Stephenie has it all. I just decided to play with her characters and add some of mine.
Pictures of the characters on my web, here: http:/ newdawn-newday-newlife . webs . com/ residentadviser . htm.
As you know by now, remove the spaces. On FB you find me under the name of Cherry Bella.
THANK YOU, GUYS! I never expected so many reviews or story Alerts/Favorites or hits. You are great! This is seriously my only story to receive such feedback! I update every week.
Pre-read by TeamAllTwilight.
PS1: For those that don't know, I posted outtakes for this story. It's about Edward. And I'm working on more outtakes right now.
PS2: There is a new picture on my FB profile with the house. And one about the clothes in this chapter. :) I also put a picture of the all the characters on my FB one picture of the wedding dresses...
Check out TeamAllTwilight's new story: http:/ www. fanfiction. net /s/7397923 /1/ Lipstick_Kisses_And_Inked_Virtuoso
Also, I wrote a O/S for TeamAllTwilight's birthday. It's called Abducted. If you didn't read it, go and check it out.
Enjoy the chapter!
That night we packed everything that was left in Edward's room and slept till noon. We lazed around then drove to Forks where Dad was happy to see us. After talking for hours, we went to my room. Edward kept making fun of me when he saw all the crap I had accumulated. But I didn't allow him to throw away anything.
When we were finally done, we passed out on my bed. Dad didn't even look upset the next morning when he woke us up, telling us he was going to the market to buy food. That meant we weren't allowed to leave. Not yet.
He came back with pre-cooked food and we just heated it up.
"Uh, Bells, I have something for you."
"Dad," I groaned, putting my fork down.
"It's not from me. She thought you'll accept it since I was the one to give it to you," he told me.
"Is it from Mom?"
"Yeah. Here." He got up and took something from the fridge's door, bringing it to the table. I changed a confused look with Edward before grabbing the envelope.
When I looked inside, I felt my blood running cold. Tickets. Shit. "She didn't!" I hissed.
"I'm afraid she did. You haven't visited in a long time, kid. She misses you."
"But…"
"It's just for a week, Bella. I'm sure she'd love to really meet Edward."
I glanced at Edward and he shrugged. "I don't mind."
I looked at the tickets and saw they were expiring at the end of August. We had over a month to decide when to visit.
When we were done eating, we said goodbye and loaded the boxes in the car before going back to Port Angeles to say goodbye to his family too. By eleven, everything that could be loaded in the car was safely strapped and we were having a somewhat tearful goodbye. To me, it looked like Esme didn't want to take her arms from around Edward. Emmett kept rubbing at his eyes as I stepped close to hug him.
"Take care of him," he said gravely in my ear.
"Of course I will." I kissed his cheek. "We'll miss you."
"And I'll miss your bickering," he joked, squeezing me one last time before letting me go.
"Yes, it will be so quiet without you two shouting at each other," Rose giggled, hugging me tightly.
"We don't fight that much," I told them.
"Says who?" Emmett asked amused.
"Bella, did you grab my phone?" Edward asked. I turned around to see him patting his pockets.
"It was on the bed. I thought you'd take it."
"I don't have a third arm."
"What were you saying?" Emmett laughed.
I rolled my eyes. Maybe we fought, but I always loved when he apologized. Profusely.
After rushing upstairs and retrieving his phone, we were ready to go. Esme was crying softly in her husband's arms as Emmett and Rose stood side by side, grinning. I wished Alice and Jasper were there too, but we had said our goodbye before they left on their honeymoon.
Once in the car and on the main road, I felt my nose burning as my eyes watered. I had promised myself I wouldn't cry, but apparently I couldn't keep the tears at bay. I turned my face, angling it toward the window so Edward wouldn't see me, but then I sniffed. His hand came on my thigh and squeezed.
"We're going to visit. It's not like we're moving to other end of the world," he said softly.
"I know," I mumbled, wiping my eyes.
As the hours passed, I started feeling giddy, unable to stop bouncing in my seat. We were headed to our future house, to our future together.
"Bella," Edward groaned. "Here, find a motel and stop bouncing. Please." He gave me his phone.
I focused on the phone, searching for a motel close by then calling and booking us a room.
As Edward pulled in the motel's parking lot, we had enough energy to grab our overnight bag and take the key from the consignee before going to our room and falling asleep.
We woke up early and hit the road after stopping by a gas station and buying food and coffee.
We started making plans on what we'd do the next day. The bed, the fridge and a table with two chairs were the most important things we had to buy. Then we'd figure out the rest.
We arrived in Chicago around ten at night. While Edward maneuvered the car through the busy streets, I called Liz to tell her we were there to get the house key.
"She's not answering," I told Edward after the call went to voicemail three times.
"She promised to stay awake," he groaned, grabbing the phone from my hand. "Stupid traffic," he muttered, slamming the brakes.
"You had to expect this. It's a busy city."
"It's ten at night!" He dialed the number again, his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. "Hi," he greeted. "Were you sleeping?... Oh, I see… Yeah, we called her and she didn't answer… Yeah, I'll wait." Edward glanced at me. "They were in the living room and the phones were in the bedroom," he explained. "I'm here," he said in the phone.
When he started frowning, I realized something wasn't right.
"What do you mean the keys are at work?" he hissed. "Well, Carmen should have told us that shit a long time ago! Now we have to stay at a hotel until tomorr-… What? Oh…no, we can't," he blurted out, rolling his eyes at me. "Fine, fine… Yeah, bye." He hung up, growling.
"What's wrong?" I whispered, afraid of his answer.
"We have to sign the papers before getting the keys. Carmen 'forgot' to mention that. She could have fucking faxed it or something!"
"And now?" I urged him.
He ran a hand over his face, changing the gear and starting driving again. "Now, we're going to their flat for the night. She said we shouldn't spend the money on a hotel room."
"Are you okay with that?"
"Guess so." He shrugged, leaning over the steering wheel to read a street's name.
"You can't!" I shouted when I saw he was about to take a right. "It's forbidden," I explained quickly, pointing to the sign.
"Fuck." He kept driving, swearing at every street he couldn't turn right.
I knew he was tired and now, probably worried about our change of plans. I leaned back in the seat and let him drive. Fifteen minutes later, he parked in front of the building he spent his childhood in. With a heavy sigh, he cut off the engine and stretched.
"Let's do this and be done with it," Edward said, getting out of the car and coming to my side. I grabbed the overnight bag and exited the car. He twined our fingers as we entered the building and ascended slowly.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked softly.
"Sure. I'm just tired." He yawned.
"You know what I mean." I stopped him in front of their door before he could knock.
His green eyes settled on me and I saw conflict in them before they closed. "It's going to be okay. I'm sure." He rapped his knuckles on the door. "They've changed. A lot, trust me. I know how they were before," he whispered in my ear when the locks turned from the other side of the door.
I nodded and silently prayed everything would go well.
"Hello," Liz greeted us, stepping aside.
We passed the threshold and started taking our shoes off, saying our "hellos."
"I'm sure you're tired."
"Yeah." Edward nodded, yawning again.
"I got your bed ready. Are you two hungry?" she asked worried, looking a little helpless. This was awkward for her as well.
"Just tired," Edward said. "You hungry?" He glanced at me.
"I'm okay. Let's get you to bed before you fall asleep here."
"Hey, kids. You should have made more stops on the way," Ed said, joining us.
"Yeah, well, we thought we'd get the keys and go to the house," Edward told him annoyed.
"And where would you have slept? Really, it's better here. You have a bed," Liz said softly. "Come on." She led the way to Edward's childhood bedroom.
He heaved a sigh and followed her. I found myself alone with Ed in the hallway. He smiled, grabbing our bag.
"Didn't you switch?" he asked. When I didn't answer, not knowing what he was talking about, he went on. "Driving."
"Oh, no. Edward is the only one driving that car."
He laughed, shaking his head. "Stubborn?" he joked.
"More like possessive," I mumbled.
In his room, we found Liz explaining something to a half asleep Edward who was only nodding. I was sure he wouldn't remember anything in the morning. Liz smiled when she saw me, probably realizing the same thing.
"I was just telling Edward that I'd leave a key of the flat on the kitchen table and when you wake up, you can come to the agency and sign the papers."
"Oh, okay. Thank you," I whispered.
"You're welcome." She squeezed my hand. "Let's go, leave them sleep," she told her husband and they left the room.
I stood at the foot of the bed watching Edward as he scratched his head. "This is so strange… I never thought this…was possible," he said to himself.
I went to him and hugged him, kissing his head. "It's just for tonight."
"Yeah. Let's get ready for bed."
We changed in our pajamas and when I lay on the bed, Edward stumbled to the door saying something about bathroom.
"Don't fall asleep there!" I said after him and got a grunt as a response.
I tried staying awake and waiting for him, but I managed to fall asleep. Sometime during the night, when I rolled over, I felt the bed empty and knowing how small it was, I shot up. I should have bumped into Edward. But he wasn't there.
With my heart in my throat, I slipped out of the room, worried. What had happened? Was he still in the bathroom? Had something else happened? No. I couldn't even think of that. I should have stayed awake and waited for him.
I checked the bathroom and found it empty. Creeping down the narrow hallway, I arrived in the living room and saw someone on the couch. It had to be him. As I approached, I saw him sprawled over the small couch, his feet dangling off the edge, one hand on the floor.
He couldn't be comfortable. Not after being so tired.
"Hey." I touched his shoulder, wondering why he was sleeping there when he had a bed. He didn't even move. "Edward," I insisted on a hushed voice.
"Hmm."
"Edward."
He opened his eyes sleepily and focused them on me. "What?"
"Why are you sleeping here? You scared me," I admitted.
He frowned then sought my hand and squeezed. "Sorry. You were sprawled on the bed when I came back…I came here." He shrugged.
"Come to bed. You have to sleep well. Who knows when we'd sleep on a bed again?"
He got up and we shuffled back to his old room. "I'm hoping that tonight we're going to sleep on a bed."
I giggled, silently wishing that was true but knowing how picky we were and how we bickered out of nothing, it wasn't likely to have a bed tonight.
Next time we woke up, we were alone and the sun was up in the sky. Edward hugged me to his chest, nuzzling in my hair.
"Can we sleep one more hour?" he asked on a hoarse voice.
"I'm sure it's already late."
With a look at the clock, I saw it was eleven. We had already lost half of the day.
On the kitchen table was a note and a key of the flat. While Edward showered, I took out the breakfast Liz had prepared and heated it up.
By noon, we had eaten and showered and were locking up the door.
"What do you think you're doing?" Someone snapped, making us jump.
Edward turned to the person, an old woman that watched us with narrowed eyes. She had thought we were thieves. Then something flashed in her eyes and her mouth opened. The hand with the key started shaking as Edward looked at her. It was obvious they knew each other and they realized it.
"Anthony?" the woman asked in a shaky voice.
Crap! Not that name! I watched as Edward tensed and nodded. "Hello, Mrs. Watson," he said softly.
"Are you back?" she asked, frowning.
"Yeah, sort of. How have you been?"
"Good. I've been good. I had to get used to bring my mail inside." She smiled making Edward chuckled. "Who's the young lady with you?"
"Oh, shit," Edward muttered, giving me a small smile. "Uh, this is Bella. My girlfriend."
"Nice to meet you," I said nervously.
Mrs. Watson smiled and stepped closer, hugging Edward. "I always worried what happened to you. I'm very happy to see you're okay. And you found yourself a nice lady here."
I blushed and saw Edward's cheeks turning pink.
"I've been okay, yes," he said.
She stepped back and looked solemnly at us. "They changed a lot over the years. And for about four months, they're happier than ever. I'd take a guess that is the time you started talking with them again."
"Yeah, kind of," Edward answered. "March."
"Yes. I hadn't seen them so alive in a very long time. When Liz was back here, a year after you left, she wasn't herself. I had never seen her so…dead. I'm sorry, but that is the right word."
"I know, they changed. I can see it…"
I stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt. Besides, it was good to hear this from an outsider like their neighbor.
Mrs. Watson touched Edward's face. "You've grown up so much. I hope you can put everything in your past and take them back in your life. It's just this one life and as much as you don't want them in it, you'll regret it when they won't be around."
It sounded like she was speaking from experience and Edward realized it too, glancing at me confused. "I think I'm already letting them in. Slowly."
"That's good. Are you staying here?"
"Uh, no. We rented a house in the city." Edward wrapped an arm around me. "We should go get the key. Do you happen to know what the fastest way to Liz's work is?"
Her eyes widened briefly then she nodded to herself. "At this hour, whatever route you take, you'll get stuck in a traffic jam, Anthony."
I bit my lip to keep from correcting her. It was Edward that did it.
"Oh, okay. Thanks. And…please, call me Edward."
"Of course. I hope to see you again."
"I'm sure you will." He grinned and grabbed my hand. "We have to go."
"It was nice seeing you again. Take care of him, Bella," she told me with a smile.
"Always," I promised.
We walked quietly to his car. "So…" I started as we reached it.
He chuckled. "That was my neighbor. I think she knew what was going on, I'm not sure."
"Of what she said, I'm sure she knew. The question is why didn't she talk?" I wondered, opening the back door so he could put the bag there.
"I'm grateful she didn't talk. I would have never been a part of such a wonderful family. And I would have never met you," he added.
"Yeah, I'm so happy Esme saved you." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. "Are you really okay with what's going on now? Moving here, talking again with them…"
"You know, Mrs. Watson is right. She said something Mom told me. It's just this one life. Sure, I hate them for what they did, but it's not good to live with hate, right?"
"Yes, you're right. I'm really surprised you can do it. I wouldn't have been able to do it. You're so strong."
Edward scoffed and helped me inside the car.
After an hour of gridlock traffic and cursing the GPS, we managed to get to the agency. Outside was beyond hot and I felt like I was starting to fry up as we walked to the building. When we stepped inside, I sighed in relief as the cool air engulfed me.
The secretary smiled and welcomed us, asking what she could do.
"Hi. We're here to talk to… Elizabeth Masen," Edward explained.
"Oh, you'll have to wait. She's busy at the moment."
"It's really important," Edward insisted. "We just have to sign off and take the keys."
"I'm sure, sir, but everyone is here with similar problems," she told him professionally.
I wasn't sure how much more he would take. Just as I was about to try myself, Edward said the unthinkable.
"I'm her son."
Four words that stopped my heart and breathing. Drastic measure but this? I was sure he was having an internal struggle at the moment so I tried to keep it together for him. I rubbed my hand over his arm.
"We won't stay for long," I told the secretary that was looking curiously at Edward.
"Mrs. Masen doesn't have children."
I wanted to punch her. It had been so difficult for him to say that and now she was ruining everything.
"Look lady, just pick the fucking phone and call her. I'm sure she'll take us," Edward snapped, attracting attention upon us.
"Sir, please, take a seat."
"I won't take a fucking seat! Just call her!"
"Sir, I'll call security," she threatened, her voice wavering.
Before our discussion could escalade into something bigger, Liz appeared from behind an auxiliary door and stopped in her tracks. She hurried toward us and positioned herself somewhat between the stupid secretary and Edward.
"Thank you, Jane, I'll take it from here," Liz said calmly.
Jane huffed. "He insists he's your son!"
I saw Edward's hands fisting and I squeezed his arm, hoping he wouldn't do something he would surely regret.
"Follow me," Liz said softly to us.
We did so but not before Edward threw Jane a venomous glare. If looks could kill.
So what do you think of this chapter? They made it to Chicago!
Honestly, I think think the name of the story is overrated but I'll keep it... From now on, we'd focus moreon Edward and Bella, adding the others in whenever necessary. This is their journey to tell.