Title: The Cleaner

By: lvtwilight09

Rating: M

Summary: This was my submission for Fandom 4 LLS...Edward is a hoarder who desperately needs help. When professional organizer Bella Swan takes on the job of helping Edward get his house in order, will the end result be more than just an organized, clean home? BPOV of Hoarder.


BPOV

It was already shaping up to be a hectic day.

Three clients were scheduled for appointments today and I had a consult scheduled with another potential new one.

I really needed to listen to my parents a bit more and hire more staff…take a vacation somewhere warm and sunny…maybe even try to find time to date. Lord knows that might just be enough to stop Mom from harping on about how she wants grandbabies from me some day.

10:00 a.m. and I already felt exhausted. I loved my job, but Mondays were always crazy days around my office. I sipped my coffee, enjoying my moment of peace and quiet…until it wasn't so peaceful and quiet anymore, the shrill ringing of my phone startling me enough to send my coffee spilling across my desk.

I groaned as I watched the brown liquid stain everything in its reach, mentally calculating that it will probably take an hour to clean up and get new copies of everything that was now ruined.

The phone was still ringing, and for one moment I thought about just letting it ring, but I just couldn't do it, so I picked it up.

"Thank you for calling Clutter Busters, how can I help you?"

"I-is this Isabella Swan? I uh…I'd like to talk to Ms. Swan please," a nervous voice replied.

"This is Isabella, how can I help you today…" I trailed off.

"Edward. My name is Edward Cullen. I'm uh….I need… I have a lot of stuff. In my house," he explained.

Clearly he was anew potential client, one who was more than likely a hoarder. It was a big first step for him to even call to reach out for help, and with how nervous he already sounded, I knew I needed to handle him carefully.

"Okay Edward, why don't you tell me a bit about the stuff in your house, and what you want to do with it all," I prompted as I took out one of my files for new clients and prepared to take notes on what he told me.

"I uh…well…you see…," he started before taking a deep breath. "I broke my ankle. I slipped on my Shamwows. I had three dozen, but I only originally had one dozen. I lost those, well…really its just that I'm not sure where in my house they are, but I ordered three dozen more and I slipped and fell, and this is the second injury caused by my house. My mom got attacked by Slap Chops and got a concussion, and now she won't come here anymore. And…and…and I don't want my house to kill me. I don't want my obituary to read 'Edward Cullen died yesterday. He was found smothered under a pile of Sobakawa pillows'. I uh…I need to get my house clean, and I just don't know how to do that. I need help."

My mouth hung open as Edward's words flew rapidly from his mouth. I could hear his fear in his voice, and it made me want to just reach through the phone and hug him and tell him that I'd help him…that everything would be okay.

"Okay Edward, thank you for telling me all of that. From the sound of things, you like to buy a lot of stuff don't you?"

"Um…yeah. It's…it's all over the place. I uh…don't really even have space to walk anymore," he explained.

We talked a bit more after that. Edward explaining that he'd also be working with Dr. Brandon, which made me feel a bit better. Alice was a good friend of mine. We met during college and have been close ever since. It was a relief to know he'd be in good hands.

Before hanging up, we worked out a schedule where I would work with him two days a week…one joint session with Dr. Brandon and a one on one, our first one being next week after his first meeting with Dr. Brandon. I also explained to him that people with clutter and hoarding issues were my specialty and that we would work together to find the right organization strategy for him. I also told him to call me Bella, I never really cared for being called by my full first name, and I found asking my clients to call me Bella helped them feel more relaxed with me.

After hanging up, I finished working on Edward's new client paperwork and put his file away, preparing to tackle the now dry and sticky mess my coffee made on my desk.

oOoOo_TheCleaner_oOoOo

Today was my first appointment with Edward.

I knew this was probably going to be a long term job just by looking at his address. He lived in The Highlands, the area of town where only the wealthy could afford a home. I did a search on what some of the homes there looked like, the results being that on average, a home in that area was between six and eight thousand square feet.

I couldn't help but gasp a bit as I pulled into his driveway. His home was gorgeous, and as I climbed out of the car, I couldn't help but notice that he was gorgeous as well. He was easy to spot since he was on crutches. I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

When I finally got to where he was waiting by the front door, he introduced me to his brother Emmett and we made small talk for a few minutes, before heading inside.

"Why don't you show me around Edward, and then we can sit and work out a plan for how we'll proceed."

"Uh…okay," He answered. He was so scared about everything. I never felt like this with clients before, but something in his eyes…the way he looked like a lost little boy…just made me want to make everything better for him….made me want to hold on to him and never let him go.

"Edward," I said to him. "Please don't be scared or nervous with me. I'm here to help you. I won't ever judge you."

He smiled widely after that, and that smile…fuck me if it didn't make my heart race and ruin my panties.

Edward started showing me around after that, seemingly more relaxed than he was when I first arrived. I however was getting more annoyed by the second by the snide, sarcastic remarks his brother was making…

"Seriously Edward?" Emmett asked.

"What Emmett? I have an issue with things, we know this already." Edward replied.

"Look dude, I get you buy a lot of this crap because it seems like you can use it. But you don't even have a dog…and I know you don't even like cats."

"What are you talking about Emmett?" Edward asked, seemingly confused.

"This Edward," he replied, pointing to the two stacks of boxes next to him. "I'm talking about your piles of Potty Patches and stacks of CitiKitty Cat Toilet Training Kits."

"Oh…those, yeah…I uh, I forgot about those. I think I bought them sometime last year."

I was ready to lose my self-control, so I reigned myself in and stepped in before Emmett could say anything else.

"Okay Edward, I think I've seen enough." I said. "Why don't we have a seat and talk and work out a game plan?"

"Sure," he answered, looking at me and offering me a small smile and a nod, his own way of letting me know he understood what I just did to cut off his brother's ranting.

We made our way, slowly and carefully to the den and all sat down on the couch…or the little part of it that was cleared enough for people to sit on.

"First things first," I began, my voice stern. "Emmett, no more ragging on your brother about his things or his hoarding. He knows he has a problem, he knows he needs help and he's asked for it. You picking on him for it won't help, it'll make things worse. I think it's great that you're here for Edward, but, if you keep making comments the way you have today then I'll ask you to not come back, are we clear?"

I knew I may be overstepping with what I just said, but it needed to be done. Edward seemed like a kind, sweet man, and even if his brother was just trying to make light of the situation, it wasn't going to help. Emmett, on his part, looked properly ashamed.

"Um, yeah. I…I uh, I'll stop."

"Good," I replied before smiling and turning my attention back to Edward. "Now Edward, I am happy you asked for help, and I will do everything I can to help you reach your goal of clearing out your home. We'll work at your pace, one room at a time. We'll even break the rooms down into sections if you like. The only thing I need from you is communication. I need to know your thoughts as we do everything, okay?"

I did my best to be gentle with him…to be reassuring, and make him feel at ease. I could see his emotions written clearly on his face, his anxiety creeping up already, trying to get the best of him. I wanted him to have the confidence to know he could succeed at this.

"Okay…yeah, I…I think I can do this," he said.

"No, Edward," I firmly told him. "Don't think you can do it, know you can do it. Just think of it this way…one day at a time, one item at a time. Now, you said that you're meeting with Dr. Brandon twice a week, so the day you work with her here at the house, I will be here too. I'll also come by one day a week on my own to work with you as well."

"Okay, that sounds good."

Edward, Emmett and I talked for a while longer, discussing ideas for which room to tackle first and possibilities for what to do with all of the things Edward planned on getting rid of. In the end, we agreed to tackle the foyer first since it would be a good idea to be able to just walk into the house without stumbling over things, and we decided that Edward donate the things he could or bring them to one of those eBay stores for someone to sell for him, unless they absolutely needed to be thrown away.

A short while later, I left, and I'm not sure what came over me, but I couldn't stop myself from giving Edward a quick hug before I did, reminding him to think positive and that before he knew it, he'd have a nice, clean, empty house.

As I drove back to my office, Edward's scent of spice and lemongrass still lingering in my memory, I realized just how fucked I was, because lord help me, beyond the physical attraction I had towards him, I could already see myself falling for Edward.