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Chapter 7

I get to be the one.

JJ Heller.

BPOV

"Feeling better, Bella?" Esme asked me from where she was seated in the passenger seat by Rosalie, up front.

I nodded frantically, moving my freshly non-casted arm for the motion. She turned, and her smile grew at the sight. I was happy to make her happy. I was also happy because my six weeks of confinement were completely up. As much as I loved being home with Edward all the time, I had never imagined what it would be like to be with him and not be able to properly move. That was almost awful, and slightly torturous.

It didn't make it any better that Rosalie had to visit.

Rosalie. Mother. Mom. I didn't even know what to call her. I was suddenly thankful that I didn't have to speak, because then I would have to had faced that conflict seriously. I didn't know what to do, other than tolerate her. I knew that in her position, that I would have considered doing what she did. Although I probably wouldn't have, but she was always far more gutsy than I. I decided that it was only right for me to not hate her. It was the least I could do, especially since I couldn't ever tell her how I seriously felt.

She was thrilled. And so, when she went home about two weeks after that first stay, she called back with news. She, and her husband, Emmett, had decided to transfer to Washington. At first, I didn't know what to think. She was so happy to be back in my life, but I didn't know what to think of her to begin with. Once she arrived, thrilled and overly excited about everything, I decided that it was for the best. I finally had an adult in my life, that I wasn't kissing behind closed doors, that I could pretend that I would talk to if I were capable of talking to people. This almost thrilled me.

I smiled at them again, as I realized that it had faltered with my deep thoughts. Instead, I looked at Edward, who was grinning and looking out the window. He was completely wide-eyed, taking everything in as if it were new and fresh. He had been just as locked in the house as I had, so I'm sure he felt the same feeling of exhilaration as I did.

Esme had treated us all to dinner. Dr. Cullen, who insisted that I think of him as Carlisle, sat on the other side of Edward. Esme said that it was his idea for us to go out and celebrate. I had gotten to know the pair a little bit better during my bed-rest. They were so giving, and parental, if that made any sense. I didn't mind having them around. Esme reminded me of the mother that I never got to have. Carlisle was truly a dad, and Charlie had only ever been what I could have called a 'father', on his good days. I had already come to love them.

We had just left the restaurant, after leaving the hospital. I was excited to get home. To sleep in any position I wanted. I sighed, relaxing back in my seat. Edward was suddenly yawning, pulling the age-old 'yawn-and-somehow-put-your-arm-around-the-girl' move. I didn't care that it was cheesy, and discrete. Instead, I leaned into his side and closed my eyes, letting him sort-of hold me.

"Uh, hey, Edward." Rosalie's voice sounded almost picked from in front of me. I slowly pulled my eyes open, turning to look at Edward, who looked confused.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his brow coming together.

"Do you know the people behind us by any chance?" Her voice was shaking as she spoke. "Don't turn...I think the girl's watching you...um. I've been circling for a little bit, and they've followed the entire time."

"What the hell?" Edward muttered, and feigned that he was yawning again. I watched his face flicker to the side, and he said something incoherent to Carlisle. His eyes were on the car behind us. Slowly, he turned and looked straight ahead.

"Do you know them?" Esme had even managed to sound nervous. I had never thought that she was the type to panic. "Or...was there a reason that you're her bodyguard and not her nanny?"

"Charlie and Renee just said that they weren't going to risk anything. They never mentioned even the possibility of a threat." He mumbled and I frowned, suddenly praying that I wasn't putting any of them at risk.

"Well, they won't stop!" Rosalie practically cried and I shook my head.

"Don't worry...take a left this time. Maybe we can lose them." Edward offered. "Does anyone know of a caucasion male, blonde hair, possibly up in a ponytail, who is with a wild-read-headed woman?"

"No," Esme spoke first, and Carlisle agreed with her.

"Neither do I." Rosalie concluded.

I just shook my head at him.

"Well, then, it looks like they're following us for sure." Edward grumbled and then looked at me. "Get the plates, Bells. I know you won't forget." He grabbed my hand supportively and I felt my jaw drop. How did he know that I didn't forget anything? Slowly, a slight grin took over my face. My brain slapped it away before doing as he asked. I carefully looked over my shoulder and caught the front of the plates. The small code was quickly engraved in my brain. I nodded securely at Edward and he smiled.

"Good job, Belle. I've never been more grateful for idiots who put their plates on the front of their car." He joked lightly, probably attempting to lighten the mood.

"You have a photographic memory, Bella?" Carlisle asked and I nodded. "You know, if you'd get those lips moving, you could make a great doctor. She definitely has the heart for it."

"Carlisle, honey, as right as you are...let's focus on the situation at hand." Esme murmured and he shrugged.

I was a bit flattered that he paid that much attention to me. And looking at Edward...he paid even more. How in the world did he pick up on my memory? I knew my grades were great but normal brains can get straight A's as well. It felt off, having someone know more than my formal first name. I liked the feeling though.

"Okay, Rosalie. Let's just go back to Bella's, instead of dropping people off. She has the best security and then I can confront them if they stop." He reassured us all, and I watched as he reached into the bottom his pant-leg and pulled out a handgun. My eyes grew wide, not having expected him to keep a gun on him. He turned the safety off and slowly turned to look at me. "Sorry. I have to keep one on me. I am a bodyguard, after all."

We finally got to my house with the car still on our tail. I watched in the quiet as Rosalie pulled in and we all took our time getting out. The car slowed down, but didn't stop as we had expected. I pursed my lips, looking away. Edward wrapped an arm protectively around me, murmuring something to everyone ahead of us about how I was most-likely the target. I practically cowered into him, playing along as if I were actually scared.

I was desperate for the closeness.

When we got in, we all went and sat at the dining-room table. I looked around, finding it funny that the last time I was there was when my 'mother' was 'ruining my life'. It turned out that everything in that thought was wrong, as she was not my mother and my life had practically been saved. I smiled at that very thought, happy that I had what resembled a family.

A girl could pretend, right?

"Why in the world are you smiling?" Rosalie gasped and I shook my head.

"You know, Rosalie, this was where Renee and Charlie told Bella that they were leaving." Edward pointed out, speaking my thoughts for me. I smiled at him.

"And that's a happy thought because..."

"Because, without that you wouldn't have came back, I wouldn't have met Bella, Esme and Carlisle never would have. It brought us together." He continued and slowly a grin took over Rosalie's upset face. She was clearly stressed over all of this. I was happy to see her smiling again.

"Oh...well."

"Oh! Bella, Charlie called." Edward informed me, putting his hand over my forearm. I looked questioningly at him. "He and Renee are coming in for Thanksgiving."

I felt my heart drop. No Edward on Thanksgiving? I didn't know what to think of my parents. I didn't even really consider them my parents. I didn't consider Rosalie a parent. I sighed, letting my eyes flutter closed at the thought. I didn't want to see any of them. Edward squeezed my forearm reassuringly. That was when I felt another warm hand over mine. I opened my eyes to see Rosalie gazing at me softly.

I was suddenly curious about whether she was going to stay or not. I almost wanted her to. It was better than spending another silent Thanksgiving eating Renee's crap-turkey. The woman was an awful cook and she refused to let me in the kitchen. I knew that she thought I was a handicap, she never could see otherwise. That was all a part of my personal frustration with the situation.

They all thought that I was mentally ill.

"I'll stay, if you want?" Her voice was almost questioning. I could hear the insecurity in it. She wanted to stay. Day after day I was reminded that Rosalie wanted to have everything to do with me. The idea was slowly growing on me, but I couldn't find it in me to ever call her 'mom'.

My brain reminded me that I would never get to that point if I couldn't simply let her stay for a holiday. In return, I slowly nodded my head at her.

"Good...I really wanted to." She giggled nervously, her voice almost going up an octave.

"Okay, well, I think that Mom and Dad could drive safely home. You can take my Guardian instead of the Jeep, if you want." Edward offered his parents after a bit of thought. Esme nodded in agreement, reminding him of their top-security as well. I could see that fear was holding Edward back, but that he agreed for their sake. "If someone is following you again, call the police and don't stop or get out of the car. Okay?"

"Absolutely." Esme walked over and wrapped her arms around Edward's shoulders, resting her chin on top of his messy head of hair. Edward let out a chuckle and visibly relaxed into her embrace. I couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Be safe, Bella." Carlisle walked over and held out his arms. I felt my eyes dart around a bit before I finally processed that he wanted me to hug him. Slowly, I stood up onto my wobbly legs and wrapped my arms around his waist.

The hug was gentle at first, but it didn't take long for my arms to act on their own accord. I never had the option to hug many people before. My arms tightened immediately and he chuckled, murmuring something about how everything would be okay. I finally understood the father-son bond that he had with Edward. He rubbed my back soothingly and it made things feel as if everything was alright.

"Shh, don't cry." He breathed before I had even heard the hiccup that came from my throat. "What's the matter, Bella?"

"Bella?" Edward asked, his voice half-panicked. I turned my face, so that my cheek was pressed against Carlisle's warm chest. Edward was face-to-face with me, his green eyes burning with concern and love. I couldn't help but shoot him a shaky smile, my lips still quivering from the unexpected smile.

"Emotions just aren't your thing yet, are they, Belle?" He chuckled and I shrugged, not sure what to say. It was all very new to me. He smiled, running his hand through my long hair. "Yeah," he began speaking to the group. "She's just getting tired."

"Alright," Carlisle breathed, pulling back at shoulder's length. "You can text Esme and I whenever you want. If you guys need anything, we're here for you."

"Absolutely!" Esme smiled, coming over and kissing me quickly on the forehead. I smiled half-halfheartedly at her as she took my hand into both of hers. "I had a lovely time tonight with you all."

"Thanks for the dinner," Rosalie spoke, adding her two cents. "You guys are great people."

"Keep us updated, son," Carlisle said again before they both made their way out the garage door, probably going to take Edward's Mercedes Guardian.

Bullet-proof.

"Alright, well, I think I'm just going to go double check the house. Why don't you get your things out so that we can work on some more of your assignments?" Edward sighed, rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when he was stressed. I nodded and went over to grab my bag.

Rosalie helped clear the table and I began pulling my billions of textbooks out. I sat them on the table with dull thuds and then looked up at my sister. Having a doctor and a genius looking after me was always a good thing, especially after missing so much school. Edward had gone up to the school and made sure that I had all of my work caught up ahead of time. They made sure that I was on track and that when I returned, I wouldn't be missing a thing. If anything, I was more ahead than all of the normal kids who never did any work to begin with.

I opened my bio text book, knowing that Rosalie enjoyed the subject the most. She loved science, which made sense as she went into medicine. Edward walked back in and sat down on one side of me, while Rosalie took her seat on the other side. I smiled sheepishly at Edward before pointing at the part about cellular mitosis. I already knew all that there was for me to know about meiosis and mitosis, but I still liked listening to Edward read, and I was already ahead of my class. His velvet voice began flowing and I sat back, attempting to relax.

"Alright, so, what phase does this look like?" He asked, pointing at one that was clearly prophase.

I frowned, realizing that I couldn't answer him out loud. It was a common obstacle, but that didn't stop it from hitting me like a ton of bricks every time I had to face it. I sighed softly and pointed at the word prophase on the page.

"Good!" He smiled encouragingly, although it wasn't making me feel any better.

"You already know this, don't you?" Rosalie asked, her bitch brow shooting up. I pursed my lips and shrugged at her.

"Bella! Why didn't you tell me?" Edward laughed and I giggled. He sighed, shaking his head dramatically before pulling my hand into his. "You're smarter than you're letting us think."

"She was always a braniac. I remember she was talking before she was even 7 months old. She was so small and already knew how to speak." Rosalie smiled and I shrugged, not totally sure what to do.

"Yeah. I'm surprised nobody has snatched her up." Edward gave me a look that was almost ironic. I felt my cheeks grow warm. My heart had been snatched up. Edward had ripped it out of my chest and marked it as his, permanently. "Smart, beautiful, and loaded."

"All of the men in this town are idiots, Edward. I can personally attest to that." Rosalie's voice was nothing but honest that time. "You and Carlisle are the nicest guys that I have ever met from Forks."

"We're actually from Chicago." Edward laughed and Rosalie shook her head at him.

"See!" She laughed and he nodded, smiling at her. I felt my smile falter at the sight. They could laugh together.

"Alright, then, I guess we should move on to my specialty! Calculus!" Edward chuckled, knowing that the subject of math all together wasn't my thing.

"I'm going to go finish house-hunting." Rosalie smiled, lifting up her laptop case.

Rosalie and her husband, Emmett, had made an agreement to just move to Forks. Rosalie was staying with us while Emmett arranged the move. According to Rose, he was very muscular and tall, and moving an entire house, and not just the things inside, would have been a piece of cake for him. I smiled at the thought of some giant, picking up a house and just dropping it on Forks. It made the entire aspect of being closer to Rosalie a bit more amusing.

I turned back to Edward, when I realized that I had completely zoned out on him. He was still going over some process and I found myself utterly lost when my eyes met the sheet of numbers. Once his voice stopped, I slowly brought my eyes to meet his green ones. He was smiling and I could just see that he was waiting for something to click in my head. Knowing that, I began shaking my head at him. He sighed, laughing and shaking his head back.

"You weren't even listening?"

I just nodded.

"Good lord, girl. How am I supposed to teach you anything when you're so busy with other things?" He asked me, his eyes showing that he was only joking.

"Fine. Alright. You're caught up in everything else, and I find it hard to believe that even the kids who do show up do their work." He smiled at me. "We can work on this tomorrow."

"So, Miss Swan, what would you like to do?" He asked me, a grin on his face. I felt my own smile grow bigger, taking over my cheeks. Without thinking, I scooted over towards him and placed my hands on his knees, for support. I pushed myself up so that I could press my lips softly to his. He reacted immediately, moving his own with mine, sending a rush of warmth through me. He pulled back, his eyes lit with happiness. "I see."

I nodded.

"Here," Edward whispered, scooting his chair closer so that our legs were touching, windowing each other. "Better?"

I nodded all but frantically.

"Good. Kiss me, girl." He pulled me close, kissing me again. I wasn't one to deny Edward of anything. Especially kisses. He sighed, breaking the kiss with another sigh. "We should talk for a moment."

I lifted an eyebrow, just as I had seen Rose do, and he smiled. "I'll talk. You listen and give your little gestures as input. Okay?" He asked and I nodded, giggling. "You can giggle more, if you want."

I couldn't not giggle.

"This weekend, your parents want me to go home. You know, spend the holiday with my parents." He explained and I nodded slowly, wishing that he could have stayed. I wanted him to.

"Um, but...now...after all of that...I'm really not sure as to what I want to do. I would hate to leave you here. Especially with all of the pure selfishness." He placed his hand above my knee, rubbing my legs reassuringly. "I don't trust them with you. You have my heart you know. I could never trust them with that."

I smiled. He had my heart too.

"But...I mean, if Emmett were here...he's an officer too, so I guess I could trust him and Rose. I know you don't totally yet, but they are good people. Rosalie really just made a mistake when she was younger, and then took her time living up to the responsibility and consequences." He continued, and I smiled at him. I knew that he was doing the best that he could. He had his family and I had mine. I wasn't going to keep him from seeing his mom and dad on Thanksgiving.

"Hey, Bella, I think I found a house right next doo-" Rosalie called, walking in to find us seated so close, Edward rubbing my legs comfortingly. She froze in her spot, her eyes widening. I felt my face grow warm and slowly pushed my chair back. "I'm sorry! I ju-"

"Don't apologize." Edward patted my leg. "I'm going to go pack my stuff. I'll see you two in a little bit."

"Packing?" Rosalie whispered to me, once he was out of earshot, her eyes confused.

I nodded towards the decorative cornucopia in the middle of the table. I was trying to remind her of the holiday coming up. She slowly looked at it and then realization donned on her face. She nodded, quickly walking over and placing herself where Edward had been.

"So, I found a place like...just down the road. We could be neighbors!"

I smiled softly at her, not sure what to do.

The night flew by, much to my disappointment. I didn't want to see Edward go, but I knew that I didn't have that much of a choice when it came down to it. I didn't think that my family would let me impose on Edward's thanksgiving, even if they thought that it was just for safety precaution and that the Cullens would want me there. There was just no way that things could openly work out.

When it came time for Edward to leave, I walked over and wrapped my arms securely around his waist. He rocked me back and forth, slowly and lovingly. I fought the tears that were trying to get loose as he promised to return Saturday night, before Charlie and Renee left for their trip again. I knew that he would keep his promise, but that didn't hold back the fact that I was hurting over it.

I missed him before he walked out the door.

"You guys are close." Rosalie whispered when I walked back into the house, swiping uncomfortably at my eyes.

I nodded. Closer than she thought.

"Don't worry. He'll be back, and we'll survive this. Charlie and Renee can't be that bad."

They were so much worse. Again, she had no idea!

"So, I was thinking that since we had half an hour, we could just hang our and start unpacking the food and setting it out?" She offered and I nodded in agreement. We only had one day until Thanksgiving, and I knew that I wanted to be as ready as possible.

I was too used to last-minute, rushed holidays with Renee. She never did well. She was so used to me doing my own thing that she forgot that holidays were supposed to be her job. We didn't even have Thanksgiving the year before. I was thrilled to celebrate with Rosalie.

We went into the huge kitchen and begin collecting all of the food that we were going to use. I could tell that she wasn't a natural in the kitchen, as she was pivoting, double-glancing, and changing her mind frequently. I was used to taking charge in that room of the house and found myself showing her how to use the electric can-opener and where all of the things were kept. She caught on quickly and seemed almost excited to be helping me.

Once we have what we would need for stuffing sitting out, I began going through step-by-step instructions on how to make it. Her brown eyes showed a certain amount of eagerness behind them. I knew that it was less about the stuffing, and a bit more about the fact that I hadn't shut down and hid in my room as soon as Edward left her with me. I wasn't that bad of a person – just more of an introvert. Not that I could have told her that. I frowned into the bowl of bred that I was attempting to shred and mash.

"You take your frustrations out on the kitchen?" She asked and I nodded with a shrug. I knew that lots of people did. It wasn't something that I kept secret. Renee always had a fit, claiming that I went in the kitchen and made a mess as a form of acting out. When in all truths, I was in there working the pure aggravation out of my system.

"You're a natural. It's really cool."

I felt a sheepish smile take over my cheeks. I may not have been sure about my position with her, but I liked that she was proud of me. It made me feel proud of myself. It was a new feeling.

"Did you cook for Thanksgiving last year?" She asked me and I felt the smile falter. My head shook, but my mind was focusing itself on the food. She stopped working and leaned on the dark, marble counter-top that I was working at. We were at the island in the middle of the large kitchen. "Did someone cater?"

I shook my head again, refusing to make eye-contact with her.

"Renee actually cooked?"

Again.

"Wait...you had Thanksgiving last year, right?" I just kept shaking my head, practicaly beating the crap out of the bowl of food. Rosalie huffed, sounding nothing but purely annoyed. I could tell, by the way that she was looking at me though, that it wasn't me that had angered her. She was mad at her parents. "You didn't have Thanksgiving?"

I slowly nodded.

"Bella! That's ridiculous! I'm sorry...I hate myself for leaving you. I know it's not the same as an apology, but really. If I had any idea that they were going to practically neglect you...I wouldn't have just left you. That's not right." She crossed her arms and I glowered at her. It was obvious that she meant well, that it was all in her heart, but that didn't change anything.

I wasn't that neglected anyway. I had clothes, shelter, and paid bills.

"Emmett will be here at nine." She changed the subject, sensing my lack of input. "That gives us two hours. We can settle in and get the news that I'm here to Renee and Charlie."

I looked up at her and nodded, bringing the bowl of stuffing back to me.

Renee and Charlie showed up and let themselves in, surprising us not too long later. I didn't even hear the door open, which had scared me a bit. I jumped when Renee turned the corner, finding Rosalie and I dancing around and making a homemade cranberry sauce. The sound of something hitting the floor pulled me out of our little stupor. My eyes landed on her, where she stood looking like a deer in the headlights, her purse dumped out on the floor at her feet.

"Rosalie?" She squealed and Rosalie froze, finally catching on and looking at her.

"Hey...Renee." She looked nervous and Renee's eye's narrowed into slits.

"Renee? So what, I'm not your mom anymore?" She asked, her voice sharp with annoyance. Slowly, her eyes trailed back to me before her jaw dropped.

"You know what? You aren't a 'mommy' to me anymore." Rosalie exploded, walking around so that she wasn't behind the island. I felt my eyes grow wide as she hadn't finished yelling at Renee. "I left my baby here with you, hoping that you could treat her better than I could, because I had things to finish before I could be what I needed to be...and you completely crushed her! You neglected her! I don't care what the plan was...she is my child, the most important thing to me... ever, and you couldn't even properly feed her!

"And then I come back to find out that you left her with some man who you don't even know...so what? So you could travel! Oh, and that you've let her decline into her shell so far that she can't even speak!"

"Oh, please. You were here when she stopped talking!"

"You blew it off and promised me that I went through a similar phase! Phase-my-ass!" Rosalie hissed. "And just because she wasn't talking doesn't mean that she wasn't there. You could have spent time with her. I mean, my God, I walk in this place and it's exactly what it was when I lived her! Not a single picture of her to be seen! Did you even take any? Don't tell me that you didn't take any pictures! You knew I wanted to see this stuff someday!"

"What did she tell you?" Renee asked, glaring at me and Rose's jaw dropped.

"What did she tell me? Nothing literally!" Rosalie all but cried out by then, the fight beginning to get to her.

It had already gotten to me. My eyes stung with tears. The traitors fell and I found myself swiping nervously at them. I didn't want Renee to see me so weak. I didn't know that Rosalie was so utterly upset with everything. She had seemed so calm and collected. I pursed my lips, looking down at my shoes.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd just go upstairs...or somewhere else, at least." Rosalie's voice was hoarse now, and though I couldn't see her face, I knew that she was crying.

"It's my house!"

"And she is my daughter!" Rosalie, apparently quite the mama-bear, growled.

"Fine. I have to unpack. Don't think this conversation is over."

Rosalie ignored her, trudging back over to me. Basing my actions completely off of instinct, I held my arms out and let Rosalie in. She wrapped her arms around me and began to cry all over again. I didn't know what to do, so I did what Edward did when I cried. I shushed her the best I could, rubbed her back, and did that soothing rocking thing.

"I'm so sorry," she spoke, choking through her own sobs. "I'm so sorry, Bella. If I could fix one mistake in my life, it wouldn't be having you...it would be letting them keep you."

She pulled back, so that her hands were resting on my shoulders. "I'll do what I can to make it up to you."

I mouthed that it was okay at her, and then, accidentally finished my sentence out loud.

"Mom." My voice was soft, as usual. It was shaky, from being out of practice, but Rosalie's eyes didn't give away any indication of that. Instead, they showed pure pride and excitement.

"Mom? Me?" She giggled girlishly, bouncing on the ball of her feet. "Oh, Bella!"

I giggled with her, hugging her back.

"Let's prep the turkey and then go watch a movie or something. I'm tired and I don't feel like encountering the wicked witch again." She winked and I nodded, grinning madly. "Emmett will be here in a bit. I promise, you'll love him. He already adores you."

I shot her a confused look, not sure as to what she meant. Emmett had never met me.

"I told him about you. They may not have pictures, but I made sure to take so many when you were little. I shared them all with Emmett. He was thrilled when I told him that I was going to visit you." She explained a bit deeper, making my thoughts add up a bit better.

We finished prepping the turkey quickly, as I was sick of standing in the kitchen. I was tired of standing in general. My leg, which I had been off of for five weeks, was exhausted and not used to being active. I helped Rosalie clean up and then followed her to the upstairs. We ended up in my room, where the newer TV was, and watching a newer Disney movie. It was comfortable, the smell of the turkey and hanging out with Rosalie.

The sound of the doorbell had us both hopping out of the bed. Rosalie and I raced out into the hallway, and found ourselves following Renee down the stairs. Rosalie had somehow gotten ahead and knocked Renee out of the way, just in time to yank the door open, revealing the last thing I had ever expected.

Emmett McCarty was one hell of a man. He was huge! It was like looking at a body-builder! He had fair skin covering all of his bulk, and a pair of jeans and a SWAT team hoodie covering that. His arms were crossed, his stance menacing. Although his face gave him away. His eyes were the deepest blue, and showed nothing but love for Rosalie. I watched as a grin grew across his face, revealing his dimples.

He almost seemed boyish with that cute smile.

"Rosie!" He sighed, wrapping his arms around her, and pressing his lips to her. I watched as he spun her around and then sat her down. "You stunned me!"

"I missed you!" Rosalie laughed with him.

"Likewise." His voice was softer. I watched as his eyes finally pulled away from her face, taking in the rest of the room. They first found Charlie and Renee, who were watching him with a certain amount of hostility. He skipped over them, not seeming too excited to confront them.

And then his eyes found me. An all new grin took over, and the next thing I knew, I was being spun around in the air as well.

"Isabella!"

"She goes by Bella now," Rosalie commented and he nodded, carefully placing me on the ground. "Rosie has told me so much about you! I have to say, the pictures didn't do you justice. How come you didn't tell me she was hot, Rose?"

Emmett winked playfully at me and I felt my face grow hot. Rosalie's jaw dropped and she laughed. I watched as she shook her head, not seeming surprised by his constant outbursts.

"Maybe that's because of the fact that she's my kid. Besides, the pictures that you saw are over ten years old, Em. You know that." She shrugged. "But she is half from my gene-pool, you know."

"I know! Calm down, baby. I was just messing with you guys. You are beautiful, Bells, just like your mom."

"Her mom?" Renee scoffed.

"Rosalie...is...her mom? Right?" Emmett looked lost for a second, but Rosalie just looked at me, wanting me to answer. She wanted to know just as much as he did.

I nodded.

"You don't have to be so shy," Emmett spoke, laughing almost nervously. "I won't bite...you."

"She doesn't talk. She's a mute." Charlie spoke gruffly, rubbing his jaw stressfully. He almost sounded annoyed...with everything.

"Well, that's okay too. We can learn sign-language together, right Bella? Oh! We could make up our own language!" He began clapping, acting like nothing more than a child. Rosalie rolled her eyes at him, walking over and wrapping her arm around his waist and looking at him.

"Emmy, I asked you to act natural around Bella. I think you're trying a little too hard." Rosalie laughed, attempting to get him off of my case. I liked it though. Nobody had ever thought about sign-language. Edward and I had our own body-language thing, but this was different. Emmett was honestly eager to be a part of this, a part of something.

"I'm just saying. She's obviously just like you, Rose. I can see it in her eyes. She wants to do fun stuff! See! She likes me, Rosie!" He exclaimed and I felt my smile grow. His giant body began jumping and giggling and I laughed at his giddiness. It wasn't just a giggle, or a chuckle. I laughed. It was the kind of laugh that you throw your head back with. A hearty, throaty kind of laugh that really brought my voice out with it. And once I started, I couldn't stop. Rosalie giggled, and the next thing I knew, we were both literally guffawing.

"What the hell is going on?" Renee muttered, but I almost didn't hear her over myself.

I could hear myself!

The laughter grew with that.

"Hey, I should be a comedian. I could get rich off of these two!" Emmett stood up a little straighter, proud of whatever he had done to make us laugh so hard. "Good lord," he spoke, looking at Renee and Charlie. "Do they always do this?"

"I've...never seen Bella laugh like that. Ever." Renee's eyebrows were raised, and I couldn't stop laughing at her. It. Whatever I was laughing at.

"Or Rosalie, for that matter." Charlie threw in.

"God," Rosalie spoke through the laughter, sobering us both a bit. "Bella...your laugh...that was great! And the look on Em's face!"

"Hey!" Emmett laughed.

I shook my head, attempting to catch my breath. I felt my left knee buckle from exhaustion, and the next thing I knew, I was a giggly mess on the floor. Rosalie and Emmett gasped, both of them immediately at my side. I just shook my head at them and pointed to my leg, my face growing warm with a blush. Slowly, the laughter died down as the embarrassment took over.

"I think it's time we all get some rest." Rose sniggered and Emmett nodded. I tried to get up, but my leg was so sore that I dropped every time.

"Here, kiddo." Emmett chuckled and scooped me up, into his arms. I just shook my head, trying to get down so that I could do it myself. He heard none of it, letting Rosalie get the bags and lead us up the stairs.

They didn't even acknowledge Charlie and Renee.

When we got upstairs, Rosalie helped me get into bed before promising that she would get me up in the morning to work on dinner. I thanked her, silently, and found myself fighting the sleep as I dismissed Rose and Em.

And as soon as they left me to the quiet, I felt a smile take over my face as I succumbed to sleep.

A/N: I really liked this chapter, actually. I'm happy Rosalie finally set Renee straight-ish. Anywayyyyyyyy...

Review if you think I should continue!

They mean the world! More than kissy-time-instead-of-study-time-with-Edward-Cullen!