Hugs and kisses to you all!! Enjoy the beginning of the madness we call parental units. *Grins*

To my awesome beta masters, if I could put you ion my pocket and carry you home to live with me forever I would.

DISCLAIMER: I own some thoughts, some really dirty pervy thoughts but I don't own Twilight. That privilege solely belongs to SM

BPOV

Edward shut my car door and leaned in the window, kissing me goodbye. It was soft and sweet, but there was still that underlying hungriness in it which I noticed, because I was feeling the same thing too.

"If you keep kissing me that way, we are going to end up back in the house doing a repeat performance Edward." I said, pulling back.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Edward said, looking at me eagerly.

I laughed, "No, it's anything but a bad thing, but if I don't get going now, I'll never make it before dark."

Edward sighed and hung his head, "Fine, go... I'll just go home, by myself, all alone..." he trailed off and I laughed again.

"That's a pretty pathetic attempt, Edward." I chided.

"Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying can you?" The puppy dog eyes came out in full force and I laughed.

"No, I suppose not." I said, smiling and shaking my head at his teasing. "Hey, I'll see you in a couple of days. Don't miss me too much, okay?" I placed the palm of my hand on his jaw, stroking it, rubbing my thumb over his lower lip. He puckered and kissed the tip of my thumb.

"I'll miss you plenty. I'm afraid I've become a bit spoiled, having you in my bed every night, waking up with you every morning. It'll seem empty without you." I looked into his eyes, giving him a soft smile before leaning in to kiss him once more.

"I'll miss you too. I love you, Edward."

"I love you too baby. Call me when you get there so I know you made it in safely, okay?"

"I will." I reached over to put the gear shift in drive when I noticed the folder sitting in my seat. It was the copies of the report from Felix that I had made for Edward. "Oh! I almost forgot." I picked up the folder and gave it to him. "This should keep your mind occupied tonight. It's the report from Felix. You completely distracted me earlier and I completely forgot to fill you in on the meeting I had with Felix this morning."

"Can I keep it?" Edward asked.

"Of course, when I call you tonight I'll fill you in on the next steps, or if you want, you can call Felix and he can fill you in. He can probably give you better details on the next steps to be taken than I can anyway."

"How about I do both? I respect and want his professional take on things, but I value your opinion more," he said, smiling gently at me. A sappy look covered my face as I started to get that warm and fuzzy feeling all over. He always said just the right things, holding me higher than I felt I deserved. I didn't know if I would ever get used to it. I didn't know if I wanted to, I loved the feeling too much.

Edward clapped his hand down on the car. "Go! Before I take you back inside and have my way with you again." He said, grinning devilishly at me.

"Mmmmm, okay, but note that I'm leaving reluctantly." Edward just grinned at me as I put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. I glanced in my rear-view mirror, watching him standing there as I drove off. I was really going to miss him, even if it was only for two days.

I picked up my cell phone and pressed the speed dial for my father at the station.

"Chief Swan." The voice said when the phone picked up. I loved hearing that voice on the other end of my phone. It was a firm, deep timbre. Probably intimidating to most, but soothing to me.

I missed my father and instantly felt bad again for leaving him out of my problems, for not visiting sooner, for not calling enough. I promised myself I would make it up to him. I'd plan an extra long visit next time; invite him and mom out here for a break, anything.

"Hi Daddy, I just left Seattle, so provided I don't run into any traffic, I should get there around eight."

"You just left? Bella, it's almost four. I thought you were leaving at one?"

I hesitated, grinning, just for an instant. "I was, but I got delayed."

"Delayed, how? Did something else happen?" His voice went on alert immediately.

"No! No, everything is fine. I just had a bit of trouble getting out on time." It was the best I could come up with, because there was no way in hell I was telling him that the reason I was held up was because Edward was worshipping my body and fucking me senseless. I was sure if he had been able to see my face he would have figured it out in an instant. I had never been one to easily mask my feelings. My face showed everything.

"Hmph!" I could hear him blowing air out of his nose as he disqualified my answer. Even though he couldn't see me, I felt my cheeks rising in color as embarrassment set in. I sometimes forget that my father was once my age. And according to my mother, he had been a pretty energetic & eager man. Of course, my mother says he still is. Why she saw fit to share this information with me, I had no clue.

As a matter of fact, my mother always shared bits of quirky, random information with me. It was like she couldn't help it. Renee was, for lack of a better word, a bit of an eccentric. It showed in the way she dressed, the way she talked, the way she ran the house. And I think my father loved her all the more for it. She kept him young and light hearted, which was so important with the job he had. Without her I could easily see him spiraling downward, letting his career eat him from the inside out. She was the yin to his yang.

As a mother she was a bit unconventional. She was always more my friend than my mom, which is why my father and I had the relationship we did. I may have gone to Renee for tampons and 'girl problems' but when it came to life, it was always Charlie I ran to. He was the one I feared disappointing the most because he was the one that recognised my true potential, even when it was hidden.

Renee always coddled me, told me it was okay, that it was alright to be imperfect. She never pushed me, just gave in gracefully and did her best to make my hurt go away. She would have shielded me from everything if she could have anything so that I never had to hurt. Anything so I was always smiling. I appreciated everything she had done for me, but when push had come to shove, in the end if that had been all there was for me to lean on, I would have ended up a complete wash-up, good for nothing, doing what everyone else wanted because I was too afraid to say no. I almost ended up that way anyway.

I loved Renee, there was no doubt of that, she was only doing what she knew how, but our bond would never be anything like the one I had with my father.

Charlie was hard where she had been soft. But his harshness wasn't cruel like James's was. Charlie pushed me to be the best I could be, to do the best I could do. Charlie helped me to believe in myself and showed me that I could be my own person. He also taught me that the world could be cruel, but not everyone in it was.

I think that was where I went wrong with James. I wanted to believe I was strong and could handle him, I could change him. I believed that no matter how cruel he was that there was still some good in him and I stupidly believed I could bring it out. Make him see another side of things, of life. I was wrong.

I still believed deep down that James had some good in him, somewhere; I was just not the right person to bring it out in him. Maybe it had been my defying nature, my stubbornness. The fact that I had stuck around for 10 years didn't necessarily mean that I had made it easy on him. He may have been cruel and I may have taken it, but I was also stubborn, questioning his motives constantly and conniving.

I wasn't conniving in the sense that I was malicious, but I knew, deep down, that James and I would eventually split up, no matter how hard I tried. I had to make sure I was taken care of, that I could support myself. So when Alice presented me with an alternative way to be part of the bar, to save money, I jumped on it.

It was a risk, and If James had found out what I had done, there would have been hell to pay . Technically, I had not done anything illegal, but it would have been the end of it all, of the bar, of Alice and of Rose. Now, well, there was nothing he could do now. I never mentioned it to him and if he knew about it, he wasn't saying.

I think my father felt partially responsible for my situation with James. He was constantly calling me, checking up on me, worrying. I never said anything to him but he always knew something was wrong. He just noticed something was wrong, he just knew me that well. When I stopped coming home as frequently, when I stopped playing, I was certain he'd pick up on things. I stated seeing a sadness when he looked at me and I could tell that he knew. I just pasted on a bright smile and kept on living, trying to keep positive, trying to make my marriage work.

I still surprised me that James never questioned me about my parents, asked if they noticed our absence or lack of communication. It was a true life oxymoron. For someone who was so caught up in what everyone thought of us, he sure didn't care at all what my parents thought, or anyone from our home town for that matter.

We all knew what they thought now though. My parents were never ones to gossip, but news travels fast in a small town and when word hit the street that James and I split up, everyone came out of the wood work with their opinions. Surprisingly, the majority of them were all very gracious toward me and James got the short end of the stick without a moment's hesitation.

My thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of my phone. I picked it up off the seat beside me and looked at the caller ID. Renee. I smiled as I answered.

"Hi Mom, I'm about half way there. Did dad tell you I'd be there around eight?" My voice was cheerful, anticipatory about seeing my family and my home town. Last time I had been here, it was with James, and it was great, not having to worry about keeping up with someone that needed attention lavished on him twenty-four hours a day like he did. I could be me and the prospect was exciting.

"Hey honey! Your father told me and he also told me why you left so late. Really Bella, you'll see him on Friday." There was a teasing tone to her voice, my cheeks flushed. That man was way too perceptive when it came to me than any father should be.

"Mom!! He did NOT tell you what I think you're implying!" Renee laughed a deep, throaty laugh. In my mind I could see her throwing her had back, a happy glowing look on her face.

"Oh yes he did, he said he could tell by your tone of voice that you were up to no good." She was still trying to control her laughter and she spoke.

"Up to no good? I'm a grown woman, Mom. I don't need permission to have sex with my boyfriend." There was a sarcastic edge to my voice that sent Renee into another fit of giggles.

"Oh, Bella, I'm just giving you a hard time. I love hearing you so happy. You are happy, right?"

"I don't think I have ever been happier, Mom. Edward is wonderful and I can't wait for you and Dad to meet him." My voice took on a wistful tone as I thought back to earlier today, the words he spoke as we said goodbye at the car.

"You have no idea how much relief I feel to know this Bella, to hear happiness in your voice again." She paused for a moment. "We can talk more about Edward later, I don't want to keep you on the phone while you're driving. I called because I wanted to let you know that we arranged a little get together for Friday evening at the house. A dinner party, very informal of course, but so many people are so excited to see you again."

I groaned, rolling my eyes, "Mom, why!?"

"Bella Marie, don't roll your eyes." Renee said as soon as I finished protesting.

How does she do that?

I sighed, "I'm not rolling my eyes, Mom."

"Just indulge me, won't you darling? We never get to see you." Renee asked, trying to guilt me and as always, it worked.

She was right, I hadn't taken the time to see them like I should have and I had a lot of making up to do. If she wanted her silly get together, I would indulge her and not whine about it.

"Okay Mom, you win. Besides, it will give me a chance to introduce Edward to everyone."

"See darling, that's the spirit! I'm so excited Bella."

"I am too Mom. I'll see you in a couple hours, okay?" I said, trying to wrap up the conversation.

"Okay darling. Drive safe."

"I will, bye Mom."

"Bye, darling."

I hung up quickly, before she could come up with anything else to say.

I looked down at my clock and sighed, I had two more hours at least. My ass was already aching from sitting still for so long and I needed to stretch my legs. I glanced up ahead and saw a gas station, making a snap decision to stop and take a break.

I used the restroom and quickly washed my hands. As I was standing there, letting the ice cold water run over my soapy fingers I looked in the mirror, startled at the woman I saw looking back at me. Her face was mine, her eyes were mine, but there was something different about her. The circles that I was so used to seeing under my eyes had faded and I had color in my cheeks. My eyes were bright, sparkling, even without the aid of make-up. I smiled to myself, so this is what you look like when you're happy and in love. My heart sped up in my chest and I grinned at myself, missing Edward, yet excited at the prospect of missing him so much that I couldn't wait to see him.

Once the soap was rinsed off my hands I quickly dried them and walked back out into the store. I grabbed a bottle of water from the wall of coolers in the back and made my way toward the counter to pay. My stomach was rumbling for food. I had planned to stop and grab lunch on the way but decided not to since I got out of town later than I intended. Not that I was complaining. I would much rather still be lying in Edwards arms, enjoying his body wrapped around mine, than sitting in my car making a grueling four and a half hour trip home.

With my head in the clouds I made a quick decision to skip the snack and wait for dinner. I paid for my water and got back in the car and on the road.

********

I pulled into my parents' driveway just after eight. No sooner did I have the car turned off, Renee was opening the door and rushing out to greet me. She made it to my car door just as I was getting out of the car, engulfing me in a hug. I could see my father over her shoulder, leaning against the doorjamb, grinning from ear to ear. I smiled warmly at him, hugging my mother tightly. I missed this, I missed home and I missed my parents. I had gone way too long between visits. Closing my eyes I just stood there, enveloped in my mother's arms, feeling at peace, comforted and loved.

"Oh, darlin', I've missed you so much." Renee said softly in my ear. "We are so glad you're home." I pulled back from our embrace just as Charlie was walking down the front steps, toward my car.

"I missed you to Mom," I said smiling, my voice choking on a small happy sob.

Charlie walked up and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up off the ground. As he put me down again he placed a kiss on my forehead, tickling me with his mustache. It reminded me of when I was a child and made me giggle. "Daddy." I squeezed him tighter, not wanting to let go. It had been so long since I could be this open with my parents.

"Never again, Bella, do you hear me?" He placed his hands on my cheeks, looking me right in his eyes; an almost sad expression was covering his face.

"I promise, Daddy. Never again."

Charlie held out his hand for my keys and I happily gave them to him with a smile. He pulled my bags from the back of the car and carried them in the house, yelling over his shoulder as the screen door was closing. "Come on you two! Dinner's getting cold."

I glanced at my mom and grinned, wrapping my arm around her waist as we walked into the house.

The smell hit me first, that smell that never changes and really says home. It was polished wood and pipe tobacco. Mom hated my father's habit, or at least that's what she tried to allude to. Truth be told I believed she loved the smell just as much as did. It always brought back happy memories. Days where Charlie and I would sit on the back porch together, me reading and him smoking and making lures. I was a bit surprised though that it was lingering in the house as much as it was. Renee had either given in and let him smoke in the house or he was leaving the door open. I'd bet the former.

I watched my father's retreating form walking up the stairs as I stood at the front door looking around. Nothing had changed. The couch was the same with the same colorful throw draped over the back of it. There was a new flat panel TV hanging over the fireplace and the pictures that always sat on the mantel of me growing up were still there. I smiled glancing at them.

Slowly, I followed my father up the stairs to my room where he was depositing my bags. As with the living room, everything in here was just as I had left it, save for my bed. Gone was the twin bed I had slept in growing up. In its place was a full sized bed with similar purple bedding. I looked at my father quizzically.

Without my asking he answered. "We had the bed replaced about a year and a half ago. Your mother and I held high hopes that you would leave James and come home. We just wanted to be prepared, that's all." He grimaced, like he was confessing something bad.

Tears started filling my eyes as I moved forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I am so sorry Daddy, so sorry to have worried you like that." He held me for a moment before replying.

"I should have done something Bella; I know the signs of an abusive relationship. I could have warned you, tried to help you, something. Instead I sat here and did nothing; just biding my time, wishing you would come to your senses and come home. I'm glad you finally did."

"You're right, I did. But let me tell you, there would have been nothing you could have done. I had convinced myself that I could fix things, that most of it was my fault, that I was a bad wife and needed to do more to please him, to make him happier. I know now that none of that is the case, but I needed to see that for myself. You couldn't have saved me. Alice and Rose both tried Daddy. If I wasn't listening to my dearest friends, do you really think I was going to listen to you?" I gave him a bright smile, through my tears.

"But, still Bells-"

"No", I interrupted him. "No buts. I'm a big girl Daddy and you reap what you sow. I did this to myself, I stayed out of some sort of insane need to try and make things right. Thinking it I stopped trying that I was just a quitter. This is all on me Daddy, and it's okay. I needed to learn from my mistakes, so I would never do it again. I learned a lot about men from this. How to trust, how to be more perceptive. I'm still learning, but it's getting better, I promise. Besides, if this hadn't happened, I would never be where I am today. I wouldn't have the great job I have and I never would have met Edward. You have to trust me on this, okay?" It was almost funny that I, the daughter, was reassuring the parent. Usually the roles were completely reversed.

I could hear the excitement in my voice as I continued speaking. "Oh, Daddy, you and mom are just going to love him, I know you are."

"Do you? Love him, Bella?" His question was whisper soft and his tone was almost as if he were in fear of my answer.

"I do Daddy, like I've never loved another." It was a soft but sure affirmation and I was so happy to be making it. I needed to make it, for my father to see me happy and in love and not full of pain and hurt like I had been in the past.

Hearing movement in the doorway I looked up to see my mother standing there, tears streaming down her face. I released one arm from around my father and beckoned her into our embrace. We stood like that, just holding each other, being a family. I missed this, I missed us, so much.

I lifted my head when I heard the doorbell chime. Cocking my head to the side I looked at my mother and she shrugged, turning to go answer the front door. I gave my father one last tight squeeze and pulled back, looking at the bed.

"Well, since you have this nice new bed I'd hate to disappoint by not sleeping in it more often." I looked up at him and grinned.

"Bella, what do you mean? I could hear the underlying excitement and need to recover quickly. I loved them and need to spend more time with them, but I had no intention of moving home.

"I mean, just that I plan to visit more often. I've really missed you two and I don't ever want to go this long without seeing you again." I smiled, leaning up and kissing his rough cheek.

"Good." He paused. "Okay, enough of all this mush stuff. I think I've filled my quota for the year. Why don't we go see what your mother is up to. She never came back up after answering the door so whoever it was must have her pretty occupied." I grinned as I looked up at his profile, letting him lead me out of my childhood room.

We walked down the stairs side by side, my arm looped through his. I had a wide smile on my face as we approached the landing and I could vaguely see my mother's back and hear her talking to someone. I visibly jumped when I heard the familiar voice I had come to love, that replied to her question. Instantly I wondered what was wrong, if something had happened. My heart started racing as I pulled away from my father and rushed down the last steps and into the living room.

"Edward? Ohmygod! Is everything okay? How did you-" I stopped instantly when I saw the wide smile spread across Edwards face. I looked over at my mother and saw the look mirrored.

"What?" She shrugged again, just as she did upstairs. It was a gesture I was quickly becoming irritated with.

"Don't what me." I walked over and wrapped myself in Edwards waiting arms. He nuzzled the side of my face, kissing me softly there before looking at me.

"I just needed an excuse."

"What do you mean?" I asked him not understanding what he was getting at.

"I know you wanted time with your parents, but I couldn't fathom being without you, even for a few days. So when your mom called your house right before I left and asked if I wanted to come out early, well, I couldn't say no. I was looking for an excuse, Bella." Edward smiled like a kid that had just gotten caught taking candy from the candy jar and I couldn't resist placing a simple kiss on his lips.

"Truth be told, I'm glad you're here. I would have invited you to be here sooner but I wasn't sure you could get away from work and I didn't want you to feel obligated.

"Actually, I'm sick." Edward faked a cough and I laughed.

"You are not!" There was a look of surprised shock on my face and I grinned.

"Actually it will be the first time I have ever done anything like this, but I think it's worth it. So, I see a man behind you glaring at me. I assume that your father?" Edward grinned, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh!" I laughed. "You know I actually forgot there was anyone else in the room?" I whispered. "You do that to me." Edward shook his head, smiling.

Turning around I grinned up at my dad. I could feel a slight blush begin to cover my cheeks as I realized that both my parents had overheard our conversation. I cleared my throat and forged ahead. "Dad, this is Edward Cullen, my boyfriend, Edward, my father, Charlie Swan."

Edward moved forward and extended his hand toward my father. My father, being himself, scanned him once and then took Edwards hand shaking it. "So, you're the man that put that smile on my little girl's face?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Edward answered without hesitation.

"Yes Sir, I am. And I intend to keep doing so." I could feel all the blood rushing to my face as my father and Edward had their pissing contest. I looked at my mother and once again, she simply looked at me and shrugged. I'd have to talk to her about that annoying habit.

The introductions were interrupted by the ringing of my phone. I pulled it out of my pocket noticing it was Felix. Wow, that was quick. I didn't expect a call this soon. "Excuse me guys." I walked into the kitchen so Edward and my parents could continue their introductions and answered my phone.

"Hello?" I answered hesitantly.

"Bella, its Felix, I don't want to put you in a panic, but we need to talk." He paused. "James is missing."

Okay, so obviously something is up here. Any ideas?? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

XOXO

MB