A/N: Lots of speculations, so it's time to see what happens after . . .

Sucks that it's not ours . . .

Chapter 10: Reap What You Sow

Good Morning– B

"So then what did you do?"

I pulled the pillow over my head to block out the question.

"Come on, Bella...finish the story." Edward tugged on the pillow, "Come out or else…"

I could feel his hand sliding my leg, tightening right above my knee cap.

"No! Do not start with the tickling again!" I squealed. He had taken to using tickle torture whenever I tried to dodge the incredibly embarrassing questions he had been lobbing all morning, and my sides were starting to hurt from laughing.

"Fess up…"

I sighed and dropped the pillow. "Fine. I stood up, brushed myself off, threw my arms out and shouted 'Ta-Da!'"

Edward tried valiantly to keep a straight face, but I could see him losing it.

"Go ahead, laugh at me. Everyone else did AND I got a standing ovation."

That was enough to send him over the edge. He howled in laughter, so much so that tears started to form.

"Leave it to you to fall off the stage at your own graduation," He gasped.

"Go ahead and laugh at my humiliation. It stunted me for life. I won't set foot in any building that has a stage, dais, or any other type of raised flooring."

Waking up together had been great. Beyond great. But spending the morning lying in bed talking about anything and everything was even better. Nowhere to be, no commitments or obligations. Just us in our own little world.

I rolled over on my stomach and propped myself up on my elbows. "Come on, it's not like you were always Mr. Perfection. You had to have done something stupid or embarrassing in your life."

Edward thought for a moment before breaking into a smile. "If you want truly embarrassing, then there was the time I over slept for class…"

I rolled my eyes, "Oh come on…"

"No, wait, it gets better. I went out with a few fraternity brothers, and we broke the cardinal rule of liquor then beer, never fear; beer than liquor, never sicker. I woke up five minutes before class, completely hung over. I pulled on jeans and a baseball hat, threw a Coke in my backpack and ran to class. I got there, sat down, and reached in my backpack to pop open my Coke. I pulled it out ready to take a sip, and it was a beer."

I started giggling. "I can't imagine you doing that. It seems so…normal!"

He tossed a pillow at me, laughing. "I am normal. I just didn't qualify for a Pell Grant. Anyway, my professor was not too far off his hippy days, and laughed it off. Of course, just the scent of beer was enough to cause me to throw up in the trashcan at the back of class, but my prof was empathetic."

"You tossed in class? That is disgusting!" I had a vision of Edward, hiking around campus in shredded jeans, stubble, and a backwards baseball cap after a night of drinking. Mmm. Nice visual. "So you were wild and crazy in college, Mr. Fraternity Boy? A la Animal House? I could totally see you as Otter."

"Not too far off, or at least that was my father's perspective." All the mirth, the lightness of Edward's features evaporated.

"I stepped in something, didn't I?" So much for a great morning in bed.

Edward sat up and ran his hand through his hair.

"Am I really that transparent?"

"No. I'm just getting really good at reading you." When in doubt, lighten things up…"As a perfect example, I think you have a little bit of a water fetish, Cullen."

That got the response I wanted. It also got me pinned to the bed.

"See what I mean? All I have to do is say water!" I teased as he grinned wickedly down at me.

"No," He leaned in to trace the hollow at the base of my throat with his tongue. "I have," He planted a kiss where he had just been tracing. "A Bella boot fetish; water is just part of the total equation. And you are evil."

"I try, and obviously you do too." I answered in as saccharine a tone as I could muster. It was a bit of a challenge as he continued to move further and further down my body.

But, in typical me fashion, my stomach decided to growl in protest.

"I'm also hungry." I admitted sheepishly.

Edward laughed, let go of me and stretched. "Come on, I think we might be able to find something."

Ten minutes later, we were raiding his kitchen. I had slipped back into his shirt. It was the easiest thing to grab, and I had developed a bit of an emotional attachment to it.

"Remind me to thank Ralph next time I see him." Edward mumbled against my neck as I focused on buttering a croissant. "I'd tell him I have the next concept for Purple Label, but I don't know if I want to share."

I dropped a light elbow in his stomach in mock protest and climbed up on the counter.

"As much as I love pop tarts, it doesn't get much better than warm croissants and strawberry preserves." I broke off a bite and popped it in my mouth.

"Shouldn't that be considered blasphemous, Ms. Swan? And while we are at it, what is it with you and abuse of eating surfaces? You eat on couches and sit on counters. That's backwards."

I crossed my eyes at him as I sucked some of the preserves off my thumb. Edward laughed and shook his head at me.

"What? Why waste the good stuff."

"You and your strawberry preserves."

"Yeah, you are just hoping for a justification to get me in the shower. I know how your brain works, Cullen."

He stepped forward to take the croissant out of my hand and slid his hand into my hair.

"Déjà vu moment." He whispered as he tugged the collar of his shirt to the side and leaned in to kiss my shoulder. "Have we been here before?"

He was about to say something more, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. He growled in irritation.

"Hold that thought." He started for the door.

"You might want to put on a shirt, Edward." I called.

Surprises - E

"I could ask for that one back," I teased, pointing at her. "I'll just be a minute. It's probably my assistant checking to see if we need anything."

I quickly threw on a sweatshirt I had hanging in the hall closet.

One glance through the peephole stopped me dead in my tracks. If there were any way not to open the door right then, I would have, but I'd have to explain it to Bella anyway.

I slipped the deadbolt, and opened the door slowly. I barely got out, "Tanya. . . " before she forced her way into to the room slamming the door behind her.

"You've got a problem, Edward," she said walking down the hallway.

"What are you doing here?" I chased after her.

"I tried calling several times, but you never answered,"

"I've been busy."

"I gathered," she called out before turning the corner. "I hope you're decent Edward's girlfriend!"

I rushed around the corner myself to see Bella buttoning my shirt.

The two women's eyes met. Bella was in shock, confused. Tanya smiled. "Hi, I'm Tanya," she offered walking toward Bella with her hand held out.

Bella choked out her name, and gave Tanya's hand a light shake.

"So, what's the problem that couldn't wait?"

"Have you been out of the house since your snowball fight yesterday?" Bella had been studying Tanya, but with that question, her eyes flew toward mine. I walked toward Bella, crossing in front of Tanya who sat down on a stool next to the kitchen counter, waiting for a response.

"How did you know about that?"

"TMZ."

"Shit," I mumbled while glancing down to see that Bella was playing with the buttons on my shirt and shifting uncomfortably. I put my arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. She looked up at me, and her expression was muddled—filled with uncertainty and embarrassment. I hated that I had done that to her just by loving her.

I pulled her in close, hoping that the "us" shield would take effect. "At least there are no stages or beers here huh?" My attempt to lighten the mood garnered a weak smile.

"It gets worse," Tanya continued. "TMZ broke the pictures online late yesterday afternoon. Probably not a big deal—looked like fun by the way. Anyway, some others are starting to run with the story. Digging things up. I don't think they have your name yet, Bella, but they will eventually. Right now, they're probably dredging up a lot of the past."

She looked down and got quiet when she said it, but then she directed her gaze toward me.

I knew which past she meant. For Bella's sake, I didn't want to lose control, but not hitting a wall or letting loose with a string of profanities was proving very difficult.

"How did you find out about it?"

"Don't laugh. I was surfing the web." She shrugged her shoulders up and smiled.

I looked down at Bella again. She was frozen. She'd cut herself off from the conversation. I didn't know which part of all of this was causing her to panic. I tried rubbing her back to offer reassurance.

She looked up at me and whispered, "I think I'll go get dressed."

"No, listen, I'm not trying to interrupt, but I just wanted you to know. Anyway I doubt Carlisle or anyone would know yet because it probably won't hit mainstream media until tomorrow, but some of the inner circle may be getting calls fishing for information soon."

"I appreciate the head's up. Are we surrounded?" The thought of having to escort Bella through the gauntlet of photographers that I'd once lived with regularly sent bile into the back of my throat.

"Pretty much. If you don't have to go out, I wouldn't. You still have Demetri around?"

I nodded. "Good, he'll be a big help." She smiled at Bella again. "I wish we could have met under different circumstances."

Bella smiled weakly, "Me too."

Tanya glanced down then and something caught her eye. "Is that an Elsa Peretti? From Tiffany's?"

"Yes, it was a Valentine's present from Edward," Bella announced standing a little straighter. I gave Bella's shoulder a gentle squeeze, and I moved to escort Tanya to the front door.

When we got to the hallway, she turned and whispered, "Tiffany's, Edward?" And raised an eyebrow.

The thought had already occurred to me but I didn't want to say anything in front of Bella. I didn't want to tarnish the memories of our window or the importance of that bracelet. I threw my hands up to Tanya and sighed.

Tanya turned toward me. "Those pictures were amazing, Edward. I've never seen you look happier. Don't mess this up." She opened her bag and pulled out a hat, sunglasses, and a scarf.

"Thanks, Tanya. As awkward as this all was, I really do appreciate your coming. Will you be okay getting out?"

"I'm good. I can always exit out the secret bat cave if needed." I didn't laugh, so she shrugged. "I've done this before. I can get out undetected."

She waved in acknowledgement, and then she was gone.

I took a couple of deep breaths before heading back into the room to face Bella.

Cornered - B

Pictures. They took pictures of us playing in the snow.

The minute Edward left the kitchen, I fled to his office. His computer was on. I pulled up the browser and typed in the website Tanya had mentioned.

There we were, front and center.

Three photos composited together.

One of us playing tag, me lunging out to grab at the back of Edward's parka. He was laughing.

One of him throwing a snowball at me, my arms crossed in front of my face, which was turned directly into the camera. My eyes were closed, my nose wrinkled, smile huge.

And worst of all. One of us laying in the snow, my hand and chin resting on Edward's chest. His hand on my face.

The first two made me mad. The third one broke my heart. I knew exactly when it was taken. What gave them the right?

As bad as the pictures were, the copy was worse.

Heir a Spare No More?

Out of the limelight for over a year, Edward Cullen and a mystery 'friend' were spotted frolicking in Central Park Friday afternoon. Sources close to Cullen revealed that he was, in fact, serious about this mystery woman, so much so that jewelry might be in the picture. Then again, we've heard that one before, haven't we?

I felt sick. I dropped my face in my hands, scrambling desperately to collect my thoughts.

"Bella?"

I hadn't heard Edward enter the room. I didn't look up, too frayed to trust myself to keep it together.

"Why are there photos of us on some trashy gossip site?" I whispered, amazed that my voice sounded as steady as it did.

"Bella, listen we need to…"

"Damn it Edward, why?" I lifted my head, but I couldn't look at him. I focused on the wall of books, scanning and counting, anything to anchor myself. "Who the hell are you, and why are they so fascinated with you?"

I was shaking as reality set in. Alice would see this. My co-workers would see this.

Oh my God, my dad might see this.

I drew in a deep, shaky breath. I had to get it out or I would explode.

"What gives people the right to follow us around, to watch us, to dig into our personal lives? So what if you have the money and the name. I am a nobody. No one cares. It's not important. Why the fuck are they doing this?"

Confessions - E

I sat down on the reading settee on the opposite side of the room. I rested my head in my hands, hiding, gathering myself.

How the hell did this happen? I knew the answer to that, but how could I not have prepared Bella for this?

"Bella, first of all, you are a very important 'somebody' to me, you hear me?" I waited until she looked at me before I continued. "As for the rest, well, it's my fault. God, I was such an idiot."

"Why?"

"Why what? Why do they care about us?" She nodded. I exhaled to control my anger. "More than one reason probably. They've always been interested, just because of my name. They would still take the pictures. But the rest? The fact that people are digging up info now, and the entrance to my building is surrounded by people ready to snap our picture from every angle, that's pretty much all me."

"I don't understand." She wasn't looking at me. Her tone was desperate.

"This is exactly what I didn't want to happen. It's just so fucking wrong! Why couldn't we get one fucking weekend!" I pulled my hands from my hair and punched down on the settee with balled fists, and I stood up to pace the room. I'd been reduced to profanities for the second time in a week, and I was not happy about it. I attempted to calm myself for the rest of the story. "For a long time, I fed them. I liked the attention or the power or something that came from being wanted. They're like stray dogs that way. If you give them a treat, they keep come back for more. It's been a long time . . . I'm not that man now, and while I expected we'd eventually be talked about, I thought I could control it."

"Who's Tanya?" her voice was a little shaky. I walked over and knelt down in front her of. Our eyes were nearly even.

"Bella, Tanya is an old family friend. I trust her completely, but you should know that if you type our names in that search engine you'll find plenty of pictures of Tanya and me together," I paused, swallowed, and continued, "And you'll find stories of an engagement that were never more than fictitious rumors."

This time she stood up, and moved over to a bookshelf, running her fingers along the spines as she paced. She paused in front of the old photo of the four musketeers, and I hoped it would lend credibility to my plea for understanding.

"Her parents and mine are very close so we grew up together. Anyway, she and I were sick of all the pressure to settle down; it was right out of college, so we went out together . . . frequently . . . to make it appear that we were committed to each other. She was a friend, and we had a good time. We tried to make it more; it would have been so easy if it could have been, but neither of us felt it." I paused there. I didn't know if this was the time to get into the rest of it.

"Did you have sex with her?"

I hadn't been in a serious enough relationship to know how to talk about women from my past. There were far too many ghosts to avoid ever running into one, but I could see why having one in my kitchen after the first time we made love would be difficult at the very least.

"No, it wasn't like that." I hedged here because honesty was important, but it wasn't directly related. "Well, we messed around once when we were sixteen, but it wasn't anything. It was kind of gross actually, like kissing a sister."

"This is all such a mess," Bella sighed sounding dejected. She was still looking at the books.

"I'm so sorry. I should have done something to prepare you for this eventuality."

"Does being with you mean I'm on display all the time now? I don't like attention, Edward. . ."

That's when fear overtook me. I stood back up and pulled her into my arms.

"You won't be alone."

Her chest rose and fell and she made a sound that almost sounded like a snort. Then she didn't say anything. The silence was deafening. I was tense waiting for her reaction. When she spoke, the build was rapid.

"Edward, I don't want my picture out there. I don't want people staring at me. I didn't know it would be like this. Oh my god, my mom reads this kind of crap! I don't know if I can handle it!"

My own reaction was instantaneous.

"Goddamn it, Bella. Screw them! They are not going to ruin us!" I said, placing emphasis on us. "Not a fucking chance. You and me against the world right? You promised."

Putting it All Together - B

Looks can be deceiving. People put on a good game face, preventing you from ever knowing what goes on just below the surface.

A few days ago, if someone had told me that Edward would basically melt down in front of me, I would have asked them what they were smoking, and if I could have some.

Yet here we were. Photos of something that should have been private, just the two of us, splashed all over the internet for people to see. Photographers waiting in front of the building to catch pictures of us together. All because Edward came from old money and had sown his proverbial wild oats.

If it were anyone else, I would have laughed at it. How clichéd. But this was my life.

"I guess you going out there and telling them that I have horrid stage fright and a raging allergy to cameras won't make them leave will it?" I asked quietly, my head resting against Edward's chest.

He let out a cynical laugh. "No, it will only make it worse."

I had a choice to make. I am an incredibly private person, always have been. The thought of people following me around, trying to take my picture, hoping to find out information about me was terrifying. So was the thought of walking out of here and not seeing Edward again.

I had to make a choice. Either learn to live with the scrutiny, or give this all up.

While strong, I am not that good. A month ago, with anyone else, I could have walked away. But I don't think I could walk away from him.

I took a deep breath and looked up at Edward. He immediately brought his hand to my face, tracing his thumb along my cheek bone.

"One of these days, you need to tell me why you do that."

He froze, eyes narrowed. "Do what?"

"You pull back into yourself and shut down. I want to play poker with you sometime, because I can see the wheels turning, and I know your tell. You always do this." I leaned my cheek into his hand.

And it was like the clouds broke. The doubt, the fear, the apprehension fell away, and he relaxed. Not the happiness from this morning, but that would come back in time.

"I never really thought about it." He paused, skimming his thumb along my cheek again. It never failed to stir up those butterflies. "Maybe it's because I had to make due with not being able to touch you for so long. When I get angry, or if something is on my mind, you are the one thing that can calm me down. I guess that would make you my own personal goddess of peace, wouldn't it?"

"Um, as flattering as it is to be compared to Eirene, I really don't think a toga is my personal style…"

That managed to draw a smile out. "I forgot. Never quote anything literary to an editor. Leave it to you to know there actually is a goddess of peace, let alone her name."

I had to laugh. We were both trying to make light of the situation, and it was necessary in the moment.

"Okay, so how do we deal with this? What do we do? I mean, I have had press training, but somehow I think handling a book tour is a bit different than dealing with hordes of paparazzi."

Edward drew in a long breath. "First things first, I guess I have to take you to meet my family."

"We, Edward. No more me or you. We." I chucked him under the chin, trying to keep the mood light, to keep him relaxed. "No man is an island, you know."

"True, but being stranded on one with you wouldn't be bad." He paused, "Especially right now."

"Sounds nice and all but remember that I like the snow too… Now if you could find one that had a mountain and a beach, we might be able to negotiate."

"I have money, Bella, but I don't think I could afford to buy New Zealand for you." He quipped back at me, the smile finally reaching his eyes.

We joked around for a bit more before I left to take a shower. I flipped up the back of my shirt at him on the way out, not intending so much to get a rise out of him, but to keep him laughing. It worked too well. I made him snarf his coffee.

Seeing him laugh like that stirred an idea in me. I turned, walking back towards Edward. He frowned at me, as if to ask what I was up to. I grabbed the front of his sweatshirt and yanked him down. He laughed but didn't stop me; he knew what I was doing. Going up on tip toe, I kissed him like I did that first day in front of the window. Before he could catch me, I darted out the door with a shout of 'love you!'

His laughter followed me down the hallway.

Maybe there was something to his analogy about me being his goddess of peace after all.

Us vs. them

I was sure Tanya was right. Leaving would be a challenge. This type of paparazzi were persistent. Who knew how long they would camp out? If we were the hot picture, if they were trying to find out more about Bella, getting in and out could be a challenge for a while.

While Bella was in the shower, I had phone calls to make.

It took me a few minutes to find my phone on the living room floor where it landed the night before.

What I wouldn't give to be in that moment again rather than the one we lived now.

Tanya hadn't lied. There were three missed calls from her alone. The head of PR at CI had already left a message as well. I called my mom first, assuming that if he was in on it, then maybe things were more widespread than I thought.

"Hi, Edward. We're just on our way out. What do you need?" She answered.

"Mom, has anyone called you about me today?"

"No, is something wrong? Are you okay?" Her words expressed concern, but she was distracted.

"I'm fine, but there's a problem. You know how I told you I'm seeing someone?"

"Yes . . ." she said slowly, uncertainty creeping in.

"Well, we were followed yesterday and they took some pictures, Mom. And they're bringing up all the old issues."

"Oh dear. How bad is it?"

"I'm still trying to assess it all, and I need some help with damage control."

"I'll do what I can. Your father is not going to be happy."

"I know. Trust me. I know."

"How is your lady friend? Do I know her?"

"No mom, she's not anyone you would know. She's just a girl." The sentiment was true, but it wasn't enough. "An amazing, normal girl. And this is all a bit much for her. She's handling it surprising well, but you can imagine how overwhelming it is. She has no experience with any of this."

"The fact that you're calling me makes me believe she is important to you. You've never worried about a woman's reaction before."

"Very. She's very important."

"Edward, there better not be a problematic back story to this girl. I can only do so much, you know."

"I promise. No surprises. Anyway, are you free for me to bring her over tomorrow?"

I heard my mom sigh on the other end. "Really? Are you sure? I'm sure your father and I would be happy to meet her, and we are available, but that would be quite a bit for her in one weekend would it not?"

"It's the only way."

"We'll be here, but Edward, I can't promise your father will be happy about it."

"I think if anyone can handle him, she can."

I got through with the PR people who offered to release a "no comment" type statement to the press. I poured a cup of coffee and was cleaning up the kitchen when Bella came out. It was the first time she'd been dressed since yesterday afternoon. I missed her in my shirt, but her look was so very Bella. Jeans, no socks, a long sleeve t-shirt with glittery letters that said, "The Dude Abides."

She went to the window and looked down. I'd been there earlier. Several vultures stood at the ready on the sidewalk below.

"This is all so surreal." She lamented.

"Not the finest welcome to my world. And I'm afraid it's not going to get much better."

"How long will it last?"

"No way to know for sure. If there's nothing exciting happening in the celebrity world, they may hang out trying to manufacture something. They can make even the most innocent situations look bad."

"We have to leave sometime." She was trying to hard to stay calm, but all of this was clearly still a struggle for her.

"Yes, and most likely they'll follow us. I'm going to contact Demetri. He's really good at getting people in and out of tight spots. We'll make sure he's your personal driver for now."

"Personal driver? I don't think so. I'm not going to be shuttled in and out of places like a kept woman."

"It wouldn't be like that. I know you want to be independent, but Bella, they can be so aggressive. And it's not just the people with the cameras. Hell, you can't trust anyone. People will milk you for anything they can get."

"What can we do here, Edward? Can we be proactive at all?"

"I talked with CI's PR people. They are going to paint a ridiculously boring picture of us just being two people in a relationship. Maybe the press will take the 'move along, nothing to see here' bait. But given my history and the whole eligible bachelor thing, they'll probably be pit bulls."

"What can I do?" Some of her desperation was coming back. Bella was all about action. I knew she felt helpless.

"You might want to call your friends to let them know people will be contacting them. As soon they get your name, everyone will be called. They'll talk to people you've never met who claim to know you. Be prepared to see lies. You'll get mad, but refuting them doesn't seem to help. We lay low. We live. We ignore them, but we can't be rude or it can fan a fire."

She went to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. I watched how comfortable she'd already made herself in that space. She fit. Here. This was part of my world, right?

"So, did you talk to your family?"

"My mom, yes." I moved to the couch, and sat down. I let my head fall back, looking up at the ceiling. "We're going there tomorrow if it's okay with you. My dad will not be pleased. He does not appreciate personal matters going public, and he'll find a way to blame me."

"How can he do that? We didn't do anything wrong!"

"He's single minded in his perception of me."

"That's so unfair, Edward. He'll have to see that we're the victims here."

I couldn't control my smile. Her righteousness was endearing of course, but that wasn't what I reacted to. "'We.' I like that."

"Us against them, Edward."

She sat down next to me on the couch, scooting herself as close as possible. I put my arm around her shoulder to make it easier. As she settled into me, I couldn't help but agree with her. "You're right. You and me against the world. That's the only way it works."

E/N: The bubble has been burst! And she's off to meet the 'rents. Uh oh, what's going to happen there? We're still having a ton of fun writing, and we've been tickled by the reviews and some readers coming out to play at the Twilighted thread. Reviews are like breaking in couches with Edward!