A/N: I must be crazy to update on the night that Eclipse comes out because I know so many of you will probably be going to the midnight showing (if not already in line). However, I know there are probably several of you, like me, who aren't seeing it until tomorrow or even this weekend. So, enjoy this update whether you are sitting at home, at work, waiting in line or sitting in a theater. Hope you all enjoy the movie too :)

Thanks to my wonderful beta LittleLea05

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

- William Arthur Ward

Disclaimer: Plot mine, everything else, Stephenie Meyer

Chapter 20 – That's What She Said

Edward POV

"Move it Seth, you're going too slow. No…No…don't drop the coupler. We're going to lose!"

Step it up!" I swear that boy needed to just gain a little more confidence in himself and he would be fine. It makes me wonder if I was the same way when I started as a probationary firefighter nearly a year ago.

"One more minute!" Carlisle's voice carried over the distance between the fire engine and the training building. Today was a particularly hot, dull day. We hadn't had a single call yet so

Carlisle thought we should get some training practice in today to refresh our basic knowledge.

Part of it too could be to help the rookie a little. So we were competing in an obstacle course today. Seth and I against Emmett and Jasper, and so far, we were losing.

"Come on, come on, come on…." I started yelling at Seth. He only needed to finish connecting that last hose, open the connection and knock down the gallon of water set in one of the windows on the second floor of the training complex and then book it back to the engine. Only problem with that – Jasper had just cranked the nozzle open on the hose he was holding. If Seth didn't hurry, Jasper was going to beat him, which would knock out all my hard work at booking it through the first half of the course and beating Emmett.

"Annnnnnd….TIME!" Jasper had just touched the side of the engine when Carlisle finally clicked stop on the stopwatch. They had won the obstacle course and now Seth and I would be the ones stuck washing the engine while they got to go back up stairs and sit in the nice air conditioned building.

"Oh yeah, look…we won Edward!" Emmett was running around yelling enthusiastically.

"Yeah, yeah stop rubbing it in jackass." I laughed.

"Ok, start cleaning this mess up and wash the engine you two." Carlisle said as he turned around and started heading towards the stairs. Emmett and Jasper were nice enough to help put away most of the obstacle course but Emmett wouldn't shut up the whole time about winning.

"Emmett, man, shut up. I get it, you won, stop gloating." I grumbled.

"You're just jealous you ain't got these babies to help you win." He pulled back his sleeve and kissed his bicep like some cheesy B actor from Hollywood.

"Emmett, seriously?" Jasper asked while Seth chuckled, "Did you really just kiss your muscle?"

"Shit yeah I did. I got these bad boys from all the lives I saved, the hoses I've carried, the tools I wield…."

"More like the bags he carries at the mall for his wife…" Jasper cut in and we all laughed.

"Hey." Emmett frowned.

"Or all the floors he scrubbed…" Seth added.

"Laundry he's washed…" I said.

"Hey now! You all do the same thing." Emmett joked and made a whipping sound.

Laughter went around before Jasper spoke again. "We may be whipped by our women but Rose has really got you by the balls."

"Yeah, she wears the pants…" I laughed harder.

"I am not some whipped little bitch. Rose does things for me too."

"Yeah, like what?" Seth asked quietly.

"Oh no, you shouldn't have asked that." Jasper laughed as he tried to walk away before hearing the answer.

Emmett's booming laugh stopped Jasper, and all of us, in our tracks. "What Rosie does for me is not safe to utter in public."

"We know that." Jasper and I looked at each other and laughed a little at saying the same thing at the same time.

"Yeah, like we bought one of those stripper pole home kits. You know, the kind you can install anywhere with the proper tools…."

"Man, Em…we don't want to hear that." I interrupted but he continued.

"Only thing is, she is the only one who can use it. Not safe enough for me to use."

"Gross Emmett!" Jasper tossed one of the safety cones in his direction trying to get him to shut up. It didn't work.

"It's nothing like say the fire pole here that can more than support my weight." He took off in a jog back into the engine bay. Seth, Jasper and I all stared at each other for a heartbeat before we dropped what was in our hands to run over and see Emmett make a fool of himself. He looked nothing like a stripper should on a pole. He spun around awkwardly, tried to hitch his leg on the pole and started to lose his balance. I don't think he even noticed us really standing there. I motioned to Seth to follow me real quick and we darted back to the engine.

Seconds later we were at the door of the engine bay carrying a charged hose line behind us.

Jasper quickly slapped a hand over his mouth to stop from laughing so loud that he would alert Emmett. "Hey Emmett!" I yelled loud enough to catch his attention. He stopped spinning around the fire pole and looked over at us. I didn't even give him a chance to utter 'what' before

I tapped Seth on the shoulder in front of me. He cranked open the nozzle nearly full blast and let it dowse Emmett from head to toe. Seth cut the nozzle only seconds later and we all started laughing like there was no tomorrow. Em looked like a drowned sewer rat standing there.

"Shit, you should see the look on your face Emmett." Jasper chuckled out but his laughter died almost instantly. Emmett was striding over to us fast and he looked pissed.

"Seth…" I whispered, "If you know what's good for you, run." He dropped the hose in front of me and took off towards the training building, running faster than he had just minutes ago in the obstacle course. Emmett stopped right next to me and smiled, I sighed happily knowing that we hadn't actually pissed him off. The rook didn't know that but he was the idiot that decided to open the hose on a superior.

Emmett bent down and grabbed the nozzle, opening it on Seth before he got too far away. Before

I knew it, he turned the nozzle on Jazz and I too, declaring an all out water fight. I hadn't had a water fight like this since the academy when we use to train on the hottest days of the year. And now, we were all completely drenched.

I quickly ducked out of Em's way and over to the engine only to find Jazz there quickly starting it up and hooking up a one inch line that he could use. "Truce?" I called as he picked up the nozzle. He nodded once and darted around the engine. I hooked up my own one inch line and darted around the other side of the engine. Now the only one without a nozzle was Seth, and I kind of felt bad. But then again, I didn't. He was the probie, he had to earn his place in this station and what better way than manning up and trying to take on us three?

Emmett, Jasper and I all faced towards the training building with our nozzles trained on the front door just waiting for Seth to come out. We were like a united front picking on the probie. "Come out; come out wherever you are Seth!" Emmett chuckled thinking we had Seth cornered.

"Now Seth!" I spun around quickly, as did Jasper and Emmett at the sound of Bella's voice. I didn't know how Seth managed to get behind us. I also didn't even have time to comprehend the fact that she was standing behind us at the entrance to the engine bay before all I saw was white.

I closed my eyes before it hit me.

"What the hell?" Emmett yelled. I heard Bella giggle as I opened my eyes and brushed my hand across my face. "Flour? You threw flour at us?" I looked around and noticed that all three of us were not only soaking wet but now covered in a thick slimy film of flour water. Well played Bella, well played.

"Run Seth." Bella laughed as she pushed Seth towards the cab of the engine. She slammed down the locks on all the doors as she stared out at us. I laughed as I sprayed the window just for the hell of it. Bella stuck out her tongue.

"Nice babe, but you know…you have to come out eventually." She shook her head. "Oh really?

You know it's gonna get rather hot in there?" She nodded her head. "And what are you going to do about that?" She smiled and reached down to the hem of her shirt to pull it over her head. "Whoa whoa whoa. Hold on there." I dropped my hose on the ground, relinquishing my stand against her. "Let's not do anything rash. I won't spray you; just get out of the cab." She laughed and pointed behind me to Jasper and Emmett who were still standing there with their nozzles trained on the engine door. "Come on you guys, they won fair and square, put the hoses down."

"No way. You can take your girl and go if that's how you wanna play, the rook gets blasted though." Emmett laughed. I turned to look back at the engine; Bella was already climbing out of the door.

"Fair trade boys, Seth's all yours." She turned back and winked at Seth. "Sorry Seth, but uh…you shouldn't trust me in a fight like this. I'm selfish and play dirty." She laughed as she walked over to me.

"You play dirty huh?" I whispered in her ear as we made our way into the engine bay. I tried to put my arm around her but she pushed off.

"Uh huh, you know that. But you are dirty and need a shower."

"I'm only that way because you made me that way." I retorted. She laughed as we made our way up the stairs. She had been doing physical therapy for weeks now and was almost back to 100% on her leg. I was so happy she would be returning to work soon. I wanted more of this every day.

"Pervert. Why don't you go take a shower and get cleaned up while I talk to Carlisle about returning to work on Monday?" She smiled as she turned the corner and made her way to Carlisle's office.

Bella POV

I had just finished my conversation with Carlisle and I was now waiting for Edward to finish his shower. I was sitting down in "my room" in the engine bay. I had missed this place, so much.

More than I thought was possible. The station was like my home and my crew was my family.

I laughed as I listened to Emmett, Jasper and Seth spray each other outside. They were still in the middle of their water fight. I laid back on my little twin bed and stared up at the ceiling. So many things had changed in the last year. In a week, Edward will officially be done with his probationary period. I get to come back to work on Monday after being gone for several months from an injury. Edward's birthday was in a few short weeks and my dear Alice was due any second now. But the biggest change in my life? I moved in with Edward and am in a committed long term relationship. A year ago I would have laughed and said that was not me. But now – I can't imagine my life without Edward. He was the positive influence in my life that I desperately needed. I had to have him come in and push me to see what I really wanted in my life instead of denying myself that happiness that all my friends have because I thought I wasn't good enough; that I didn't deserve that. Oh how wrong I was.

"What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" I looked up to see Edward leaning again the door jamb. I motioned him in and he shut the door behind him. He crawl into the bed next to me and wrapped himself around me. We had become quite mushy after the accident. It's almost like we knew we could have lost each other and now we were holding on as tight as we could.

"Don't you wish you knew?" I laughed lightly.

"Actually, I really do." He whispered in my ear and placed a gentle kiss on my neck.

"Just…um…just thinking of everything that has changed in the last year." I mumbled quietly.

"And…?" He asked nervously.

"And…I'm happy. Happier than I thought I could have ever been. All because of you."

"You're getting sappy on me Bella." He chuckled. "What happened to that strong determined girl I first fell in love with?" I rolled over and faced him.

"Oh she is still here, but the ice around her heart…" I put my hand on my chest, "It was melted by you."

Edward busted up laughing; loud boisterous guffaws came from him. "Babe…that was so cheesy."

I laughed too. "Yes, yes it was. But…it makes it so much easier to say this."

He stopped laughing and looked at me quizzically. "Say what?"

I leaned forward and kissed him. I poured my heart into that kiss knowing that in any second I could be seriously rejected and it scared the living shit out of me. In a quiet whisper against his lips, I laid my heart out on the line. "Marry me?"

"What?" He pulled back startled, eyes wild and breathing hard.

"Marry me?" He stared wide eyed for a second and I continued. I was all in now. "Look, it doesn't have to be some big fancy wedding if you don't want to. We could go to the courthouse in our jeans and t-shirts for all I care. Our honeymoon could even just be going to bed and breakfast nearby so we can be back at work on Monday. But I know what I could have almost lost had I died in the fire – living a long happy life with you. I would miss the chance at being a wife, having a husband. Some day maybe having children, they could be of the four-legged variety or adopted I don't care. I just want to-" He cut me off by putting a finger against my mouth.

"No." I felt my heart shatter. I looked down at the bed trying to will away the tears. "Bella….look at me. Please." I felt his hand on my chin lifting my face back up to eye level. "Look in the drawer of your nightstand." I shook my head not really understanding what he was suddenly talking about. He leaned over me and reached in my nightstand. He pulled back and gently set a little black ring box on the bed in between us. "No, I want to marry you in front of all of our family and friends, whether it's big and fancy or small and simple. I want to take you on some big honeymoon where we see new sights by day and don't leave the bed by night." He opened up that ring box and inside was a beautiful old ring and I immediately knew without him even saying so that it was his moms wedding ring. "I want to eventually tell our grand-children that my wife purposed to me before I worked up the guts to ask her even though I had my mother's ring ready and hiding from her for a couple weeks now."

I smiled and realized that the tears I was trying desperately not to shed were free falling down my cheeks now. "Bella…" He grabbed my hand and slid the ring slowly onto my finger. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you too." I leaned forward and kissed him, hard. I was ecstatic.

That was so not how I even pictured this going. I hadn't initially planned on asking him, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to wait any longer. This morning I decided

I missed work, I missed being with Edward everyday and I just made up my mind to walk over here. The next thing I knew, I was asking. I know that this last year I had been hard to handle.

I definitely had commitment phobia before Edward, but I think that was because nobody I was ever with could get through the walls around my heart like Edward could.

I pulled back from the kiss and smiled. "We're engaged."

He had a big dopey smile on his face. "I know."

"What now?" I asked. I knew what I wanted but it was the middle of a work day and it would have to wait until later.

"I think we should go upstairs and tell all of our friends."

I chuckled. "You do realize Alice and Rosalie will kill me if I tell their husbands before them?"

"Rose already knows…"

"What?"

"I took Rose to dinner a few weeks back to get her opinion of my mother's ring; whether I should buy a new one or not, and when and how I should purpose…."

Oh my god. He was serious. He actually asked one of my best friends for their opinion on marrying me. I wonder if – "Edward….did you talk to my dad?"

A mild blush came across his face. "Yeah, back at the hospital when you were sleeping."

"You asked him months ago?"

He laughed a little at my outburst. "Yeah, I was just afraid you'd say no, especially after what happened between you and-"

I put my hand clean over his mouth to shut him up. "You are not him. I love you and I want this. Please, just talk to me from now on. I've become a different, happier, person with you. I'm not that same old selfish, miserable, afraid of commitment person I use to be. You taught me that." I kissed him again real quick and pulled back. "Now come on, let's go tell our friends."

We hurried upstairs and into a living room busy with activity. Jasper was sitting on the couch, towel in hand, drying his hair. Emmett was already in the kitchen no doubt looking for something to eat. Carlisle was sitting at the kitchen table going over some papers. Some of the ladder truck guys were sitting watching TV and Seth was playing a game of pool seemingly by himself.

"Oh, there you are Edward. Engines washed no thanks to you." Seth chuckled as he racked up the billiards.

Edward reached down and grabbed my left hand. "I'm sorry Seth….I was a little busy getting engaged." I heard what sounded like a milk carton hitting the floor in the kitchen; Jasper's jaw hit the floor, Carlisle took his glasses off and set them on the table and the ladder guys all gave us polite smiles. Seth was the only one to speak.

"Congrats."

I heard the sound of the chair at kitchen table scoot back as Carlisle raised up to come over to us.

He shook Edward's hand and then promptly gave me a hug.

Emmett had already made it back out to the living room by then. "Bells…are you sure?" I laughed as Edward looked at him with an evil eye.

"She asked me." Everyone laughed as a distinct whipping sound was made somewhere in the room.

"You do realize…" Carlisle began, looking every bit the fire station captain in his stance, "…that once you two marry, I can no longer employ both of you on this engine?"

"Yes, I know…but we'll just have to cross that bridge-" I was cut off by the deafening sound of the fire alarm bell going off.

Bing- Bing- Bing. "Engine 19, Engine 17, Ladder 17, Engine 12, Ladder 12, Battalion 11,

Battalion 12 and Medic 17 please respond to a report of a structure fire on the corner of 5th avenue and Ward Street. All units respond. "

"This conversation is not over…" Carlisle warned as he quickly darted down the stairs after the other guys.

"I gotta go babe." Edward gave me a quick kiss and made to pull away, but I quickly grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Be safe, please?" He nodded his head. "I'll see you in the morning then I suppose. I'm going to go visit Alice if you need to get a hold of me."

He kissed me one more time and pulled back. "I'll be safe future Mrs. Masen." I beamed at that as he quickly took off downstairs. I watched from the second story window as the engine pulled away, alarms blaring and going code three down the street. I closed up the engine bay and made sure the door was locked as I left. I quickly walked home and grabbed my truck so I could drive over to Alice's house.

Thirty minutes later I was using my own set of keys to gain entrance into Alice and Jaspers apartment. She was literally so close to popping out her next little kid and I don't want to make her get up and come answer the door. "Alice….are you here?"

"Oh Bella….I'm in the living room." I came around the corner to find Alice propped up on the couch, a bowl of popcorn precariously perched on her giant swollen belly.

"Damn Alice, are you sure you aren't having twins?" I laughed as I sat my purse down. "Do want anything from the kitchen while I'm up?"

"Ha ha, I am not having twins." She waved her hand at me. "I'm good. I was just up."

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down next to her. She was watching some day time smut show that was far too annoying to listen too. I grabbed the remote quickly before Alice could protest and clicked off the TV. "So…where is Joshua?"

"Oh…" She put a handful of popcorn in her mouth, totally omitting any table manners she had before. "He's at his grandmas for the weekend. She thought it would help to take him off our hands for a little bit. Get the final bit of prepping done for this little one." Her hand rubbed back and forth across her belly lovingly.

I nodded my head and could feel the jaw clip in my hair slip a little. I reached up without even thinking about it to pull my hair tight again and I saw Alice's eyes grow to the size of tea cup saucers. "Bella….is that…is that…is that…what the fuck is that?"

I laughed and brought my hand down for her to inspect. "Um….Edward and I are sort of engaged."

"ENGAGED! Engaged?" She got up surprisingly fast for a tiny little overly pregnant woman. "Why am I only hearing of this now? He should have come to me first before he proposed." I didn't dare tell her right now that he had gone to Rose instead. It would probably break her heart. Plus, I still need to find out the reason he went to Rose instead of Alice first.

"Sweetie, you need to calm down. I need you to sit back down and breathe easy. Don't want to upset that little one now do we?"

"Um…" She said and a sudden scared look crossed her face. "I think that's too late." I looked away from her face to see that her pants were slowly darkening. "My water just broke."

I scrambled up off the couch and nearly sprinted across her living room to my purse. My ankle hurt something fierce from the quick movement but I didn't care. I pulled my cell out and quickly dialed Rosalie's number.

"Hey Bella, What's up?" Her tone was friendly if not bored.

"Are you on today?"

"Yeah, just sitting at our station why?" Immediately she was paying attention.

"Alice's water just broke. I'm taking her to the hospital. The guys literally just left for a fire on the corner of 5th and Ward Street. Can you contact them?"

"I'm on it. Just get Alice to the hospital, I'll see you there." I hung up and walked over to Alice.

"Sweetie, where are your bags." She motioned over the corner of the living room. I quickly grabbed up the couple bags she had sitting there. I was trying to remain calm. "I can't believe my engagement announcement just made you go into labor." She laughed but it was strained.

I moved us to the door, quickly grabbing her purse and set of keys off the table too. "Come on sweetie; let's go bring this little baby into world."

A/N: Yeah….This chapter really took on a life of its own. I honestly had no intention of Bella asking him. That literally came out of left field so I hope you enjoyed it.

Next chapter is one that I am quite excited for and I have a little teaser of it for everyone who reviews. Thanks!