WARNING: THIS STORY IS NO LONGER BEING EDITED FOR CONTENT. FULL DESCRPTION WILL BE INCLUDED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original Twilight Characters. I am, however, responsible for changing their professions and messing with their personalities slightly.

Warning: Massive author notes this chapter, beginning and end. But first off, A bittersweet announcement. You have two more regular chapters after this one and then the epilogue. I have also started a series of oneshots detailing their summer trips to the beach throughout the years that Bella became a part of the crew.

Thanks as always to my beta Sihaya9! She's the best! Also thanks to our Twilighted Beta Sassenach Wench for validating for us. She just completed her story Geek Love. Go check it out.

I hope you enjoy it and please take time to review!

Connecting the 'Future' Dots

BPOV

The month following the trial seemed to buzz by in a flurry of work, home, Edward, wedding plans, and Emma bonding. Before I knew it, July was ending along with my internship year. I had the entire month of August in which to get married, have a honeymoon, and return by the first of September to begin my Peds Residency.

The strange tangle of emotions ranging from excitement to anxiety was almost overwhelming. My only solace was Edward and my adorable little niece Emma, who had the most precious smile I had ever seen. A smile from either one of the two of them would melt away every ounce of tension in my body. They were my saving grace during the insanity that had been the last month.

I pretty much cleaned out my locker on the last day of my internship, bringing home everything except one set of scrubs and my spare lab coat. It was sort of symbolic in my mind, I was moving on and up, and I felt a sincere need to show that in a physical sense.

I carried my extremely heavy duffel bag to our apartment building, lugging it through the lobby toward the elevator. George tried to help me when he saw me struggling, but I told him it wasn't necessary. He smiled at me with a wink before the lobby disappeared behind the closing elevator doors.

Once the car reached our floor, I slid the bag behind me, tired of it hanging off my shoulder. I heard the sounds coming from our apartment before I reached the door. When I opened it, I found myself face to face with a distressed looking Edward pacing the floor with Emma, bouncing her manically in an attempt to calm the screaming infant. If it weren't for the fact that he looked so completely freaked out, I probably would have laughed.

He looked at me with desperate eyes as I stepped further into the apartment, closing the door behind me.

"Oh, thank God! Emmett and Rose stopped by two hours ago asking if I could babysit while they ran some errands. She's been crying pretty much ever since they left! I've tried everything, Bella, and nothing is working. I think I broke her!"

I chuckled, running a comforting hand over his hair before taking my screaming niece from his hands. I did a quick diaper check, asking Edward if he had fed her recently. He said he had just fed her half an hour ago and she had only stopped crying long enough to suck down the bottle before she started screaming again immediately.

"Were you able to burp her after she ate?"

Edward shook his head, "I patted her back ever since she finished the bottle and she never did burp. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

I nodded, shifting her over in my arm so that she was face down with her head rested in the crook of my elbow, her face pointing out toward the room. I cradled her next to me, grasping her thigh with my hand that rested underneath her as I gently massaged her back in tiny circles with the other. A few seconds later, her cries quieted. She looked around the room while I paced slowly back and forth in front of the window. Within a minute, she let out a loud burp, her taught tummy relaxing noticeably from the release of pressure.

"Wow, where did you learn that?" Edward asked watching on in amazement.

I shrugged, whispering back to him over my shoulder, "Babysitting. I did a ton of babysitting in Lincoln for my mom's friends from church and I worked in the church nursery from the time I was about eleven or so. I always loved babies."

"I can tell," he sighed as he collapsed on the couch rubbing his temples. "God, that was so horrible. No matter what I did, it wasn't enough. I felt dreadful that I couldn't help her...then you walk in and do your baby voodoo and she's right as rain. Man, I'm going to be a sucky dad!"

I shifted a now unconscious Emma to my shoulder, melted onto the couch next to him, and rested my head on his shoulder.

"No you won't. Nobody's born knowing what to do. You learn as you go. The fact that you felt bad about not being able to help her means you're going to be a great dad. I know you will. The biggest trick is to try not to get all tense. Babies can sense it and it makes them even tenser, so they cry harder, making you more tense...it's a vicious cycle. If you can relax, it usually helps a lot."

He wrapped me in his arm, kissing my temple gently before kissing the soft blonde locks of my exhausted niece. Watching him interact with Emma over the past month made my heart absolutely melt. Every time he caressed her rosy cheeks or snuck tiny kisses on the top of her head made me fall in love with him just a little more, which I had convinced myself was damn near impossible, until it actually happened. Every time we would go somewhere that sold any baby items whatsoever, Uncle Edward just had to go find a toy or something for his extremely spoiled little niece who was too young to even begin to know how lucky she was.

The three of us relaxed on the couch as Edward ran his fingers gently through my hair while running his other hand softly down Emma's back. All the while, I daydreamed of the day when the two of us would share moments like that with our own little baby. My heart ached longingly in my chest for that day. Common sense dictated that I had to wait until after my Residency to start down that path with Edward, but my ovaries, were screaming a different story.

After about an hour and a half of the three of us lazing on the couch, soaking up our precious Emma time, Emmett and Rose returned to claim their little girl. They both beamed down at us after they let themselves in only to find the three of us napping together on the couch. I was sad to see Emma go, but I knew I had to enjoy the times when I could steal them before having to return her to her parents.

Once they were gone, Edward padded back into the living room to find me with a big smile on his face.

"Hey, Bella, guess what? I just got an email from the realtor and she thinks she's found the spot we've been looking for. She was asking if we could meet her in Joliet in an hour. You up for it?"

I smiled with an enthusiastic nod. Edward and I had sat for long stretches of time discussing what we thought we should do about our living arrangements once the training facility was up and running. A big part of him wanted us to keep living in the city and for him to commute to the facility, but the crazy hours he would need to keep there for the training schedule made that difficult. Not that my hours were any better, but it was more or less temporary until I finished my Residency.

In the end, we decided that for the time being we would stay in the city, but we would keep looking for land near the training center just outside of the city where we could build a house to suit our own personal tastes. In the meantime, we would stay in our apartment until the house was complete, and then, once it was, we would keep the apartment in case Alice or I needed it after a particularly grueling shift at the hospital.

Everyone else had already made similar decisions about their living arrangements. Rose and Emmett had already found a house in Joliet near a really great school that they absolutely fell in love with. They would be closing while we were gone on our honeymoon. Rose had also been hired to work at a local hospital and was set to begin in early September.

Alice and Jasper were still looking, having a difficult time finding anything to suit Alice's finicky tastes. We were pretty sure they would end up going the same route as Edward and I in the end and building to suit her particular requirements. I'm sure Alice suspected, but Jasper had already bought an engagement ring for Alice and planned on asking her to marry him once our wedding excitement had passed. We had a sneaking suspicion it would probably happen Labor Day weekend.

Andy and Andrea got engaged the weekend after the trial and ran off to Vegas that same day. They found a house in Joliet right away and were in the process of moving their belongings and subletting their apartments for the remainder of their respective leases.

All that was left now was for Edward and me to find a plot to build our dream house on. Once we knew the layout of the land, we arranged for an architect to work with us on plans for our house and figuring out all of the logistics for plumbing, electrical, and so forth for the property. In the meantime, we had met with him several times to brainstorm, getting the major expectations of the both of us out on the table in some form of intelligible cohesion.

My demands had been pretty simple for the most part. I wanted the laundry room to be on the same floor as the bedrooms, the kitchen to be large enough to cook a big holiday meal for all of our friends and family, and a dining room table big enough to seat them all. I also asked for there to be a lot of natural light and large windows with the ability to be concealed easily by blinds of some sort. I loved the idea of a lot of light, but didn't like the idea of people being able to see in at night as easily as we could see out during the day, even if we were lucky enough to be in a secluded location.

Edward's demands were far more detailed. He had set ideas for a living room, theater room, game room, den, office, and bedrooms situated strategically to give us the most privacy and yet allow us quick and easy access someday when our children inhabited some of the other bedrooms. He had elaborate plans for our bathroom, paying particular attention to us having a shower like the one in our current apartment and a Jacuzzi tub big enough for the both of us. He was determined to spare no expense, demanding the highest quality materials be used in all areas of construction.

When we left, the architect was beaming at all he had to work with. I had a feeling massive dollar signs were floating behind his eyelids as he looked at what we wanted and what his commission off the build would be.

It was a beautiful sunny day, so we chose to take my Viper. I loved riding in that car, especially with the top down. Edward knew where we were headed, so I let him drive out on the condition that I would be the one driving back home again. We smiled at each other occasionally on the drive through the city, the wind blowing our hair in all directions. As usual, Edward drove like a bat out of hell, not that I could blame him when behind the wheel of my bad ass baby, getting us there in just about forty five minutes. It would have probably been less time, but we got caught in a traffic jam at I55 and I80. Thankfully, it only took about fifteen minutes to clear the congestion and get moving again.

Edward pulled smoothly through the turns, finally pulling into a gravel drive that snaked through a thin grove of trees and opened into a large open field. The property was lined on two sides by trees. At the back of the property was a small pond with a narrow dock jutting out toward the middle, a family of ducks swam happily in the smooth water. Beyond the pond lay tall fields of green corn for as far as the eye could see.

My eyes filled with tears when I looked around at the overgrown property around us. With a little work and TLC it could most definitely be classified as my dreamland, the perfect spot to build our dream home.

Edward crossed to my side of the car, opening the door for me and offering me his hand.

I was still in an awed daze taking it all in. I gaped at the space in front of me in reverential awe and Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, curling himself into my back to softly kiss my neck.

"So what do you think, love?"

I finally broke my gaze from the scene in front of me to turn my glassy gaze to my soon to be husband's face.

"Oh, Edward! It's perfect! I hope to god it isn't a logistical nightmare when it comes to the utilities and stuff, because I seriously think this came straight out of my childhood fantasies!"

He chuckled, pulled me closer and buried his nose in the crook of my neck. "It's actually mostly set up. The previous owner had already drilled for a well and arranged for electrical to be run when his job got transferred to the West Coast and he was forced to sell. It's just a matter of making a few calls and we'll be well on our way to having this place just for us if you think you want it."

I gazed up at him with a smile. "I only want it if you want it. Are you sure you'd be happy living out here city boy? I have a bit of a hard time imagining you in this place."

He reached his hands up, cupping my cheeks in his slightly rough and sexy grasp. "I will be happy wherever you are. I know you miss living down state, so I was hoping that I could give you a touch of downstate right here."

The tears brimming in my eyes cut loose, trickling over my cheeks as his thumbs brushed them away gently. "Thank you, Edward. I love you so much. What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"Me?" He raised his eyebrows so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline. "I'm the one that doesn't deserve you. I thank God every day that you love me even a fraction of how much I love you."

We fell into a loving kiss, only breaking apart when the sound of the realtor's tires on the gravel alerted us to her presence. She stumbled through the weeds in her heels, trying to tell us more about the property and show us the highlights. When she was done with her little tour, we told her that we wanted to make an offer. We followed her to her office and filled out the paperwork, signing the offer that very night.

We were both giddy on our drive home, falling into bed the second we hit the apartment door. We made soft, happy love that night, cherishing one another and the life that was waiting for us in just a few short weeks.

o~O~o

The owner responded to our offer less than twenty four hours later with a counter offer. Edward and I sat down and looked it over carefully. He was pressing us pretty hard for more money than the property was really worth. Our guess was between the media coverage of the whole hostage event and then the trial, he had recognized our names and discovered that Edward was more than a little well off.

Part of me wanted to tell Edward to tell the guy to shove off, but a bigger part of me really wanted that land. In the end though, I wasn't willing to have this guy bully us out of a fair deal. We were already offering slightly over full market value to make up the depreciation that had happened to all the area properties after the economy took its nosedive. We were being far more than generous and he was trying to be a greedy prick. With a sad sigh, I told Edward to reject the offer. We would find somewhere else eventually, maybe even somewhere better.

Edward was disappointed too as he called the realtor to let her know our decision. With slightly saddened hearts, we made our way over to Carlisle and Esme's for the big count down to the wedding kick off barbecue. All of our friends were going to be there to kick back and enjoyed a night of relaxation and freedom before the final crazy stretch before our wedding.

I still couldn't believe that we were getting married in just two weeks. It was like a dream come true. Most of the time, I still wasn't completely convinced that I wasn't dreaming in that very moment, that all of the joy and love Edward and I shared wasn't just some massive hallucination of my desperate mind. But, thank heaven, it was all real. I really was about to marry Edward and become Mrs. Edward Cullen.

We parked on the street and walked up to the front door, not even able to ring the doorbell before the door slammed open and Emmett stepped on the front porch, pulling both of us in for a massive hug. He tugged us inside, pushing us toward the den where everyone was gathered. The French doors that connected the den to the small patio out back were wide open, people mingled in and out past the grill emitting mouthwatering aromas.

Esme quickly crossed the room to hug us, already beginning to shower us with last minute details she needed our decisions on. I knew that I had gotten a reprieve while I was in my internship, but now that I had all of this free time, I was about to be inundated with a mountainous heap of wedding details.

I smiled politely at Esme while she talked about seating charts and caterers. I still couldn't believe the effort she was putting in for the relatively small amount of guests who would be attending. It's not as if forty people couldn't amicably find places to sit while nibbling on what was now going to be gourmet barbecue made by Chicago's premier catering firm, along with fancy versions of your typical barbecue sides.

Our small intimate ceremony had somehow morphed into a mini societal event, but I wasn't going to complain. Esme, along with Edward's help, had done nearly all of the work. Besides that, Esme was only going to get one shot at being the mother of the groom, and for all intents and purposes mother of the bride as well; I couldn't stop her from doing it up one hundred percent Esme style.

The night went quickly as we were passed from friend to friend all night long. Tanya was there along with Benjamin and little Kellan, who had been born just a few days after Emma. Even though Tanya had an earlier due date, the poor dear went nearly two weeks beyond it before the doctors decided to induce. Eighteen grueling hours later, an exhausted Tanya gave birth to her little miracle with Benjamin remaining supportively by her side. The first time I met him, I thought he was a decent guy, but the past couple of months showed us all that he was damn near an angel. He fell head over heels for both Tanya and Kellan before he was ever even born. They were still taking things slowly, but there was no doubt in my mind that someday in the not so distant future, the two of them would be taking the plunge themselves.

The night was wonderful and when it eventually came to an end, we were sad to see it go. Once the house was cleared, we stuck around to help straighten up. Esme and Carlisle asked about the property hunting. They were both really sad to see us moving out of the city, but definitely understood. They had even begun looking for places themselves, making reference to the fact that both Carlisle and Esme were going to be retiring in the near future and they had hopes of being relatively close to their grandchildren.

They both commiserated with us about losing our dream property, but reminded us that sometimes things work out in ways we never suspect. We nodded and attempted to stay positive as we helped straighten the last of the mess before making our way back home.

Once inside, I disappeared into the bathroom to get ready for bed, the weight of evening making me even more exhausted than usual. I was halfway through washing my face when Edward came bursting into the bathroom with a bright smile and twinkling eyes.

"Bella! We got a message from the realtor. I guess the seller about shit a brick when we rejected the counter offer and told her to remove our offer from the table. He came back with another new offer that was slightly lower than our original offer to him. I guess he contacted our realtor personally and asked her to relay his apologies. His realtor had pressed for the higher counter offer in hopes of gaining a bigger commission. He agreed, never suspecting the reasons why. Once he found out, he fired the realtor, called his office, and contacted our lady personally. If we want it, baby, it's ours! We just have to sign the papers and set up for the closing!"

I squealed and ran across the small space separating us, jumping into his arms and wrapping mine around his neck.

"Oh my God, Edward! It's really ours?"

"If you want it, baby. I'll call her right now if you want to make the arrangements."

I frowned at my watch. "Edward, it's nearly midnight. She's probably asleep."

He scoffed, "For the commission she'll be getting off this sale, I bet she'd be willing to hear from us anytime day or night. I'll email her though if you think I shouldn't call."

I sighed, wanting him to call, but knowing it would be very impolite. "We should respect her home life, Edward. Email her and tell her to call us anytime day or night when she gets it."

He beamed at me before kissing my lips excitedly. He gently lowered me to my feet before disappearing through the doorway, the sounds of his bare feet smacking the hardwood floors echoing behind him.

o~O~o

Okay, so in retrospect, putting ourselves in escrow in the middle of the final count down for our wedding might not have been the most intelligent thing we've ever done. However busy we were supposed to be got ten times worse once we began the proceedings of purchasing the property.

We explained our situation and the fact that it either needed pushed through in a week and a half or would have to wait over a month before we could close on the land. The owner, highly motivated to get the property out from under him since he was living somewhere near Portland Oregon, pushed for sooner rather than later. This is how we ended up having to be in Joliet for the closing appointment the morning of our bachelor and bachelorette parties.

The last week and a half had been insane as Alice, Esme, Rose, and Edward tugged me through hours of work. We wrapped Jordan Almonds in little lavender mesh squares, tying them closed with shiny white ribbons and little tags that read our names and the date and put together freaking favor baskets for the guest.

The items included in the baskets were nearly worthy of what they give to Oscar Nominees at the Academy awards. Esme had gone way overboard this time, having special ordered shiny black iPod Nanos with our names and the date and time of our wedding inscribed. Each was loaded with songs we had selected for the ceremony and on the DJ's list for the reception. In addition to that, the baskets held small boxes of Godiva chocolates, wrapped in shiny gold foil, expensive looking scented candles with our engagement picture, names, and the wedding date etched into the frosted glass holders they were encased in, and digital picture frames loaded with photos of us throughout the years we had known one another detailing the progression of our relationship in color pixels.

I had final fittings with Toni, lingerie shopping with the girls, an all day spa excursion where I was buffed, waxed, lasered, and wrapped within an inch of my life. I did have to admit afterward though that my skin had never been so soft and hairfree before. Shaving was one thing, but the smoothness after a wax was phenomenal even if it hurt like a bitch during.

Edward had liked the results as well, showing his appreciation multiple times that night after the redness and stinging had subsided. He was stressed too, but no matter how bogged down he got, you could tell he believed it was all worth it, as did I.

The whirlwind came to a head the Wednesday before the wedding. We had to be in Joliet at 9am for the closing, after which we had to return home where I would be pulled away by the girls for the rest of the day and night and then escorted to the lake house the next morning, once we had all recovered from the events of the night before. Thursday through Saturday would then be completely devoted to setting everything up for the wedding that would commence Saturday evening, just before sunset.

Edward and I were running behind as we tried to find the building for the closing. We made it with three minutes to spare. The closing itself was far less painless than it could have been since we weren't getting a loan, but rather paying in cash directly from Edward's trust fund. Honestly, I hated dipping into his family's money, but he insisted that he had saved it his whole life, and there was nothing more important in his eyes to spend it on than our future.

We spent the next hour signing form after form in the massive stack in front of us. The amount of paperwork for something that seemed so simple as buying land was inconceivable. Thankfully, at five after ten that morning, we signed the last paper and were handed the deed to the land, we shook hands with the seller and the brokers in the room.

As we left, huge smiles were plastered on both of our faces. Deciding to make everyone else wait, we drove to our newly purchased land and walked down to the pond, settling together on the dock and staring out at what was now ours. I couldn't wait until it was all cleaned up and our home was built for us to begin our new lives in.

With a sigh, we finally pulled ourselves up after an hour of enjoying the solitude and headed back to the city. The second we entered the apartment, we were attacked by Alice. I managed to sneak one quick kiss in with Edward before I was pulled through the apartment door and back to the city streets.

Six hours later, I was sitting in a booth in the corner of a noisy club wearing a tiara and banner that stated loudly, in sparkling glitter, that I was the bride. After being tortured with beauty supplies for a couple of hours and nearly melted and poured into a pair of skinny jeans and a tight red halter top that hit a few inches above the waistband of the pants, I was adorned with the objects of humiliation and drug to the premier chickie bar in the city. Surrounded by hot guys in mesh tank tops with muscles that rivaled my boys serving our drinks with seductive smiles, we proceeded to get shit faced. We danced and screamed and generally cut completely loose, which I desperately needed after the week and a half I had just endured. To be honest, my internship was nothing compared to the bridal gauntlet I had just conquered.

Blinking penis necklaces hung from our necks; while Alice forced me to drink White Russians from a huge penis shaped mug with a white straw sticking suggestively out of the hole in the top. Humiliation didn't even begin to express how I was feeling at the beginning of the night, but by this point in the evening, I had ingested enough alcohol, that I was no longer aware of how ridiculous I looked. I slurred at the waitress that I needed another before giggling at a joke Drunk Alice was telling the group. I had to admit that we had fun.

I was starting to get to the point now, though, that I was ready to crawl into bed again and just sleep it off. I had promised earlier in the night that I wouldn't contact Edward, but my resolve was waning quickly. The girls were deep into their story when I sneaked my cell out of my purse under the table and began subversively texting to Edward.

It was only when I got the muttled response of, 'What the fuck does Al is drumblasted penis cup of Russian cum mean?' that I realized that it was more difficult to sneaky text while drunk that I realized. I sent a sorry before excusing myself to the restroom, and hiding in a handcapped stall to call him.

The background noise was so loud I couldn't even hear him say hello when he first answered the ring. I waited until the music got quieter assuming he escaped to the restroom as well.

"Heeeeey, baybeeee, are you having fuuuun?" I slurred into the mouthpiece in a loud whisper as I cupped it with my hand.

He chuckled. "It'd beeee a lot more fucking funnnn if yoooou were here, Bellllll-lah."

Oh shit, he was just as wasted as I was.

"I miss yoooou, Eddiepoo. It was embassaring, and then it was fun, but now, I'm soooo fucking tired. I just wanna go home to our bed and cuddle next to yoou. Why do they make those steeewwwwpid rulesss about sssleping together before a wud, a wid, a wedding?"

"Awe fuck baby, I know. It fucking sucks assss. I'm soooooo damn horny for you right now. I jussst want to fuck yoooou allll night looong, but NOOOOOO, issss aginssst the fuuucking rulsssss."

I moaned before an evil thought came to my mind. "Pssttt...Eddie. Doooo you think you can sssslip out on them? Yooou do, then I willl. We can take cabsss back to the apam, apat, ah fuck, home. You can meet me at home. Wanna meet me at home, Eddie?"

"Hellll to the fuuucking yeah! I'll beee there in fifeen. Yoooou better be naked when I get there, Bellyboo, or I'mma gonna sssspank your pretty lil assss."

I giggled. "Fifeen minis then. See you there."

I hung up the phone and tripped my way out of the stall. I slid out the door and around the corner, staying close to the wall and humming the Mission Impossible theme song as I did what I thought was my best blend in job. Unfortunately I was very wrong. Alice popped up in front of me just before I got to the door, dragging me back by my forearm to the table as I pouted.

"Aaaallliiieee, Edwar was meetin me at our playssss." I giggled as I shifted in my seat. "He promisssed to ssspank me if I wasss'n waitin naked for him." I paused as I took a drink. "Acsually, this is fine."

The girls all stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths before they all broke into hysterical laughter while I pouted at my missed opportunity with Edward. I was about to try to sneak away again when Andrea slid in next to me, blocking my escape route.

"Nice try kid, but I'm the designated driver, so you don't stand a chance of getting past me. Besides, Jasper heard the whole thing in the bathroom. I swear you and Edward are like the stupidest drunks ever for being so smart the rest of the time. He never made it out of the bathroom. So if you go home now, you're just going to be waiting alone."

I sighed, grabbing my phone out. "Busted?"

A few seconds later a 'yep' came back. "Me 2, meaneis :( "

He replied back 'lol, don worry, ill mak up 2 u."

I smiled. "k, luv u, hav fun, but not 2 muhc"

The last thing I heard from him or remember from the night was my screen lighting up with the word 'dittdo'.

o~O~o

I awoke the next morning to bright light streaming through the window at me as timpani drums banged a steady rhythm in my skull. Even the motion of my breathing hurt. I covered my face with my pillow only to be assaulted by the disgusting smell of stale alcohol and old vomit.

I moaned, rolling over to find myself face to face with an equally hurting Alice. She squinted at me through sticky lashes before her eyes popped wide. She jumped up out of bed with her hand over her mouth, sprinting to the bathroom.

I winced at the sounds of her retching into the toilet because not only did it sound disgusting, but the sounds echoed painfully in my ears. I heard her groan and shuffle to the sink before water began to run. A few minutes later she hobbled slowly back through the doorway with her hand over her eyes, shielding them from the morning light streaming in through the window.

It was then that I looked around and realized we were at the apartment Edward and I shared, sleeping in our bed.

"What are we doing back here, Alice? I thought we were going to sleep at your and Jazz's place last night?" I rasped.

Alice scoffed before clenching her eyes closed, covering them with her hand. "That WAS the plan, but then you had your whole drunk dialing Edward escapade and insisted we come back here. You were so sure that Edward was going to be here even though we told you that the guys headed him off. When we got here you ran to the bedroom and started crying, then started puking, then curled up on your bed and passed out. I couldn't even change your clothes so I just gave up and slept here with you to make sure you were okay."

I frowned for a minute before thanking her for taking care of me. I rolled onto my back with a groan, pulling my stinky pillow over my eyes to block the bright rays.

Alice and I stayed in bed for another half an hour or so, moaning and groaning before we finally pulled ourselves out of bed. I took a shower first, while Alice grabbed us both bottles of water and began making calls.

By the time I got out, she had called around to discover that Edward had insisted coming home too, but passed out in the cab, so instead they just hijacked him to her and Jazz's apartment and carried him in. Now that he was awake, not only was he hung over, but he was pissed as hell.

Alice giggled as she sashayed into the bathroom to shower, apparently already past her hangover. Just before the door closed, she called out in a singsong voice.

"By the way, change of plans Bellyboo, it seems Eddiepoo is insisting he get to ride up to the lake house in the same car as you since we put the kibosh on you two sneaking off together last night. They'll be here to pick us up in an hour or so."

I chuckled painfully, knowing we will be old and gray before we ever outlive that one. I had just taken 2 Tylenol and guzzled the other half a bottle to get it into my system that much faster before I turned toward the bed, ripping off the nasty linens and replacing them with fresh ones for when we returned from our honeymoon.

I looked around the room with a tiny squeal. The next time I slept in this bedroom, I would officially be Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen!

Alice had just finished getting dressed when the door opened and a chorus of loud voices filled the apartment, all far too cheery for the morning after such heavy drinking. I walked into the foyer hissing with my finger to my mouth and my eyes narrowed dangerously at the noise producing brood.

They all froze but quickly broke into loud laughter, parting the crowd to show Edward standing there with his hands over his ears looking to be in equal agony. Rose brought up the rear holding a happy looking Emma.

I pushed past the crowd to hug myself around Edward's waist. He wrapped his arms around me and the rest of the group around us seemed to disappear AS W. I looked up at him with a small smile.

"I missed you last night…Eddiepoo."

He chuckled, shaking his head at me. "I missed you too…Bellyboo. What the hell did they pour into us, Absinthe? I would never normally call you that!"

I laughed, wincing painfully at the lightening strike in my skull it created. "I don't know, but I vote we never ever use it again, unless we're just really in the mood to tease the hell out of each other!"

He nodded slowly, "Agreed." He bent down to kiss my lips gently, sealing the pact.

It was then that we were broken out of our bubble by Emmett's roaring rumble which made us both grab our temples. "I don't know about Bella, but you did that yourself Edward. What did you think would happen when you started shooting 100 proof tequila?"

"Yeah, but I was only drinking White Russians. They aren't THAT strong!"

Emmett guffawed. "Yeah, but you're a lightweight and you probably didn't eat much first and drank too many, too fast."

Alice interrupted. "Plus you switched to Long Island Iced teas about an hour before Edward called."

I turned in surprise. "I did?"

She laughed and nodded emphatically. "Yeah, you said you were tired of drinking Russian cum from your penis cup and wanted something else."

"So there really was a penis cup?" Edward asked, eyeing me warily.

"Yes!" Alice cheered. "We have pictures…here look!" She said ripping her cell from her pocket and pressing the buttons before turning to show him a shot of me sipping eagerly from the white straw emerging from the tip of the cup.

Edward's head dropped as his shoulders vibrated hard with his laughter. I knew it was probably hurting his head, but it must have tickled him enough that he didn't notice so much. He was shaking his head when he looked back up at me.

"I don't know if I should be disgusted or turned on. I think I'm leaning more to the latter, but it's a mixed reaction."

I smiled seductively before tipping up to his ear. "Would it help if I thought about you the whole time I used that cup? Why do you think I drunk dialed you, begging for you to meet me at home?"

A rumble rose from his chest, his arms tightened on my waist but just then the tiny pixie arms pulled me away from him.

"No way you two, we really need to hit the road, and sooner rather than later!"

We both grumbled as everyone herded us through the doorway into the hall and down to the lobby. Once there, we piled into three cars, my Viper among them, although in the condition we were in, Edward and I chose not to drive it, tossing the keys to Emmett. Jasper hopped in with him while Rose took the wheel of the rented Minivan. Edward and I fell into the back seat of it together, and curled up into a ball, watching her strap Emma into her rear facing car seat. At least we would have something to keep us entertained on the drive up.

Once she was settled, Emma looked up at us and smiled brightly, flailing her arms and legs and gurgling loudly. I tucked my face in Edward's shoulder, playing peek-a-boo with her as we started our way north to the beach house. Before I knew it, we were pulling up the driveway.

Esme and Carlisle were already there, directing traffic as rental companies delivered supplies that were being stored in a tent in the back yard to protect it from the elements if the fickly Illinois skies decided to dump unexpected rain on us. The forecast for the whole weekend was day after day of sunshine, but with my luck, they would be wrong this time around.

Everyone shuffled around the house, carrying bags to and fro. I had my duffel bag on my shoulder, getting ready to head to the bedrooms downstairs when Esme stopped me with a wry smile.

"You really think we're sticking the bride to be in the basement this week? I don't think so. You, my dear, are getting the upstairs guest room where Edward is welcome to join you until Friday night, at which time we are insisting he sleep in the basement with the rest of the boys while we girls will get the loft bedrooms to ourselves."

I cocked a wary eyebrow. "So I'm getting a second bachelorette party of sorts the night before?"

She shrugged, "I'd say it's more of one last girl's night sleepover before you're relegated to spousehood. We're locking the alcohol up that night, so nobody is suffering from hangovers the next morning. It should be tame enough."

I laughed, shaking my head. She obviously didn't know my girls very well yet. This was most certainly not going to be tame.

Esme smiled, pulling me into a hug as Edward passed me, taking my duffel from my shoulder and hauling it up to our bedroom on the loft level.

"I'm so happy that you're going to be my new daughter in a few short days. I couldn't have chosen a better wife for my son if I tried."

I beamed at her, reaching up to wipe a stray tear from my eye. She smiled back before turning me toward the staircase and landing a light smack on my bottom. I jumped letting loose a surprised squeak.

"Now get upstairs and help my son unpack. We'll have lunch ready at 12:30."

I rushed up the stairs, throwing open our bedroom door and closing it behind me, securing the lock cautiously.

Edward turned to me with a smile, holding a pile of t-shirts in his hands, about to drop them into an open drawer.

I shook my head, crossing the room and grabbing the pile out of his hand, tossing them haphazardly into the drawer before drawing my arms around his shoulders and kissing his lips eagerly.

He moaned, wrapping me tightly in his arms and lifting me from the floor to carry me to our bed. When he reached it, he turned so his back was to the bed, falling down on it so that I would be on top of him.

We rubbed together, moaning in appreciation frequently while our hands began to acquaint themselves with each other's skin hidden by pesky clothing. Edward was just about to slip my shirt over my head when a loud bang on our door interrupted us.

We both whined plaintively as we rolled to lie side by side.

"Esme said to come let you know lunch is ready. We're all waiting and I'm starving so hurry up!" Emmett yelled through the door.

"Good God, how long were we at it? It was only noon when I came up here!"

Edward chuckled. "Well I guess when we're together we create a time warp or something. We better go though, or Emmett will break down the door and then mom will have all of our asses!"

I giggled, sliding my shirt back down into place and trying to smooth my hair. A few minutes later, we left our room for down to sit at the large table in the dining room, piled high with delicious looking foods. Carlisle said grace and we all dug in, heaping food on our plates and talking excitedly about the next few days.

I looked around the table with a smile. This was my family. Some were related by blood, some soon would be related by marriage, and some would never have an official tie to me, but never the less, they were all my family.

The whole table laughed as the more sober members of the parties from the night before began to regale my soon to be mother-in-law and father-in-law with stories of our drunken escapades and ill-fated plans to sneak out and meet up at home. Esme and Carlisle laughed until tears streamed down their cheeks as Alice and Jasper reenacted our phone conversation for them, squatting against the wall on opposite sides of the room as though they were sitting on toilets, which I had not done at least.

I reached over and grabbed Edward's hand under the table, squeezing gently. He looked over with a smile before placing a soft kiss on my forehead. I sighed happily, melting into his side. I felt nothing but contentment as the realization dawn on me, that soon, we would be bound to one another in every possible way.

Next stop…wedding day :)

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