Ok, I still had to backdoor this chapter since it wouldn't upload...any ideas? I emailed support a couple of weeks ago but never got a response :(
Snow day....blizzard rages here in the greatest city in the world...and I didn't have to go to work because of it...so this chapter is up earlier than I expected it to be!
There's a small shout out to the late, great John Hughes in this one...can you find it? :D
Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read this mess. I really do appreciate your time and your patience :)
Disclaimer: Twilight, it's characters, and it's situations do not belong to me. Believe me, I wish they did. Then I wouldn't be slogging off to work in the muck manana :D They all belong to the fertile mind of Stephenie Meyer.
Please enjoy~
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Chapter 12: We Want The Airwaves
Edward took the stairs two at a time and burst into Alice's bedroom gasping for breath.
"Alice! What is it! What's the matter?!" He looked around the room frantically.
Alice sat up primly in her bed. "Aren't you going to bring Bella up here to see me?"
"Is…is that what you were screaming about?" He stared at her blankly as the tension eased from his body.
"Of course it was. What did you think? That something was wrong?" She blinked at him demurely. "What could possibly be wrong, Edward?"
Bella came tripping in behind Edward. "Is everything ok?"
"Everything's just fine. Apparently, Alice heard you and wanted you up here instead of downstairs," Edward scowled, shaking his head. "I'll leave you two alone. I'm sure Alice is just dying for another good old fashioned girl on girl boob tweeking. I have to go look in on Jasper." He brushed past Bella and stormed out of the room.
Alice patted the side of her bed. "Come sit down, Bella! I'm so happy to see you!" She clapped her hands together excitedly.
Bella walked over to Alice's bed slowly, folding her arms over her chest protectively. "No boob grabbing," she laughed as she sat down. "New rule, Alice. If you want to be my friend, then the only Cullen who's allowed to touch my boobs is Edward, ok?"
Alice nodded and clapped her hands excitedly. "Of course I'll follow that rule! I want to be friends, Bella! I knew from the first time I saw you that we'd be great friends!"
"Yeah, well, it's good to know I'm friends with a clairvoyant," Bella rolled her eyes. "Maybe you can tell me how everything's going to work out with my boyfriend," she laughed and shook her head.
"Why, Bella," Alice's tone was as serious as the look on her face. "You and Edward are going to live happily ever after."
Bella was taken aback. Alice had stated it with such certainty, just as surely as if she had a crystal ball and could see into the future. She stared at Alice. "You seem so…certain," she mused, trying not to sound as freaked out as she felt.
"Oh, but I am certain. I'm not saying it's going to be an easy road to that happily ever after, Bella. It never is," she shook her head. "And Edward, well, Edward has some major issues that only he can work through." She smiled serenely. "Just, well, just have faith in him. He's worth waiting for."
Bella felt a chill run up her spine. It was as though Alice had heard their entire conversation and had read her thoughts. "Well, I'll take that under advisement" she took a breath, trying to steady her shaky voice, "seeing how someone seems to be a tad more insightful about it than I am."
"I know my brother, Bella. He's been through a lot. Most of it, he's gotten past in his own way. But not all of it. He's going to have to deal with it in order for the two of you to have that happily ever after. And I know he's trying, because he wants it as much as you do." Alice smiled smugly.
"Well, Alice, I'd be lying if I didn't say that this little, um, revelation of yours isn't freaking me out just a little more than your boob grab did," she tried to make her tone sound light, but it was near impossible after what the small, pixie of a girl had just said to her.
Alice's lips turned up into a wide grin as her dark eyes danced. "Admit it. You enjoyed the boob grab. You wish Edward's hands were as adept as mine."
Bella stared at Alice for a moment, before both girls burst out in giggles.
"You know, he's outside that door, listening to us right now," Alice whispered, "And he's totally pissed off at us."
"You scared the shit out of him, Alice. His face went white." Bella giggled as she remembered the expression on Edward's face when he heard Alice yell for him.
"Oh, please. His face is already so pale it could hardly drain of color since there isn't any in there to drain!" Alice shook her head. "He acts like if he goes out in the sun, something's going to happen to him. Like he'll dry up and blow away like a vampire." She laughed. "He's so pale, it's entirely possible that if the sun ever did hit his skin, it would reflect and refract the light, like those impossibly white buildings with the glitter on them you see at beach resorts." She waved her tiny hand in the air. "Or, like a diamond."
From outside of Alice's door came a muffled "I HEARD THAT!" causing both girls to collapse in a fit of hysterical laughter.
The door flew open and Edward stuck his head into the room. "Nice how some people can laugh when other's are just concerned for their well~" he was cut off when the pillow Alice tossed at him hit squarely in his face.
"Oh, ya gotta learn to lighten up a little, Edward," Alice shook her head as Bella wiped the tears that were escaping from her heavily mascara'd eyes and threatening to melt her makeup so she'd look like a weepy raccoon. "Life is hard enough without you being all mooney on us and being such a Debbie Downer. Edward Downer."
"I am not Debbie Downer, Alice. I just take life a little more seriously than you do," he huffed, obviously embarrassed by their reaction to him. "Maybe if some other people in this family did the same thing, we wouldn't be as fucked up as we are!" He folded his arms over his chest and stood with a smug expression on his face.
"Edward, I have always taken you seriously," Alice's voice was low. "Don't take out your frustrations with our asshole siblings on me. I understand, but sweetie, I'm just as helpless as you are."
Edward eyed Alice warily. "I'm not taking my frustrations out on you, Alice. It's just…you just…I…Oh, forget it," he waved his hand and turned to leave. "I'll be down in the kitchen when you're done with your visit, Bella."
"Edward, wait," Bella's voice was soft. He turned and looked back at her, seeing the love in her deep brown eyes. "I'm sorry if I was making fun of you," she sighed. "Come sit with us?" She held her hand out to him and Alice nodded in agreement.
He stared at them for a moment before slowly walking over to the bed. "I'll stay…but this doesn't mean you're forgive, you know. I don't forgive that easily." He sat down facing Bella, who took his hand.
"I'll have to think of a way to make it up to you then," she smiled.
"Blow jobs work really well," Alice chimed in.
Bella's jaw dropped, as Edward buried his crimson face in the palm of his hand. "Alice," he moaned.
"What? I'm just sayin'," Alice sat with an innocent look on her face.
"Bella, I'm so sorry for my sister," Edward mumbled into his hand. But Bella didn't hear him. She was too busy tossing her head back and letting out the loudest guffaw Edward had ever heard.
"I'm sorry, Edward, but the expression on your face was just priceless," she howled once she got her breath back. "And I've never seen it as red as it was! Your sister gets you every time! Every time!" Her deep throaty laugh filled the room.
Edward shook his head. "Ok," he sighed as he stood up. "Visiting hours are officially over. Come on, Bella."
"Going to your room for some bj time?" Alice grinned evilly at him.
"NO!" It came out harsher than he intended and Bella's laugh filled the room once again. "Oh, God…Oh God why did I ever come in here?" He shook his head as both hands ran nervously through his hair.
"It's ok, Edward. It's not technically sex, you know," Alice winked at him, exchanging a conspiratory glance with Bella.
"Ok, I'm leaving. I'm leaving by myself and going to the kitchen." He ran for the door, pulling it open wide before turning back to his sister and girlfriend. "Bella, maybe you should stay up here with Alice until dinner."
Both girls looked at him from the bed before collapsing into each other, laughing at his reaction.
"Dear God, Edward. You're so damn uptight that if we shoved a lump of coal up your butt it'd turn into a diamond in a week!" Alice shook her head, saying this with mock sincerity.
Edward dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, muttering "Going, going, going," as he beat a hasty retreat from the room, listening to the girls giggling as he ran.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Edward's nose was buried in To Kill a Mockingbird when his mother walked in with both Emmett and Carlisle trailing behind her, pizza boxes in their arms.
"Edward, who's truck is that parked outside?"
He looked up from his book and looked around, confused. "Mom? I'm sorry, I didn't realize what time it was."
"I'm sorry, sweetie," she planted a light kiss on his forehead. "I should have called first. Is someone here visiting Alice and Jasper?"
"Bella's here."
"Oh, the girlfriend's here. You should have called. We wouldn't want darling Edward caught being naughty again, now would we?" Emmett sneered as Carlisle frowned at him, shooting him a warning look with his eyes.
"Enough, Emmett. We have a guest," he cautioned. "Edward, where's Bella?"
"She's up visiting with Alice." He closed the book, putting it aside. "She brought lasagna. I have to heat it up, though."
"Oh, what a sweet thing for her to do," Esme smiled warmly. "And we have all this pizza as well. She'll be joining us for dinner, won't she?" Esme draped her coat over an armchair in the corner.
"I asked her to stay," Edward took dinner plates out of one of the cabinets and placed them around the large rectangular kitchen table.
"Oh good. She's such a joy to be around," Emmett rolled his eyes.
Carlisle glared at him. "Knock it off, I said," Carlisle's tone was firm. Emmett shrunk from the glare, turning away.
"How's Rose?" Edward inquired as he folded paper napkins and set them around the plates.
"She's pretty good, all things considered," Carlisle sighed. "She should be home by the end of the week, but she's probably going to be needing more surgery on her arm, I'm afraid."
"Oh, stop lying," Emmett spat at him. "You know the both of you and your precious little pretty boy here are just thrilled she's out of commission indefinitely." He waved his hand in Edward's direction.
"I'll not say it again, Emmett," Carlisle's jaw was stiff. "Knock. It. Off."
"Whatever." Emmett opened a couple of pizza boxes and, finding the one he wanted, slid it off the counter. "This one's mine. I'll be in my room. I have no need to eat with the delightful Bella Swan." He stormed out of the kitchen, the others hearing his heavy foot falls on the stairs and finally, his bedroom door slamming shut.
Edward stood, expressionless. "I'm guessing that was the pineapple and ham pizza?"
"Who else eats that monstrosity?" Carlisle shook his head.
"Darling," Esme brushed the messed copper hair that hung over Edward's forehead away from his face. "Be a dear and go up and get Bella and Alice. Your father will help Jasper down."
"Ok, Mom," he nodded and made his way up to Alice's room.
He approached Alice's door quietly, listening before knocking. He could hear the two girls talking, and, as he suspected, they were talking about him. He knew right then and there that he would kill Alice dead if she told Bella anything that he'd not worked up the courage to share with her yet. Kill her as sure as he was standing there in front of her door. At least, once he was convicted of her murder, there would be a good reason for Bella to flee from the monster that he was. A reason he could explain, at least. He leaned closer to the door, concentrating on listening to their muffled tones.
"You're just going to have to trust me on this, Bella," he heard Alice saying. Trust her on what?
"I know you're right, Alice. And I'm sorry for trying to get you to tell me why he's like that," Bella sighed. So, Bella had been pumping Alice for information. How much had Alice revealed?
"Oh, it's ok, Bella. I can understand your frustration. What you and Edward have is very special. And it's eternal. Trust me on that too." Edward smiled. Alice. Always the know it all. Like a little pink, feathery Magic 8 Ball. It really burned him that she was usually right, too. "He has to work some of his issues out first. Once he's ready, once he's comfortable, he will tell you…" Her voice trailed off into a mumble. Damn! What were they saying? He leaned closer so that his ear was against Alice's door.
"Edward?" Edward turned around wildly at the sound of Carlisle's voice. He stood there, guiltily looking at his father. "You weren't eavesdropping there, were you, son?"
He felt the color rising in his face. He couldn't lie. His father had caught him red handed. "Yes, sir," he whispered as he looked at the floor.
"You…you're kidding, right?" Edward looked at the humored expression on his father's face. "You were actually listening at the door to see what they were saying?"
If the ground had opened up and swallowed him whole, Edward would have been happy at that moment, because, a second later, Alice's bedroom door swung open wide, and Bella Swan stood there, hand on her curvaceous hip.
"Edward?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Hey. Hey, baby," he dug his hands deeply into the front pockets of his jeans. Caught red handed.
"Don't you hey baby me, Edward Cullen," her voice was teasing. "You were listening at the door." She smirked. "You might as well admit it. Dr. Cullen caught you."
Edward looked to his father, who raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly. He shrugged. "I…I was listening. I'm sorry Bella."
"Hey, what about me? You invaded my privacy too, ya know!" Alice yelled from the bed. "And come help me downstairs! I'm starving!"
~*~*~*~*~*
Edward plodded up the stairs to the third floor with heavy, tired foot steps. It had been a long evening and he'd made his parents go up to their suite to relax, opting to take care of the kitchen for them, knowing how hard the last few days had been on both of them, his mother in particular. Dinner went well until Emmett came back down, determined to disrupt the peaceful meal. Carlisle had done his best to defuse the situation, but Emmett seemed hell bent on humiliating Edward in front of Bella.
He had walked her out to her truck after she helped him clean up the mess from their pizza dinner, having urged him to save the lasagna for the following night.
"Bella, I'm sorry about Emmett…" his voice had trailed off, not really knowing what to say as he looked down at his feet. Emmett's veiled comments to her about watching out for "Eddie", how "Eddie" was nothing but a mama's boy who would eventually hurt her like he'd hurt others in the past had confused her and embarrassed Edward. He worried how soon it would be before Bella began questioning and asking exactly what Emmett had meant by what he said. Emmett's callous and harsh words toward Edward had infuriated the always gentlemanly Carlisle to the point where he physically removed Emmett from the kitchen. Slender Carlisle, able to take down the big bear that was Emmett. Who would have thought?
"It's ok, Edward," her tiny hand moved to cup his stubbled cheek. "I know you'll tell me everything in your own time," she sighed. She didn't understand what Emmett had been ranting about, but she knew it had to have something to do with the issues Edward had spoken about working out. She wanted to know exactly what Emmett had meant by what he said, but she loved Edward. Accepted him, warts and all. Respected his wishes. He would tell her when he was ready.
"I will?" Edward didn't sound as sure as Bella did. "How can you be so certain?"
"Alice said you would," she smiled. "Alice also told me she's never wrong."
"Alice is a nosey little know it all," he smirked.
"And you love that nosey little know it all," she stood on her toes and planted a soft, chaste kiss on his lips. "Go get some sleep. You look like hell."
"I love you, too," he laughed as she got into her truck. "Drive careful and call me when you get in, ok?"
"I will!" She slammed the door and the truck roared to life loudly. Waving, she pulled the truck out of the Cullen driveway.
Edward had finished up a few things in the kitchen before heading up to bed. He was exhausted and for the first time in a long time, wished he had a little something to take the edge off.
The third floor landing was bathed in the soft light that escaped from the open door of his parent's bedroom suite.
"Edward?" Carlisle beckoned him. He sighed, turning and dragging his tired body and soul over to the doorway where Carlisle stood.
"Dad? Is everything ok?"
"It's fine, son. Come on in for a minute. Mom and I want to talk to you." Carlisle stepped aside as Edward entered the bedroom.
"Sweetheart," Esme walked out of the bathroom tying her soft pink silk robe closed. Edward went to her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Mom," he sighed as her arms came up around his back.
"Sit down, Edward," Carlisle motioned toward the bed. Edward kept his arm around his mother's shoulder as they moved to the edge of the bed, sitting.
"What's the matter, Dad?" Edward looked at his father nervously. He couldn't understand what was going on. Things had been going so well with his parents, he couldn't imagine having done anything to displease them or to deserve a chastisement. He sat straight up, nervously holding onto his mother's slender hand tightly.
"Relax, Edward. Nothing's the matter," Carlisle sat down on the bed next to him. "We just wanted to talk to you, to thank you."
"Thank me? For what?" Edward looked at his father, perplexed.
"Thank you for all that you've been doing," Carlisle put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "I know you took the week off work to help around here, and we are very grateful. Just like tonight, you cleaned up the kitchen for your mother."
"You are a sweet, thoughtful boy, Edward," Esme leaned forward, kissing Edward's temple. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His mother's touch. "Thank you, baby."
"I want to help, Dad," Edward shook his head. "I mean, I know if things were otherwise, Alice would help."
"But the rest wouldn't," Carlisle shook his head. "I think our situation completely personifies the old saying 'no good deed goes unpunished.'"
"Your heart is in the right place, Dad," Edward looked at his father's sad face. "And, it's not all bad. Alice loves you. And me, I…I love you too." He looked down.
Carlisle pulled his son into an embrace. "I love you too, Edward. You are a good boy. I can't apologize enough for the last two years."
"It's ok, Dad," Edward felt his eyes water up at his father's words. "It's all better now. And, if nothing else positive comes from this, I think Jasper and I, maybe, will have a better relationship. Maybe."
"You think so, sweetie?" Esme brushed the copper hair from his eyes.
Edward nodded. "Yeah, before you guys came home, I went to his room to check on him. He had just woken up and we talked a little."
"What did you talk about?" Esme stroked his hair and his head naturally fell to his mother's shoulder. This was home. He closed his eyes, reveling in her gentle, soothing touch.
"He thanked me for taking care of Alice," he whispered. "As if there would ever be any question that I'd take care of Alice."
"Well, that seems like a very positive step in the right direction," Esme smiled.
"It is a very good sign, son," Carlisle agreed. "Perhaps this whole episode has made Jasper see things a little more clearly."
"Maybe," his voice was soft. Edward kept his eyes closed as Esme ran her fingers through his tousled russet hair. He felt safe in his mother's arms.
"Edward?" Carlisle's voice brought him back.
"Hmm?" He opened his eyes, sitting up to see his mother smiling at him.
"I think you better get to bed, sweetie. You were dozing off," Esme softly touched her lips to his forehead.
"Oh…uh…sorry…" his voice trailed off as he looked at Carlisle's amused face. "I'll…uh…I'll go to my room now," he stammered, nervously getting up from his spot on the bed between his parents. "Good night, Dad," he leaned forward and hugged Carlisle, surprising the older man.
"One more thing, Edward, before you go to bed," Carlisle stood.
"What's that, Dad?"
"Your mother and I would like you to invite Bella and her father over for Thanksgiving dinner."
"You want…you want to have other people over here?" His eyes widened with horror.
"If we didn't want the Swan's here, Edward, we wouldn't be asking you to invite them," Esme's voice was soft.
"But…Rose," his voice was a whisper.
"Well, Rose should be fairly neutralized, what with the wired jaw and all," Carlisle tried to assuage his fears.
"She'll still be wired by then?"
"Most likely. And even if she's not, who cares? Edward, your mother and I have talked at length about this," he sighed. "We are just tired of it. Of the nonsense. We're tired of living like this, living in fear. This is our home, our family. Our life. If she and Emmett can't respect us, well, then we have no room here for either of them." Carlisle's voice was filled with resolve.
Edward looked at his mother, forehead creased with worry. "Mom?"
"Ask her, honey," her eyes implored him.
He locked eyes with his mother, green eyes burning into bright blue, his brimming with tears. She smiled and nodded at him reassuringly. Taking a deep breath, he nodded and stood with his head held high before moving toward the door and the sleep he knew would now be elusive.
"Good night, Dad."
"Good night, son," Carlisle brought his arms around Edward's back once more.
Breaking the embrace and smiling slightly at his father, he turned to his mother. "Night, Mom," he sighed, hugging her tightly before kissing her on the cheek.
"Good night, my sweet, sweet Edward," she whispered as her arms wrapped around him tightly. "I love you, my angel."
"I love you too, Mom."
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So…what do you know about the Cullen's Charlie?"
"Huh?" The sound of her voice took him by surprise, breaking him from the spell that SportCenter cast on him.
"The Cullen's? Edward's family?" She walked across the living room and flopped down on the sofa next to his big comfy chair.
"Carlisle is a doctor, and a damn fine one. I know Esme has dabbled in interior design, but I don't think she's actually worked at it since they moved to Forks." He stared at the flat screen tv mounted on the wall across from him.
"You're doing that on purpose," she sighed.
"Doing what? I'm watching something here, Bells."
"You're avoiding the question, Charlie," she twisted a lock of hair between her fingers.
Charlie sighed. "What is it you want to know?"
"Is there," she leaned forward, "some sort of deep, dark family secret?"
"All families have deep, dark secrets, Bella," he laughed.
"You know what I mean."
He looked at her. "Shouldn't you be asking Edward this question?"
"He won't tell me," she folded her arms over her chest defensively.
"Perhaps that's for a reason. Perhaps it's not any of your business?" He raised his eyebrows at her.
"Edward is my business," she countered. "Everything about him is my business. He's my boyfriend. I love him."
"There's that word again," he shook his head. "You seem pretty sure that you love him. But, how sure are you about how he feels?"
"I have never questioned Edward's feelings for me, Charlie," she whispered.
"Then there shouldn't be any reason why he won't tell you the deep, dark secrets of the Cullen family."
"He's told me some stuff," she frowned. "He's told me the crap with Rosalie."
"Rosalie? The big blonde with the broken jaw?" Bella nodded. Charlie looked surprised. "What kind of crap are we talking about?"
"They adopted her just before they moved from Chicago to Seattle," she sighed as she recounted the story that Edward had told her.
Charlie pursed his lips together. "She sounds like quite a ballsy piece of work, there," he mused.
"Yeah. I mean, what the hell? How can you do shit like that to these people who were nice enough to take you in permanently?" She shook her head. "Edward thinks it's because she wants to be the favorite and thinks Edward is her competition."
"Maybe she's jealous that Edward has balls and she doesn't," he snickered at his own joke.
"Not funny, Charlie," she scowled. "I mean, I know there's more. I know there's something about Edward."
"What makes you say that?"
"Emmett? The big guy with the dimples?"
"Yeah, I've encountered that wall of humanity before," Charlie rolled his eyes.
"Well, he's been really out of control since the accident. Really going at it with Carlisle, you know? He ate a pizza in his room tonight, but then, while we were eating in the kitchen, he came down and just started ranting at me about Edward." Her eyebrows furrowed together.
"Why would he rant at you about Edward?" Charlie picked up the remote and muted the tv.
"See, that's what I don't understand," she rubbed her chin as she thought. "He kept calling him Eddie. Eddie this, Eddie that."
"He's his brother and he doesn't know Edward hates being called Eddie?" Charlie snorted. "Hell, I'm just his girlfriends' father and I know that. Why else would I call him Eddie?"
"No he does know it. He was just trying to get Edward angry," her lips puckered at the memory. "Like he was trying to provoke Edward, you know? He kept saying to me how Edward would hurt me like the others."
"Maybe he's a bad breaker upper?"
"A…a what?" She stared at her father in disbelief.
"You know. A bad breaker upper. He doesn't break up with girls well."
"Who does break up with someone well, Charlie?"
"Well, I mean, there's a nice way to do it, and a not so nice way. Maybe he's cheated in the past," he shrugged his shoulders. "I can say I've never heard anything bad about him, aside from the whole "weird Cullen" thing." Charlie made air quotes with his index fingers. "Like I've said. That kid is a horse. Works like mad at the Thriftway and somehow manages to maintain an A average at school."
"So, you've never heard anything bad about him at all? Because, I gotta tell you, Charlie," she took a deep breath. "You seem to know a hell of a lot about him."
"Would I let him grope my only daughter on my front porch if I had?" The tips of his mustache curled up as he smiled at her. "And, I am the chief of Police, Bella. It's my job to have my finger on the town's pulse. Or, just the pulse of whomever's sucking face with my daughter."
"Oh," she looked down at her bare feet, feeling the color rise in her cheeks as she curled her legs up under her. "I guess I hadn't thought of that." She was dressed for bed, in a pair of old leggings and a big, faded long sleeved tshirt with what used to be Hello Kitty on it.
"My suggestion, Bells? If you really want to know, if it's going to bother you like I know it is? Ask him."
"I…I don't want to push him. He told me tonight that we can't…uh…move our relationship to the next level," she eyed her father who didn't flinch at all cautiously. "Not until he works out some issues he's got. I think those issues were what Emmett was yelping about."
"Bells," Charlie sighed. "Edward's a rare boy. I'm your father and I'm telling you he's a keeper," his voice was sincere. "Most boys would want to jump your bones on the first date if you'd let them. Edward's been, well, the kid's been a gentleman. He was raised right. At least he's thoughtful about things. Ask him."
"Thanks, Charlie," she got up from her spot on the sofa and leaned over him, pecking him on the cheek. "I'm going to bed now. Night."
"Night, Bells." He picked the remote back up. "Oh, and Bells?"
"Yeah, Charlie?" She paused in the doorway and turned around.
"If he hurts you? I won't hesitate to rip his balls off and shove them down his throat until he chokes." Charlie's face wore an amiable smile. "Pleasant dreams, sweetie."
"Uh…yeah." She turned stiffly and ran up the stairs to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
She turned the little lamp on her nightstand on, and sat on her bed, holding her head in her hands. She knew she hadn't misjudged Edward. She knew that there had to be a reasonable explanation for everything that she heard tonight, right? If Edward loved her like he said he did, he'd never hurt her. Or lie to her. But, still there was this nagging doubt. It all added up. Edward having some personal issues to deal with. Emmett making statements about how he's going to hurt her, since he's hurt before. There had to be something there.
Something hit sharply against her window and she jumped, inhaling quickly as she turned to face the window. Another sharp hit sounded against the window. Cautiously, she got up to go look. It sounded like someone tossing pebbles at the glass, but, come on. That only happened in movies, and this was her life, not a bad 1980's teen movie. She looked out, half expecting to see John Cusack standing down there, holding up a boom box with Peter Gabriel blaring from it. Nope. No John Cusack. Instead, Edward Cullen stood below her window, black hood up over his head, staring up hopefully at her.
She slid the window open and the cold night air hit her. She shivered as she stuck her head out.
"Edward Cullen," she hissed in a loud whisper. "What the fuck?"
"I had to see you, Bella," he stage whispered back. "We have to talk."
"You can't use the door like normal people?"
"And wake your dad? Bella, he's got a gun!"
"And he'll shoot your bits right off if he catches you like this, you idiot!"
"Can I come up?"
"I'll come down and let you in."
"No! I'll just climb the tree and swing in that way." He pulled himself up onto the lowest branch of the tree in front of Bella's window.
"Oh my God, you are an idiot," she groaned as she watched him work his way up the dark tree.
"Something I didn't tell you," he smiled as he reached and grabbed onto her window sill, pulling himself over and into her bedroom. "I used to run track and play baseball, so I'm pretty athletic." He smiled, satisfied with himself as he pulled the dark hood from his head..
Bella stood staring at him in wonder, her arms wrapped around her chest, protecting her from the cold air that swirled in around him. "Shut the window before I freeze to death, Edward," she whispered. "And keep quiet. If Charlie finds you in here there won't be any questions of when we do it, because you won't have anything to do it with!" He stuck a long tongue out at her and wiggled it, making her scowl at him.
"Wow, you really are in a bad mood," he looked at her as he rubbed his red hands together to warm them up.
"Sorry, I've…I've just been thinking a lot," she sighed as she took both his icy hands between hers and rubbed them, trying to warm him up. "Can I have a kiss?"
"You can always have a kiss," he stepped closer to her and grazed her lips with his.
"Even your lips are cold," she giggled. "How long have you been out there?"
"Maybe twenty minutes? I don't know. I really didn't time it. I just waited until I saw your light go on."
"Come on," she pulled him over to her bed. "Sit down and I'll pull the comforter over us to keep warm. God, your skin is so cold, Edward!"
They sat down with their backs against the headboard and pulled her comforter over them, she wrapped her arms around his waist as he pulled her into his arms, laying her against him.
"Now, what was so important it couldn't wait until tomorrow or be handled by a phone call," she smiled into his chest.
"I wanted to…I wanted to explain some of what happened tonight," his voice was very low.
"What Emmett was talking about?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "I…I'm not ready to discuss everything, Bella, but I do feel I owe you an explanation of some of it. Some of why there's so much tension and friction in my family."
"You don't owe me any explanations, Edward. This all happened before we even met." She nuzzled into his chest.
"But I do. Emmett said some nasty things, Bella. I saw your face. You deserve to know everything. Like I said, I'm not ready to discuss all of it yet, but, well, I do want to explain some of it."
She let out a deep sigh. "I'm all ears, Edward."
"Ok," he took a couple of deep breaths to steady his nerves. "Well, you know how Emmett called me a mama's boy?"
"Mmm hmm."
"Well, it's not much of a lie, I'm afraid. I am a mama's boy, Bella. I love my mother very much." There was tension in his voice.
"I can understand that, Edward. And I think your mother feels the same way about you."
"She saved me, Bella," he'd said this to her before. "We saved each other. And, well, Rose always hated how close I was with her. But, Esme's had me since I was seven. She raised me, really. I mean, we got Alice when she was nine, but Rose was eleven. She had spent something like six years in the foster care system. She was very street smart." He stopped, swallowing hard.
"She wasn't like you and Alice."
"Alice was abandoned as a baby. We don't even know her real birthday, Bella."
"What?" She looked up at him, shocked.
He nodded. "Yep. She was left on the doorstep of a Catholic Charities office. No note, nothing. Just her wrapped in an Alice in Wonderland blanket."
"So they named her Alice," Bella breathed.
"They searched for something, anything about her. It was even on the evening news, how the police were looking for her parents or anyone with information about the baby, but no one ever came forward." He paused, shifting his position on the bed. "There were plenty of people who wanted to adopt her, but Alice was a sickly child, and she ended up in the foster care system instead."
"No one wanted a sick baby," her voice was mournful.
"Exactly. But once Esme and Carlisle got her, she just flourished. And we became best friends."
"She loves you, you know."
He nodded again. "And I love her. We really are brother and sister, you know?"
"I know," she smiled.
"Anyway, Rose always hated how close we were, how close we were with Carlisle and Esme. Hated it and tried to destroy it." His body began to tense, and she knew he was entering a part of his story he wasn't comfortable with.
"It's ok, Edward," she looked up at him with big, brown eyes. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to."
"No. I have to tell you. I have to tell you everything, other wise you won't really know me. Won't know what you're getting into." His green eyes burned into hers.
"If you insist," she sighed and returned her head to its position on his chest.
"When I first went to live with Carlisle and Esme, when I was seven, I…I had trouble sleeping at night."
"That's understandable. It was all new to you, and you were so young."
"The first night, they heard me crying and came into my room. They spent that night in the neat little boy's bedroom they had so lovingly fixed up for me. It was airplane themed," he smiled at the memory. "Had wallpaper up on the walls with these red and blue bi-planes on it. You know, those old fashioned ones with the two wings?" She nodded. "The comforter matched the walls and there were these little model planes hanging from the ceiling. I remember thinking how cool of a room it was. Until the night. I was scared and alone. And my grandfather wasn't there."
"So they came to comfort you?"
He took a breath. "Yep. Carlisle spent the night in the rocking chair in the corner. Esme spent the night sitting up on my bed, kind of like we are now, with me in her arms. She just ran her fingers through my hair and hummed to me, and I stopped crying and finally fell asleep."
"Oh, Edward, that's such a beautiful story. They care so much about you." She felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"It was like that every night after that. Either she would come into my room and hold me while I slept, or I'd go into their room and curl up between them in their great big bed," he pulled her tighter. "I couldn't sleep without her."
"Lots of kids are like that, Edward," she ran her hand down his stomach lightly. "You went through something very traumatic, and I think it's beautiful that you and your mom have such a great relationship."
"Even if I had to have my mother rock me to sleep up until two years ago?"
"Two years ago? You were, what? Fifteen?" She lifted her head and looked at him in surprise. He nodded.
She smiled. "I don't see anything wrong with it, Edward. You and your mom, it's, well, it's special. Anyone can see that." She laid her head back down, listening to his steady heartbeat.
"Anyone but Rose," he sighed.
"What did she do?" Bella felt her breathing quicken.
"My parents had the house here built while we were living in Seattle. My mom, well, she's got a degree in Architecture and had a small interior design firm in Seattle. She designed our house."
"It's very beautiful, Edward." She breathed in his scent deeply. He smelled like soap…lemon verbena, she thought.
"It is," he nodded in agreement. "None of us saw it until we moved in. That's when they fireworks really started."
"Why's that?"
"Because the second floor had four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Each bathroom is attached to two bedrooms."
"Kind of like on the Brady Bunch? The way there was a bathroom between the girls and boys rooms?"
"Exactly like the Brady Bunch," he let out a nervous laugh and continued. "The third floor had a master suite and a junior suite. While the rest of them had a connected room and shared a bathroom, I got the junior suite with a bathroom all to myself. Mom designed it specifically for me. That was all the ammunition that Rose needed to get Emmett and Jasper to agree that Mom was playing favorites."
"But, Edward…" her voice trailed off.
"I know, Bella. It was obvious that I was the favorite. Dad tried to explain it that since I was technically their 'oldest', I got the bigger room," he barked out a laugh. "But it was very obvious that I was their favorite, and it made life very difficult and uncomfortable for me."
"What about Alice?"
"Alice's bedroom was decorated to her specifications, and you know Alice," he smiled when he spoke of his sister. "She was happy. But this was happening around the time she and Jasper were discovering each other, so she kind of remained neutral, you know?"
"I guess."
"I don't blame her. Alice knew from the beginning that if there was a number one, it was me. Not that she ever wanted for anything or ever got less love than me. My parents were always fair, even with Rose and Emmett and Jasper. It was just that little something extra that you can't quite put a finger on, you know?"
"Yeah, I do. I lost that little something extra when my mom met Phil." He tightened his arms around her. "But now I have you, so I'm not missing it anymore," she kissed his chest lightly and she felt the tremble go through him. "So, go on," she trailed her fingertips up and down his stomach.
"When Rose saw that all the fuss she created over my being the favorite child didn't change her standing in the family in anyway, other than to split us all into two factions, she had to find another way to take me down. So, she accused my mother and I of, well, let's just call it inappropriate behavior." His heart began to beat faster as his body tensed further.
"What?!" Bella sat bolt upright.
"She tried to say that I was…uh…having…umm…" he stammered nervously.
"She tried to say you were having sex with your mother! With Mrs. Cullen!" Her hand shot up to her mouth, which hung open in shock. "Oh my God! Edward! That's horrible," she gasped.
Edward crawled to his knees, kneeling in front of her. "I wasn't Bella. I swear to you! It wasn't anything like that! You need to believe me," His green eyes were dark with fear as he implored her to believe him. "I need you to believe me," he sighed.
"I do, Edward, I do believe you," her fingertips went up to his face, caressing his lips lightly.
"She would come tuck me in at night," he continued. "She would sit on the bed and I would lie with my head on her lap, while she would run her fingers through my hair, humming to me. I'd fall asleep and she'd leave the room and go bed. It was the same thing every night from my first night with them." He slapped at the angry tears that ran down his cheeks. "It was never anything like what Rose tried to make it sound like it was."
"Who did she tell?" Bella reached for his hands, twisting her fingers with his as she knelt to face him. "Who did she tell!" She repeated it through gritted teeth. Her anger so fierce that she was sure her face shone a bright crimson.
"Well, first, she went to Carlisle" he sighed. "She said she saw us doing stuff, but he didn't' believe her. He knew. He knew that for all those years, his wife had hummed me to sleep every night. " He took a breath, pausing to wipe the tears that still flowed. She moved his hand away and wiped the tears herself, looking at him with sympathetic eyes. "Then, after he basically told her to go fuck herself, she threatened to take it to the authorities. It was child abuse, statutory rape, she said, and Esme would surely go to jail for it," he took a shaky breath. "Carlisle was afraid. Afraid for his wife. He knew what Rose was capable of. He knew she would act like a witness and be all 'I saw the whole thing', so he told Mom to stop coming to my room. And she did." His voice was sad. "But it wasn't enough for Rose. She had to bring me down. Shortly after this all happened we went to that party, and that time, because I really didn't give him any other choice, Dad believed her."
Bella ran her fingers down his cheeks, gently brushing away his tears, before sliding them into his wayward copper hair. She looked at him with sad, adoring eyes filled with tears of their own. "My sweet, beautiful Edward," she whispered. "I hate her for what she's done to you, and to your mother." A tear rolled down her cheek. She pulled him down onto the bed, cradling him in her arms and resting his head on her chest as she ran her fingers lightly through his hair, humming gently to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~
I know...long ass chapter. This is what happens when I have all day to play around with it LOL
Sooo....did ya like it? Did you see it coming? Do you know what the chapter titles are?
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