Happy Sunday folks! So many death warrants out for Carlisle! (hehehe) Remind me to never piss ya'll off!

So let's see how Bella's doing…. this is long. naturally. hahaha

I Care For You- Aaliyah

~~oo~~

Chapter 34: What to do…What to do…

BPOV

House clean: CHECK

Cinnamon bread in the oven: CHECK

Frosting made: CHECK times two. I made two batches.

Charlie absorbed in Game whatever: CHECK

Phone charged: CHECK

Waiting for phone to ring….

CHECK. For hours now.

I didn't know whether Edward was the kind of person to sleep in on Sunday. Or maybe he went to church. I shook my head at that one. I doubted he did.

But then again, with a dad like Dr. Cullen, maybe they were deeply religious.

He thought Edward had a lot of sins in his life.

I tried to ignore the uncooperative phone and rearranged the baking cupboard.

I was running low on baking powder.

List made: CHECK.

Old ingredients tossed: CHECK

Dishes done, counters and cabinets wiped down, floor mopped, laundry done: CHECK CHECK CHECK CHECK

What to do, what to do.

My homework was done, except what we had left to do for Biology. I wondered how FC was doing at the Cullens. Edward would have a lot of journaling to do. Maybe that's what he was doing and not calling me.

Or sleeping in.

It was only eleven-thirty.

"Whatcha baking?"

I turned to find Charlie rummaging around the refrigerator.

"Some cinnamon cake," I said, laughing when I saw him rub at his stomach.

"Is that what's for lunch?" he asked, hopeful.

"No," I teased and helped to pull out the makings for sandwiches.

It was becoming clear that Edward wouldn't come over at lunchtime. I was silent as I made Charlie and I sandwiches, wondering if maybe I should call Edward.

It wouldn't be too forward right?

Maybe he got sidetracked.

Maybe he got scared.

Maybe…

"Is Edward coming over today?"

I shrugged and checked my phone again.

"Quit pouting and just call him," Charlie grumbled and took his plate from me, pretending to scowl.

I shoved him out of the kitchen, turning back to my phone while Charlie laughed all the way back to the living room. I hated that Charlie thought it was funny.

I waited until I had finished one half of my sandwich before I called.

Straight to voicemail.

Huh.

I hung up before the beep, not wanting to look eager.

Even though I was.

I had planned out the day.

Charlie always snoozed from his three or four beers and slow game time around three o'clock. It was the best time for making out without getting interrupted. But if Edward didn't hurry, Charlie would be asleep and I'd be alone. Or worse, Charlie would stay up to harass us, energized by new entertainment of his daughter's nervous boyfriend.

So I called again, leaving a quick message about meeting up today.

And then I texted.

Just one time. Just in case he was screening his calls.

When Edward didn't text me back, I reluctantly went back to the baking.

The cake had cooled enough for me to start icing it. My favorite little trick with my cinnamon cake was to spear holes into it so the icing slipped into it. I sat there with my wooden spoon, poking holes into the spongy bread.

I may have imagined myself as some vampire killer once or twice.

What are you going to think about when you have a wooden spoon in your hand as you stab at something?

I had to entertain myself somehow.

I was bored and I needed something to make me forget my current alone status.

The icing made me ponder what it would taste like flavoured with Edward.

Or on me. Edward did say I tasted sweet yesterday.

Yes, I saved some of the second batch of icing.

Just in case Edward showed up.

I knew we were supposed to behave. I knew I'd chicken out. But it was good to be prepared.

I was slicing up the cake into bite size squares when I heard the knock at the door. Glancing at the clock, I grinned.

It wasn't even one yet.

Charlie might still fall asleep.

"I'll get it!" Charlie hollered. I rushed to get the icing off my fingers so I could get to the door before Charlie. I didn't really need him scaring Edward.

We both got to the door at the same time; his grin wicked at the prospect of tormenting Edward. I rolled my eyes at him as he reached for the door. We both froze when the door opened to reveal a person we didn't expect.

"Chief Swan. Bella."

Creepy Dr. Cullen was smiling down at us.

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie finally managed, extending his hand.

Carlisle took it and shook my dad's hand while eyeing me warily.

"I'm sorry to come over unannounced, but I wanted to see if we might have a word, in private," he said, still looking at me.

I was immediately on guard.

Edward had only touched on how his dad felt about his issues.

I knew he didn't have a positive view of Edward.

Or me.

"Is this about Edward?" I asked as he stepped inside.

"Yes, it is," Dr. Cullen replied, all too casual.

"Then I should hear about it too, then," I replied, my chin tilting up slightly when I noticed Dr. Cullen's jaw twitch.

It was a Cullen trait I knew well.

"This is something between your father and I, dear," he maintained.

Charlie glanced at me, his face in the stoic manner that had made him the Chief in the first place.

"With all due respect, Dr. Cullen," Charlie interjected. "Anything that has to do with my daughter, she has a right to hear."

That didn't seem to please the good doctor, who looked down at me like I was an annoyance.

"Very well," he murmured. "It's best she knows."

I clenched my fists as we made our way to the living room, Dr. Cullen settling into the sofa with some dignified presence of a royal. I slid onto the arm of Charlie's Lazyboy after he had sat down, the two of us watching Dr. Cullen carefully.

Dr. Cullen cleared his throat and looked straight at Charlie, effectively ignoring me.

"I'm here to apologize for my son, and anything that he may have done with your daughter," he started.

I felt Charlie stiffen beside me.

I was simply shocked.

"Edward hasn't done anything to me!" I exclaimed, feeling myself come up off the arm of the chair a little before Charlie pulled me back down gently.

He looked seriously at Dr. Cullen, who seemed to be so calm sitting there.

"What exactly do you mean, Dr. Cullen?" Charlie asked, much calmer than I was. "I've met your boy. He's a good kid."

Dr. Cullen shook his head and looked down at his hands.

"I'm afraid he's a very troubled boy, Chief. And I want to make sure he doesn't do anything to Bella that would end up hurting her."

"Hurting me?" I asked, still shocked. "He would never do that."

"Bella," Charlie said quietly. "Let Dr. Cullen speak and then we can decide."

Dr. Cullen's smile tipped up a little smugly at Charlie's comment before he continued.

"I'm not sure how much Edward has explained of his history, if anything," he started.

"He told me everything," I said defiantly.

I felt Charlie's hand on my arm, silencing me.

"I haven't heard yet, Bella," he whispered, now very serious.

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. I didn't want Charlie to learn like this. From a man Edward feared and didn't trust. I still didn't understand it all.

But I knew I didn't want to learn about Edward's past in this way.

"I don't think this is fair to Edward to have his past laid out like this, Dad," I said. "He told me about his past, I am sure he would tell you as well, if it were your business to know."

Dr. Cullen looked at me in surprise.

"I think the Chief's daughter's well being is his business."

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie interrupted. "Unless Edward is a felon or emotionally unstable, I trust my daughter's assessment of her friends."

"Edward is unstable."

Charlie straightened in his chair again.

"What do you mean?" he asked warily, glancing at me.

"He is not unstable," I replied heatedly. "He was abused, and suffers from that. But you think he's worse."

I stared hard at Dr. Cullen.

"Is that what he told you? That he's a victim?" he asked, laughing in disbelief.

I stood up and held my hands by my waist, clenched tight.

"What else do you call a boy who is forced to engage in inappropriate touching by a grown woman, Dr. Cullen?" I breathed. "Did she ever get questioned? Or charged?"

Charlie was standing beside me suddenly at the mention of force.

"Wait a minute," he warned and stood between us. "He was abused? What does she mean, Dr. Cullen?"

Dr. Cullen was standing as well, straightening out his suit, looking a little frustrated.

I was sure he didn't think Edward would tell me everything.

He didn't really know Edward.

"That is a matter for the family, Chief. And it was dealt with, I can assure you. I wanted to just let you know that I intend on keeping my son away from your daughter," he said. "For her safety. And I would appreciate your help."

"What happened last night when he got home?" I pressed. "He's not answering his phone. Did you say something to him? He was happy when he dropped me off last night."

Dr. Cullen pressed his lips together and looked down at me critically.

Like he was assessing me.

Did he think that Edward had done something to me?

"I simply told him I didn't think it was a good idea, what he was doing with you," he replied, his eyes cold.

"He's not doing anything with me. You're blowing this out of proportion," I argued.

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie interrupted. "I'll take it into consideration. But my daughter is eighteen. She can make her own decisions about whom her friends are. I can't stop her from that."

I watched as the good doctor almost sneered at me as he smiled and shook Charlie's hand.

"I couldn't in good conscience leave it silent," he replied as he moved towards the door. "My son is very troubled, Chief. I am just looking out for your daughter."

"Thank you," Charlie replied simply.

Dr. Cullen paused at the open door, looking back at me again.

"I really think this is best for you, Bella," he said, his voice suddenly sympathetic. "I love Edward, but he needs help."

"He's not what you think," I said, standing firm in my beliefs.

After yesterday, I knew.

Edward could change with the right help.

"I've been around him a little longer than you have, dear," he said, mocking. "Have a good day. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

Charlie said his goodbyes and leaned against the door, eyes closed.

"Bella, please tell me Edward isn't some serial killer or rapist."

"Of course not, Dad!" I huffed and dug around to find my shoes.

"Where are you going?"

I shoved my feet in quickly and grabbed my keys.

"I'm going over to see if Edward is okay," I replied.

"Bella," he said, the cop coming out. I turned on him to stare him down.

He looked worried.

"Dad, he's a good guy," I said. "He was abused and I seriously doubt that woman got charged. How about you look into that, instead of judging him based on Creepy Dr. Cullen. I told you how weird Dr. Cullen was. Edward deserves people on his side."

"Bells, I just can't see Dr. Cullen lying about something like that," he argued and followed me towards my truck. "He's a doctor."

"So was Hannibal Lecter."

He groaned and shook his head at me holding my door closed for a moment.

"Bells, what if he is right? You only just met this boy."

"You are friends with Mrs. Cullen," I replied. "Ask her. She was the only one that seems to care about Edward. Dad, please just trust me on this. Believe me, if he was some freak, he had plenty of opportunity to take advantage of me."

"What does that mean?" he asked warily.

I huffed at how easily I could open up to Charlie.

"It means he's been a gentleman when he could have been like his pervert brother," I shot back.

He watched as I slid into my truck and started the engine.

"I don't want you to stay there too long, Bells," he warned.

"Please don't be another person that makes him out to be bad, Dad," I pleaded. "I'll be home as soon as I can. I just want to make sure he's okay."

I pulled out, pushing my old truck to the limit to get to the Cullen home on the other side of town. I couldn't stop thinking about what Dr. Cullen had said. He all but admitted that he didn't believe Edward.

What kind of parents turned their backs on their child?

Even if Edward was adopted, he deserved parents to look after him.

I had parents that were divorced, and still my parents cared about me more than themselves.

I had no idea just how much support Edward really had.

But I was pissed that Dr. Cullen would even think to come and tell Charlie about Edward's past. Wasn't that a breach of doctor and patient confidence?

Everything about this made me mad beyond measure.

So much so that when I pulled up to the Cullens, I had to sit back and breathe deeply to contain my anger.

I hoped I didn't have to deal with anyone like Emmett when I knocked.

So when I knocked on the door, I was relieved for a moment when I saw it was Mrs. Cullen.

That relief died when I saw that she had been crying.

"Hello, Bella," she said, offering me a watery smile.

"I need to see Edward," I replied, short on introductions.

She nodded and motioned me inside, closing the door quietly behind me.

"He hasn't come out of his room since last night," she said, directing me towards the stairs.

I looked back at her and could feel the anger bubbling up again.

"What did he say to Edward? And how did he think coming to my house to tell my dad about him would help?" I said, quiet so that only she could hear.

Mrs. Cullen's eyes widened in shock.

"I didn't know Carlisle would do that! I am so sorry," she said and reached for me.

I shook my head and took a step up to avoid her.

"I'm here for Edward, Mrs. Cullen. I don't want to be rude and argue about how Edward needed someone to do this for him when that woman did what she did," I replied and started up the stairs.

"Did Edward tell you what happened?" she asked as she followed me up the stairs.

"Yes," I replied simply.

"Everything?"

I stopped at the top of the first landing and turned on her.

"Does it matter?" I asked. "He needs someone to believe him and trust him. What did his dad do to him?"

Mrs. Cullen looked away and I could tell she was crying again.

"He should have never treated him," she whispered.

"He had a good day yesterday, Mrs. Cullen," I said sadly. "Whatever made him upset happened here after he came home."

"You are absolutely right," she whispered. She swallowed and pointed up towards the next floor. "He won't answer for me. Maybe he will for you. He trusts you."

I left her on the landing of the third floor, walking to the end of the hall to the closed door.

"Edward?" I called as I knocked. I could hear movement on the other side, relief spreading out through my body.

I knocked again, hoping he would open it quickly.

It was too awkward to be standing there outside his door with his mother watching me from the end of the hall. I was about to knock again when the door cracked open, revealing a dishevelled and half naked Edward.

"Can I come in?" I asked quietly.

He glanced past me and frowned.

"Did someone call you?" he asked, his voice rough like he had just woken up.

"No," I replied. "Can I please come in?"

He stepped behind the door and opened it wide enough so that I could slide in, closing it as soon as I cleared it. I didn't give him any time before I was pulling him close, wrapping my arms around him to hold him tight. His body enfolded around mine, his lips moving to find my jaw, trailing along it until his nose was buried in my hair.

I felt him moving us into his room, but I didn't care where he might be moving.

I could feel the intensity of his need to hold me in his strong arms.

I felt his bed against my back as we fell into it, his body pulling away slightly so that I could finally see him. He was in just his sleep pants, his hair a mess and dark circles under his eyes. The stubble on his face was thicker than I had ever seen.

"Hi," I whispered, looking up into his dark eyes.

"Hi," he murmured, his fingertips tracing over my cheeks.

I pulled him back down over me, feeling him sigh as he nestled in against me.

It didn't matter what happened outside his room.

Whether his mother would worry over me in his room, or that his dad would arrive home to find me here.

This is what mattered.

This was what was good and right.

This is what we needed.

~~oo~~

AN: sigh... what a great girlfriend…and… she's in his bedroom… oh yeah.

Thanks a million for all the love and pimpage! You guys are the best!

More tomorrow!

MWAH!

steph