding down the stairs.

"You're up awfully early this morning," Esme exclaimed. It was not normal for her son to be out bed before the sun was half way up the sky.

"Rose and I are going to the beach today. She wanted to get a head start," Emmett replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Esme smiled at the things he would do for his girlfriend. She truly did bring out the best in her son and she couldn't be happier for the couple. "Do you at least have time for breakfast?"

"We were planning on getting it on the way."

"You two have fun today then! And I want you both here for dinner tonight – it's going to be entirely too soon that I'll hardly get to see you once you're off at college," she wrapped Emmett into a hug.

"Mom," he whined, before caving into the hug. He wasn't ready for his mother to bring up his moving out, not with everything else going on, but it didn't change the fact that it was quickly approaching.

They pulled away from each other and Emmett had the feeling that his mother was realizing how much time was slipping away as they had been so caught up in everything.

"Rose and I can go to the beach another day. Is there anything you want me to do around here today?" He asked, thoughtfully.

"No, no. Don't be silly – go. Go!"

Emmett leaned down to kiss her cheek before continuing out the door.

"I'll see you for dinner tonight!" Esme called out after him.

Humming to herself, she quickly finished cleaning and moved onto the pile of laundry that had been lately neglected. Esme put one load into the washer walked back to the kitchen table to read the newspaper while she waited. She found Edward standing in the kitchen, putting together a bowl of cereal.

"Want me to put something together for you?" she asked, sweetly.

"No, thanks. I prefer cereal in the mornings," he answered, offering a sincere smile.

"Are you sure? I can't make you pancakes, or waffles? Nothing?"

"Oh! I'll take pancakes!" Alice's chipper voice sounded as she walked into the kitchen.

"Pancakes it is, then! Edward?" Esme offered again.

"No, really. I'm fine with cereal." He sat down at the table to start eating. Alice sat across from him.

"Make some for Bella, too, Mom. She's in the shower now but should be down soon," Alice informed. Esme nodded and started preparing the food.

"What are you guys doing today?" Edward asked in between bites.

"Oh, probably, nothing," Alice answered, off-handedly while smoothing down her hair that was sticking in all directions. "What about you?"

"I was actually hoping to get out of the house today a bit. I thought maybe I could drive around town, see what was here, but I understand Forks isn't very large. So maybe I'll head down to Port Angeles, that's a bit bigger, correct?"

"It is, but not by much," Alice answered with a laugh.

"Well, I was just thinking of walking around a bit. Would you and Bella like to come?" He wasn't sure whether he wanted them to come or not. On the one hand, he was hoping for the chance to get a present for Bella, to thank her for the advice she offered, something to also help her. That would be much easier if she weren't there. But on the other hand, he wanted to the chance to get to know her better.

Alice solved his silent dilemma by saying, "I doubt Bella would really be up for it today. Maybe another time though."

Esme was just setting down two plates of pancakes when Bella made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Thanks, Esme. It smells delicious!" Bella exclaimed, taking a seat at the table.

"You're welcome, dear. I'm glad to see you're feeling better," she said, gently placing a hand on Bella's shoulder while the girl looked at her and smiled.

The girls were silent while eating and Edward slipped upstairs to shower and get dressed. By the time he had finished, Alice and Bella had disappeared. He told Esme of his plan to walk around Port Angeles for some time to think.

Edward rolled down his window on the highway, letting the wind whip through his bronzed hair. The speakers were loud, pushing the sounds of the mixed CD out. The CD playing was one of his favorites, one that, even though it was from his mother, he was unable to get rid of. It was one of the few reminders he consciously kept of his parents. He'd opted for silence at first, but soon, with the feel of the road behind him, the wind through his window and the sun streaming down, even with the black clouds on the horizon, he felt at peace – something he always felt while driving. The fast, smooth ride of his silver Volvo always had a comforting effect and without realizing, he'd reached for the CD and pressed play. His fingers drummed against the black steering wheel as though he were playing the piano along with the music.

With those perfect conditions, he made it Port Angeles in record time. It took a considerably longer time for Edward to find the perfect gift for Bella as he made his way through the streets. After about an hour of mindless wandering, Edward purchased an item at a quaint bookstore, hoping it would say all the things to Bella he was thinking.

After breakfast, Bella and Alice had made their way back to Alice's room. While Alice showered, Bella turned her phone on for the first time since she'd unofficially moved in with the Cullen's. There were several messages from Jacob. Bella hadn't thought about him once since she'd last seen him, nor had she spoken to him, but it seemed as though he knew what had happened. Each next message had a new air of urgency and worry laced through, but Bella couldn't bring herself to call him back.

Her relationship with Jacob so far had been only bright and sunny, much like how she viewed his personality. She didn't want to bring anything into it that didn't belong there.

"Who are the messages from?" Alice asked, looking in the mirror to apply make-up.

"They're all from Jake," Bella answered, rolling her eyes.

"Jake, huh?" Alice said, heavy with insinuation.

"No, Alice! Don't get any ideas! Jacob was simply your replacement while you were gone."

"Hmpf!" Alice turned away from Bella. "Well, if that's how you feel…"

"Alice! Of course, you're not replaceable! But you left me alone – I had find something to occupy my time," Bella promised.

"And how exactly did you and Jake occupy your time?" Alice raised her eyebrows.

Into the early afternoon, they caught up on their gossip. Bella filled Alice in on all the developments between her and Jake, clarifying several times that she did not have feeling for him. Alice walked Bella through the photo album of their family vacation in Italy. They quickly fell into their comfortable, easy and joking manner, avoiding talk of anything serious, specifically that fateful afternoon that Alice returned home.

But as Bella stared at the pictures of the newly modified Cullen Clan, she couldn't help but feel her mood shift serious. How much she wished she had the kind of family whose faces stared back at her! In the physical sense, she had the Cullen's as her family, she knew that from as much as they insisted, but she wanted the feeling that family would never let you down – that they'd never intentionally hurt you.

Her eyes flicked over Edward's face with that thought. Sure, he'd been hurt, but not intentionally. His parents hadn't left him on purpose; they hadn't knowingly ended their family. But still, she couldn't help but take in the sadness that reflected through every aspect of his face. His smile in Italy looked nothing like the one she'd seen the other night. The one and only time she'd seen it, it had been crooked and perfect in happiness. Here, it resembled a twitch of his full lips. His eyes were muted, as though his gaze was stopped short of the camera. He was instead staring at the space in front of the lens. They lacked the piercing qualities she'd noticed in the dark. She remembered thinking of sunsets as she'd peered into his green eyes just the other night. Although, they looked remarkably similar – the sadness was still there – they lacked the hope that had been so apparent. The hope he even saw in the stars above.

With a sigh, Bella pushed the album off her lap and lay back on the bed.

"Come on, let's go see what Mom's doing!" Alice tugged her through the door, sensing she needed to be distracted.

Downstairs, Esme was cooking.

"What are you making now?" Alice nearly shouted in disbelief.

Just then, the door opened and Edward stepped inside. He offered hellos, saying he was just home to drop a few things off and to rest for a bit before heading out around Forks. He wasn't even to the second floor of the house before Alice asked her question again.

This time, there was nothing to stop Esme from answering. "Right now I'm working on a lasagna and after that I'm making a meatloaf because it's Emmett's favorite."

"Why both of them?" Alice asked, feeling like she was missing something.

Esme stared at her for a second, willing for to have some tact. Then she looked to Bella while answering, "I'm making the lasagna for Charlie. I thought we could deliver it to him later."

Bella was stunned. So far she'd spent the day free of any direct comments about how she didn't belong here, but now Esme was throwing it in her face.

"I just thought it might be nice for you to get to see him, now that you're feeling better. And he's just been working so much, I wanted to do something nice for him," Esme said in a hurry, hoping to convince Bella.

Bella could hear what Esme wasn't actually saying. She could see her father now that she was acting like a normal human being again so she wouldn't make him feel guilty like she would have in her previous state. And wanting to do something nice for him wasn't because he was working so much, or maybe not directly, but because he felt sorry for him. Because of what happened – that was what was making him work so much.

"I don't think I want to do that," Bella said defiantly.

"Don't you want to see your father, Bella?" Esme asked, actually curious for the answer.

"No."

"Bella! You told me last night you'd think about talking to Charlie!" Alice shrieked.

"I don't need you telling me what to do, Alice!" Bella yelled back.

"But he's your dad, Bella! You have to see him!" Alice was pleading now.

"Alice," Esme was pleading with her daughter to calm down. "If Bella doesn't want to, then she doesn't have to. No one is going to force her to do something she would rather not. But, Bella, dear, would you mind telling me why you don't want to?"

It was started to get hard for Bella to control the emotions that were flooding through her.

"I'm going through a walk." She turned and walked right out the door, without as much as a look back.

As the door shut, Esme and Alice exchanged a look and only then did they notice Edward frozen mid-step on his way down the stairs. They stared at him expectantly.

"What's going on?" he asked, continuing on his way down. The truth was that he'd heard most of the conversation, but didn't want to make it seem as though he had been eavesdropping.

"Bella's refusing to talk to her father," Alice said angrily, plopping down on a couch.

"Alice!" Esme scolded her only daughter.

"What, Mom?" Alice bit back. "It's ridiculous and you know it!"

"It's true that I don't agree with it, but that doesn't give either of us permission to persuade Bella into anything she doesn't want to do."

"But why not? She's making a mistake doing it this way! She could quit moping around if she actually talked to him."

Edward took a seat next to Alice, trying to appear as if he weren't riveted with the conversation.

"Let Bella and Charlie work through this in their own ways," Esme warned.

"But they way of dealing with it is by pretending it doesn't exist," Alice quipped.

"That is true that neither of them is exactly comfortable expressing feelings, but still doesn't make it right for us to interfere."

"But, Mom, you know it's only going to get harder for Bella if she keeps putting off dealing with the problem. You remember how bad it was before anyone knew what was going on. Remember how she reacted when her mom worked all the time, which made Chief Swan work all the time? Remember how crazy she went? I don't want to see her go through that again."

"I know, sweetie," Esme comforted, pulling Alice into a hug. "But give Bella time. She'll come around. But she's got to get their on her own."

Once they'd calmed down, Esme turned her focus on Edward. "How was Port Angeles? Find anything you liked?"

"I did. There was this really cool café-bookstore, not far from the pier. That's where I spent most of the time. They had a ton of music and books – I really liked it!" It was the same place that Edward had gotten his gift for Bella, which he'd left in his car until he could find a time to give it to her.

"Oh, you and Bella, both!" Alice exclaimed.

"Bella and I both, what?"

"You both love that store! I practically have to drag Bella out of it every time we go there. Put the girl in a bookstore and she couldn't be happier!" Alice said, laughing at her best friend.

"I can see why – it's really cool place," Edward justified, but Alice just brushed it off. "Well, I'm going to go around town now. See if I can learn my way around."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Alice laughed again.

"Do you want to come?" Edward asked politely.

"No, thanks. I want to be here in case Bella comes home. I guess I owe her an apology," Alice admitted, ashamed.

Esme patted her shoulder in comfort. "Have fun, dear," she called out as Edward walked out the door.

A/N: I know you all have been wanting some Edward-Bella interaction and I promise it IS coming. I thought it would be this chapter, but it just didn't happen. I didn't really want to make this chapter any longer, and I really would like to post it tonight. Good news is, though, it DEFINITELY will be next chapter (if anyone of you will even believe me at this point after it's been so long) and it was originally going to be part of this chapter, I know exactly where it's going. Which means, I should get it done tomorrow. So you've got that to look forward to if this chapter was bit disappointing in the Edward-Bella department. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it regardless. Let me know what you thought!