Stephenie has it all. I just decided to play with her characters and add some of mine. I don't own anything you might recognize.
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Home, Mrs. Brandon was taking out the garbage when we pulled up. Edward cringed as she dropped the bag and her eyes widened. Then she was running toward us.
I was the first to step out of the car so she came to inspect me. "Are you okay? Goodness, what happened?"
"We're fine, I promise. A small crash," I explained. It sounded worse as I said it out loud.
"Hello, Mrs. Brandon," Edward greeted her.
"Oh God, you have to tell me what happened!" she demanded.
Stupid nosy neighbors.
Edward was crouched, inspecting the right back wing of the car, grumbling under his breath. That meant I was left to tell Mrs. Nosy about the accident. I summed it up as well as I could then I explained why Edward was so tired.
"Oh, yes! Did you have fun on the honeymoon?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips.
Like I had thought, coming back to Chicago had been a brutal – maybe too brutal – wake up call that we were no longer in paradise.
"Yeah, it was really beautiful," I told her grinning.
"Do you have pictures? I love pictures!"
"Lots of them," Edward answered, coming to stand behind me. "But not right now. We'll share, but now all I want to do is sleep."
"Of course. Is it over and done at the police?" she asked right before turning to go.
"Yes, she knew she was guilty. I was guilty too. So yeah, the cops listened to us both, and gave us each a ticket," Edward explained.
"Oh, if you had needed a lawyer, I have a friend. Just so you know." She winked.
"Thanks," Edward mumbled, probably thinking that he knew one too.
She turned to go, saying goodbye and that she was happy we were safe.
"Now, how the fuck are we going to take the bags out of the trunk?" Edward muttered, fisting his hair. "And I wanted to put them in the backseat!" He kicked the ground at his feet violently.
"Does the backseat lower? You know…so we can extract the bags from there," I wondered.
His eyes lit up and he gave me a sound kiss. "You're a genius!"
It was already dusk outside and by the time we had the bags out it was really dark. Edward put the alarm on and started to the house. Not two steps later, the car pinged and we turned to it curiously. When nothing happened, we restarted our way to the front door and a few feet further, it pinged again.
"What the fuck?" Edward groaned, turning to look at it. "Let's get these inside and I'll take it to the garage to see what hell is wrong. Or just leave it unlocked."
I unlocked the front door and before I could step inside, I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. Dumping the bags, Edward picked me up and I prayed he wasn't going to drop me at how tired he was. He stepped inside with me cradled to his chest and his lips pressed against mine.
"I love you. Welcome home."
I smiled, hugging him tightly around the neck. "I love you too. It's great to be home."
While he parked the car in the garage, I called my Mom and Esme, letting them know we were back. I didn't tell them anything else. I didn't even know how to tell them. They'd freak and take the first plane here. I wasn't ready for that.
"The light in the trunk was still on so I took the wires out of the battery. I told you too in case I forget."
"Do you want to talk with the insurance company tomorrow?" I asked, unbuttoning my short pants. I really wanted a shower.
"I guess. I can't believe it happened."
"We should have taken a left, but I wasn't sure," I whispered, taking my shirt off and throwing it away.
"I know. I kept thinking about that, so unsure…I went straight ahead without making sure the road was free. But that bitch was coming full speed toward us. Mistook the pedals!" he growled. "Who the hell allowed her to drive? I haven't had an accident in the whole eight years I owned a license."
"What happened with her?" I asked, unhooking my bra as I turned to go to the bathroom.
"They took her license for a few months and she has to pay a fee too."
I let the bra fall, twisting the knobs of the shower when I heard Edward clearing his throat.
"What the hell are you doing? Not that I mind the show," he said amused.
"Taking a shower. You?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at him.
"Can I join you?"
"No." I tried to keep a straight face and it was worth it to see his face falling. "Duh! Of course, you can join!"
The next day we took the underground to my office and Edward looked lost, muttering under his breath all the time.
When I stepped into my office, I found my desk full of presents. Looking at Kim and Derek, they smiled and came to hug me. Then they realized Edward was with me. I remembered the last time – and only time – they had been around him and I shuddered.
Pushing away the presents, I fired up my computer and told Edward to sit next to me while I looked over the guidelines of the insurance company he used to insure his car had. As we read about the procedure, Derek asked why Edward needed it, and unwillingly, we explained what had happened.
They could have seen something was wrong, but I made sure to cover the bruise on my right temple before I left. I had no idea how I got that nasty bruise but I used a ton of foundation and my hair to cover it. Edward joked that people would think we had a fight and I told him he'd have a matching bruise if he kept laughing. That shut him up.
Around noon, Edward left to go to the Volvo service and see what he had to do. Martha came into the office and after hugging and kissing me, she told me to leave because Ken was on vacation in Europe and she knew I was tired. I appreciated the gestured. After thanking them for the wedding gifts, I put them in a few big bags and went home.
When I arrived home, I started unpacking and washing the clothes then cooked for that day. By the time Edward was back, I was so tired, the food didn't even look appealing anymore.
"You need to eat!" he insisted.
"I can't. It looks bad."
"You cooked it," he pointed out. "And it tastes amazing," he added before shoving another forkful in his mouth.
"You can eat it all," I mumbled, grabbing an apple and going to the TV.
"Mom called me on my way back," Edward announced to me, following me with his plate.
"If you get food on the couch, you're cleaning it," I warned him. "Did you tell her what happened?"
"No, but she kept asking if we were okay. Mothers are freaky."
I laughed, munching on my apple. "Yeah, my Mom has that thing too. She always had."
"I don't know how to tell her. I bet good money, she'd jump in the first plane and come to see for herself we're okay."
"We need to explain that we're safe, no mention of the bruises." I winked. "We have to call everyone, by the way."
For the rest of the day, we stayed on the phone with everyone, talking about the honeymoon and then adding, somewhat sheepishly that we had a minor accident. Every person we talked to, freaked when they heard about the accident, but we promised we were unscathed. As predicted, Esme wanted to come and visit, but I managed to convince her that we were really fine.
Martha had told me I could stay home for the rest of the week and I was grateful. There were so many things to do.
On Thursday, we slept in and got out of bed after noon and only because our stomachs yelled at us. After eating, I asked Edward what he wanted to do: clean or cook. He decided cleaning was for girls so I left him in the kitchen while I went to clean the house. When I was finally done, it was well into the afternoon and after a few bites of Edward's mac and cheese, I pushed the plate away.
He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at me. "Eat."
"I can't! Honest."
"You can't or you don't want to? I told you I don't fucking care how you look."
"Edward, I can't eat," I answered honestly. I felt queasy.
"If I go to buy ice cream, will you eat that?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Probably. I can't say no to ice cream." I shot him a smile.
He nodded and continued to eat. I looked at my plate and urged the hunger I had felt while cleaning to come back, but the more I stared at the food, the queasier I felt. I used to love his mac and cheese.
"Let me clean the dishes," I said, taking the plate from him.
"What kind of ice cream do you want?" he asked, going to the bedroom to grab his wallet.
"With nuts and caramel," I answered without thinking. I hated nuts.
Edward came back to the kitchen and raised an eyebrow. "Nuts?" he asked confused.
"Yes. It sounds really…appealing."
"Okay." He came to my side and kissed my mouth. "Anything else?"
"Some water. I don't like the tap water."
"Kay." He kissed me again then left.
After washing his plate and fork, I decided to try and eat some more because I was hungry…but only the mere sight of mac and cheese made my stomach turn. I had to wait for Edward and the ice cream. It seemed to be the only appealing thing.
I turned the TV on and started flipping through the channels when the door bell rang. Had he left without the keys?
Of course, his keys were on the bowl. I wrenched the door open, ready to scold him when I came face to face with Liz and Ed.
I might have shouted in surprise before clapping my hand over my mouth. "Hi," I whispered, still not over the surprise.
I should have expected them since they were so close and just as worried as Esme about the accident.
"We didn't mean to startle you. Hello," Liz said softly, watching me upset.
I glanced at Ed and he was watching me worried then looked back at Liz who was frowning.
"Uh, Edward's…buying ice cream," I explained, stepping aside to allow them inside.
Once the door was shut, Liz cupped my cheek and rubbed her thumb over my right temple. The bruise. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
My eyes widened and I opened my mouth but nothing came out. They must think Edward hit me. What else would they think? It's the usual first thought anyone would have. And I couldn't form words to tell them I had hurt myself during the accident and on the plane.
If Edward came back now…I didn't even want to know what they'd tell him. Or do.
I looked again at Ed and gulped, clearing my throat.
"I hit myself during the accident," I blurted out.
Liz tightened her eyes. "Don't lie, honey."
"I'm not!" I shouted just as the door opened and Edward stepped inside with a plastic bag in hand.
He gasped, taking in the scene in front of him. "Well, you love to drop by unannounced," he mumbled. "As you can see, we're both fine."
I saw a muscle twitching in Ed's jaw and before I could think what I did, I was standing in front of Edward. "You have to believe me! Edward, tell them, I did this to myself. You're not a part of it," I pleaded him, close to tears as I pointed to my bruise.
He sighed sadly. "But it's my fault. If I had been careful, we wouldn't have been in an accident and you wouldn't be hurt."
Was he crazy? I was trying to make them see he hadn't hit me and he didn't have any sense of self-preservation.
"But I hit myself on the steering wheel and before, on the plane's window," I hissed.
"Well, yeah, but…"
"Did you really hurt yourself during the accident?" Liz asked softly, interrupting us.
"YES!" I exclaimed loudly, raising my hands. "He wouldn't hurt a fly!" I muttered, pointing to Edward.
He snorted behind me, probably thinking of the few times he had engaged someone else in a fight, but didn't deny me. "The ice cream is melting."
"Right! Go to the living room, I'll bring ice cream," I told them taking the bag from Edward.
One of the gifts from my colleagues was a set of ice cream bowls. Once the ice cream was in four bowls, I thought about trying to carry them all at once, but the bowls were too beautiful.
"Edward!" I shouted toward the door. He appeared in the kitchen what felt like the next second. "Help me with these."
"Sure thing." He scooped two bowls and the teaspoons, leading the way out of the kitchen.
In the living room, Edward sat on the couch and that left me with his beanbag. I was surprised that he sat next to them, but shrugged and turned to the beanbag when he grabbed my wrist.
"Where are you going?" He helped me on his lap, burrowing his face in my neck.
I gave him the ice cream, leaning against his chest. Then we explained everything that had happened and we remembered from the accident. Liz and Ed apologized for jumping to that conclusion – like Edward would hit me after what he's been through. I wanted to point out the obvious, but bit my lip and swallowed the retort.
By the time we changed the subject to the honeymoon, I had brought the ice cream box and was eating from there since no one else seemed to want more beside me. Who thought I'd like nuts so much?
Ed knew someone at an auto service and suggested that to Edward who said no one but specialists were going to look at his car. I didn't say anything, but I had a feeling we'd need that service because Volvo might want way too much money.
A week after our return, we started going back to our old routine, but I still missed the late mornings and doing nothing the whole day.
I was used to go to work with the underground, but Edward was a different story. Kyle started waiting for him close to the station at my work, picking him up, but when he couldn't come and no one else could get him, he had to go with the bus. He was acting like they were pulling his nails off him.
One day when I came home, I saw a whole week in the calendar with X over the days. He explained that he was counting down the days until he could drive. To which I reminded him that he had to repair the car first. The Volvo service gave him an outrageous amount to pay. They wanted to change things that we were sure weren't even broken. That ended up in talking to Ed's friend and on a windy Saturday, I drove the car from the Volvo service to that man's garage. It looked like a great business and I was sure they'd change what had to be changed and not every insignificant thing they thought it should be changed.
As September rolled by, I was again busy at work and even had a client that needed to use the insurance after having a fire at his apartment.
It was my first incident and I felt so lost, not knowing what to do. Derek helped me a lot and every time he told me something I knew but didn't think about it, I felt awful. In the end, I helped the client and was really proud of myself.
One morning, I woke up to a horrid smell coming from close by. My stomach turned and I groaned, opening my eyes.
"Good morning!" Edward said cheerfully, pushing a tray toward me. "Happy birthday!"
"What?" I croaked, trying not to breath through my nose.
He gave me a disbelieving look. "Did you forget your own birthday?"
"Uh…yeah."
He laughed, throwing his head back. "That's something I haven't heard of before. Well, I made you grilled cheese. I know you like it."
Cheese! That was the horrid smell. As if remembering about it, my stomach lurched and I made a sprint to the bathroom right on time to empty my stomach in the toilet. I'd probably eaten too many nuts last night. They usually made me sick.
"Bella?" Edward asked concerned, coming to me side.
I understood him in that second. I didn't want him anywhere near me when I was sick. But he crouched next to me, rubbing my back and catching my hair as I heaved again.
"Should I call Martha and tell her you're not going to work?"
"I'm going," I mumbled, gagging again. Fuck. I wasn't touching nuts ever again.
"But you're sick!" he insisted.
"Your cheese made me sick," I muttered, getting up to rinse my mouth, flushing the toilet on the way to the sink.
"My cheese? You love grilled cheese!"
"Not now."
"Are you PMSing?" he joked.
I turned to him, choking on the water in my mouth and ended up coughing. "It's the thirteenth!" I yelled, my heart slamming against my ribcage.
"Yeah, it's your birthday," he said slowly, eyeing me curiously.
"It's the fucking thirteenth! My period never came!"
I felt like hyperventilating. I was pulling at my hair and internally kicking myself.
Edward frowned at me, not really getting it. But he was a man. Why did I expect anything from him?
We hadn't used a condom at all on the honeymoon, except that one time and anal sex is not a reason to worry about pregnancy.
I didn't have to be a genius to realize what was going on.
"You're really pale. Are you going to be sick again?" he asked worried.
I moaned, falling against the sink as a sob escaped me. I wasn't ready for this. I didn't want this. Not yet. I wasn't mentally prepared for this.
"Bella, love, you're scaring me."
"Don't you get it?" I wailed, turning to him.
"What?" Edward asked, his brows knitting in the middle of his forehead.
I couldn't say the word. Not even think it. "I…we…never used a condom," I mumbled.
That's when he finally understood. I hadn't thought about it after realizing it in the pharmacy there. Until now.
His wide green eyes kept jumping from my face to my stomach to the toilet, until I became dizzy.
"Whoa! You're…uh…" He gulped audibly. "Are you sure?"
"What other proof do you need?" I mumbled, turning back to the sink to brush my teeth. I felt lifeless.
"Aren't you happy?" he asked after a few minutes of thinking.
"No." I hadn't even registered the word. I met his hurt gaze through the mirror. "I didn't mean that," I whispered, spitting the toothpaste and rinsing again. "Just…I'm not even sure."
"You just said that you don't need any more proof. Be serious, Bella. You don't really want this."
"I do! Just….it's so soon."
"I know," he whispered, coming closer and hugging me tightly. I sagged in his arms, allowing a fresh round of tears fall. "This thought scared you the last time too."
"We were in college back then," I reminded him, returning his hug.
"But it scared you nonetheless. Just like it does now." He was right. Of course, he was right. I was terrified.
"I don't know anything about this!"
"Do you really think anyone knows anything about this?" he asked skeptically. "But before we get ahead of ourselves…let's buy a test."
"Not now. I'm late for work," I blurted out, leaving the sanctuary of his arms. I looked toward the bed, and sighed before grabbing clothes.
Uh...so yes...I did that... I'm going to hide until Friday.
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