BPOV

About an hour after the biggest misunderstanding of all time, Edward lay wrapped around me on the couch. Gram and Mom went into the kitchen, where I could hear everything they yelled.

"I think the two of you should see a grief counselor," Gram suggested evenly.

"We're fine," Mom insisted.

"That in there, Renee, was not fine, Renee."

"This is the first time Bella has even really cried since… it happened. She's fine, Mom."

"Bella is like her father. She bottles it up. You and I both know how self-preserved that girl is."

"Don't talk about Charlie," she hissed. "You didn't approve of him; I know that, and he knew it too. You hated him because I stayed in Florida with him and didn't come back to you. I didn't know Bella called you."

"She called me because a Florida State Patrol showed up at her house telling her that her father had been killed and her mother was in critical condition. She was scared and no sixteen-year-old girl should have to go through that kind of pain. I love Bella, and I love you. Quit trying to place blame on me, Renee. I'm only trying to help you both," Gram said softly.

I took a deep breath, hating that I caused them to fight. I also hated the fact that I'd broken Edward. I glanced up at him, noticing he was staring back at me. We never lost focus on one another either. I wanted to know what he was thinking. Earlier had been a total disaster, and he had been so concerned about me. No one, other than my family, had ever been that concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Sorry," I said. "How do I sign it?"

I tugged at his fingers because he looked like he didn't understand. Edward let go of me so he could sit up.

"How do I say sorry?" I asked again.

"Sorry," he said making a fist bringing his right hand to his chest, and drew a circle with it.

I repeated his movement. "Sorry."

He grinned and leaned forward to kiss my head. Mom's voice started to rise from the kitchen, causing me to wince.

"I know what's best for me and Bella," she bellowed.

"What?" Edward asked, clearly seeing that I was getting upset again.

"My mom and Gram are fighting," I explained, hoping he understood.

He pulled me to him in a fierce hug. I guess that answered my question.

A knock came from the front door. Not knowing who it was, I got up and walked slowly to the door. I peeked through the curtains and saw Carlisle wave at me.

"Hey Bella," he smiled as I stood in the doorway.

"Hi Carlisle," I frowned.

"Your Gram called Esme at the hospital and said there was a bit of an incident."

Edward stood behind me, wrapping an arm around me.

"Hey kid," he said while signing.

I felt Edward nod.

"Um… the incident was kind of my fault. It was a misunderstanding," I murmured, feeling the embarrassment heat my cheeks.

"Mom, I'm not being forced into counseling. I'm doing better, and Bella is fine," Mom yelled again.

Carlisle tried looking around me and grimaced. When we heard Gram yelling back, and I sort of leaned further into Edward. He had no idea World War III was happening in the kitchen.

"How about you two come back to the house?" Carlisle suggested with a warm smile.

"I…" I looked behind us.

"I'm making pork chops and buttered potatoes. You can't say no to that," he said, playfully causing Edward to snort.

I turned my head up to look at him. He was smiling and nodded. With all of the yelling back and forth, I didn't bother telling Mom or Gram that I'd left. Carlisle pulled out his phone and reassured me that Mom would know where I was.

Once we got in the house, Edward left my side to go upstairs. Not knowing where to go, I followed Carlisle into the kitchen.

"He probably went to get the laptops," he shrugged.

"He has more than one?"

"His mother doesn't know how to sign so we have a chat program set up so he can communicate back and forth. It might come in handy for you as well," he mused, pulling the pork chops out of the fridge.

"How can I learn how to sign? I mean he said he can read lips, but I sometimes feel he doesn't understand me. He's been talking to me… I also want to talk to him, not at him," I explained fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

"So Edward has accused you of talking at him?" Carlisle asked with an amused grin.

"Yeah."

"You are right. He can read lips but has a tendency to get frustrated if he can't understand. Such as if someone is speaking too fast or is mumbling, it is hard for him to see what they're saying."

"Like the incident earlier," I sighed.

"What happened if I may ask?"

"Uh… we were walking home. You know about my dad, right?" I asked, unsure.

"Yes, your mom and Esme have filled me in," he smiled sadly, squeezing my hand lightly.

"Right," I nodded. "Well, Edward has been really great, and while we were walking, I realized I hadn't thought about my dad all day. I kind of had a really big meltdown right there, and Edward didn't know what was wrong… He carried me home and started freaking out because he didn't know what was wrong with me."

"I see," he said. "I want you to understand something; today was an accident of sorts. Edward is prone to having panic attacks, and from what Marie told Esme, I believe he was having a panic attack. Usually, the action of being hit or his mother triggers them. I guess what I'm trying to say is he cares for you, Bella. Seeing you in pain, whether it's physical or emotional, affects him too."

"I don't want him having a panic attack because of me, Carlisle," I cried.

He heaved a sigh, shaking his head. "This isn't your fault, kid."

My lip trembled. Dad always called me "kid". I watched Carlisle wipe his hands on the towel thrown over his shoulder. He came around the island and hugged me. I cried into his shoulder, feeling like a big baby.

"It's okay to cry, Bella," he murmured.

I shook my head, "I really miss my Dad," I sniffled.

"And that is okay," he said, poking my nose.

"I better stop before Edward comes in."

Speak of the devil, Edward walked into the room with his laptops stacked in his arms. One look at my face, he rushed over to me and placed the laptops on the island. He cupped my face with both of his hands, using his thumbs to brush my tears away.

"I'm good," I insist, looking into his worried green eyes.

He shook his head at me, reaching around his back to grab the laptops and began setting them up. Carlisle looked between us, announcing that the pork chops needed to thaw a little more, and made himself scarce.

"Talk to me," Edward said across from me.

His computer was set up directly across from the one I had.

Comp 2 Guest: I'm sorry about earlier.

E: What happened?

Comp 2 Guest: I was thinking about my dad.

E: You miss him.

Comp 2 Guest: I do.

E: If you can, can you please talk to me about it before scaring me like that?

This caused my head to snap up and gawk at him. He looked a little angry and a lot scared.

Comp 2 Guest: I'm sorry.

E: That's a word we both use frequently.

Comp 2 Guest: It is.

I played around with the settings changing Comp 2 Guest to B. It felt like he was talking to the computer and not me or something.

E: What are you doing?

B: Nothing.

I smiled when he came around the counter and stood in front of me.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, brushing the back of his hand against my cheek.

"Yes," I beamed, biting my lip.

Well, I wasn't biting it for long, seeing as though Edward tugged my bottom lip between his teeth. After that, I was completely lost in him. His tongue met mine, and that was it.

"Hmm," I hummed against his lips.

A throat cleared and that made me stop quickly. Edward pulled back, frowning, not knowing why I stopped. Carlisle nudged him as he walked past us, shaking his head.

"No," he said, squinting his eyes at us.

I buried my face in Edward's shoulder to hide my embarrassment. I felt Edward pull away and watched as he signed to Carlisle. It was weird that they were having a private conversation in front of me. Esme was good at talking and signing, so I didn't feel left out, but these two didn't want me to know what they were talking about. Edward seemed irritated, and Carlisle looked like he was amused while pushing his buttons.

That's pretty much how the rest of dinner went. Carlisle did start talking and signing, though, Edward did as well. I was surprised, but Carlisle looked extremely shocked to see him interact like this.

After we ate, we opted to watch another movie. Edward was definitely catching on that I'd fall asleep if I was comfortable watching a movie. He brought blankets down, and we snuggled on the couch.

"Hands where I can see them," Carlisle pointed at us.

I felt my cheeks heat.

Halfway through Fast Five, Esme came home and cuddled close to Carlisle on the big leather chair. My eyes started to drift closed as Edward rubbed my back.

"They are so cute," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

"I had to lay down the law when I caught them making out," he whispered back.

"You're going to have to talk to him," she sighed.

Their conversation started to become fuzzy, and I'm pretty sure I was sleeping or dreaming it. I think I heard a light knock on the door.

"Did she talk about what happened?" Mom asked.

Was she here? My eyes were so tired and Edward was so warm and comfy.

"NeNe, she talked a little, but she heard you and Marie," Carlisle said.

I felt someone brushing my hair out of my face.

"Edward was distraught when he brought her in. It's like he's her protector now," Mom sighed.

"I've never seen him like this with anyone," Esme added. "He is gentle with her."

"Am I a terrible mom if I don't want to wake her?"

"We'll sleep down here tonight if you want to keep her here," she said.

"I'll have my mom bring over her clothes for school."

I woke up with the sun in my eyes as it peeked through the curtains. Edward was still asleep, and I could feel something digging into my thigh. It kind of hurt so I tried to shift, which caused him to grunt. It was getting really close to my… down there. I lifted the blanket to look, seeing it was him.

"Oh," I squeaked.

I carefully tried to get up, but Edward was holding me, and he was so close to… down there. I didn't know what to do. He was sleeping. Could that get like that when he slept?

"God," I huffed.

I shimmied out eventually, just about running to the kitchen where Carlisle was making breakfast.

"Good morning," he smiled.

"Morning," I sighed. "You like to cook, huh?"

"My mom forced me to learn. Might as well share my pain."

"Esme doesn't cook."

"That's why she keeps me around," he teased.

I giggled because Carlisle was super funny.

"So I slept over."

"Your Mom didn't want to wake you. Mae and I slept down here too. She's getting ready for work. Your bag is in the living room if you want to get ready for school."

"Thank you," I replied meekly.

"Bella, we love you. You're a good kid, and if you ever need to talk, we're here for you. Always remember that," he said sincerely.

"I will," I nodded.

I ate the omelet Carlisle made and then went to get my stuff so I could get ready for school. Edward was still conked out on the couch. I hurried to get my shower and clothes on. I knew Emmett would be at my house soon to pick me up.

I opened the bathroom door to Edward, pouting out his lips to me. I stood on my tippy toes to give him a kiss. Of course, he deepened it, leaving me panting when he pulled away.

Little did I know that this would become a pattern for us over the next few weeks.

A/N: Now to get things moving along… Your thoughts, please? This was beta'd by Dolphin62598 and lizconno they are truly the best!