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**********EDITED TO MEET TOS, UNEDITED VERSIONS AVAILBLE AT TWCS & FICPAD.**********

Chapter 15

The days after Christmas have gone by fast, and it's now New Years Eve. My plan was to go back to work right away, until I found out Rose did have a lot of things needing to be done. Emmett agreed to do the work, but between him doing repairs and his work at the shelter, he wasn't around for Bella at all.

When Emmett was talking to her about it, she brushed him off telling him she would be fine alone. Even though she said those words, I knew she was saying what he wanted to hear. Just like she does with her parents, all the time. My first day back was planned for the twenty-seventh, but the look on her face when she was walking out to go home said it all. Her face told me this girl had been abandoned and left to the side one too many times. Since Bella was going to be alone, I decided to take the time off, so she would have company. After pulling her back into the house, I called my boss requesting vacation time. My boss agreed and granted right up until the return to school started.

My days have been spent doing things with Bella. We went to the ice rink, the mall, the cinema and I even took her out for meals before returning home after each thing. Knowing in my mind that these were not actually dates, they sure have felt like it. We both have enjoyed our time together immensely.

Over the past few days, I have gotten to know Bella much better. The person she is when she's with me, I've learned is the real her. After spending so much time with her, I can see there are times when she's with Emmett she is uncomfortable, and just goes along with what he wants.

"What's making you think so hard?" Bella asks as she touches my hand lightly.

"Nothing," I say looking up at her with a smile.

Bella moves, having been looming over me. Sitting in the chair, my eyes follow her body. She's in the little black dress Rose got her as a Christmas gift. Fuck I was right, she does look beautiful. Hell, who am I kidding, she's sexy.

"What do you think?" she asks turning around slowly.

The light laugh that comes out is not preventable, when she stumbles slightly. Thankfully she's able to catch herself and not fall, but my eyes go to her feet and I gasp. The shoes she is wearing are going to be the death of her and me both. They could cause her physical damage she could get from her natural clumsiness. For me it is in the literal sense of the meaning of seeing her very long legs in those high ass heels.

"You look amazing, Mina, but maybe you should lose the heels before you get hurt," I say pointing at them. "You do have to walk downstairs yet."

"I can't. You invited your work collages, and I don't need to be looking or acting like a teenager."

Rolling my eyes, I stand up. "You are a teenager, Mina." Not that she looks like one in this dress. With her hair up off her neck and the light, but well done makeup, she looks to be in her twenties at least. When someone looks at her and sees how she acts, they would never guess she is only just eighteen. Surely the single guys from the office who are coming over tonight will make a play for her, so I'll have to watch that closely.

Moving a strand of curls which is hanging down, my eyes scan hers again. She looks so much more than amazing, she's fucking beautiful.

"Stay near Emmett, or me tonight. Only drink something given to you by me, unless you make it yourself."

Bella gives me a look of confusion, but as I give her a pleading one in return, she nods. She keeps looking me in the eyes, and just when I think she's going to say something, her chance is taken away.

"Bella, can I try the dip?" Emmett yells up the stairs, making me close my eyes. He's really starting to piss me off with the bellowing for her. He treats her like a fucking dog.

"I'll walk you down," I say offering her my arm. She takes is with her little giggle and huge smile that goes all way to her eyes making them twinkle.

I have had a party to bring in the New Year for the last six years. It has now become known among my friends and work colleagues to just come over with a bottle after nine. Usually I handle the food, but this time Bella insisted on doing it and helping me. She even helped me set up the rooms that we'll be using as well. In a way this party now feels like something her and I are throwing together.

"Emmett, remember no more than six drinks. Bella, no more than four for you," I say looking between the two.

They both nod at me.

"Oh and let me add no jumping of the roof, to see if you can land in the hot tub," Bella says tilting her head at Emmett who pouts back at her.

"That's always fun," he chuckles.

"No!" Bella and I yell together making him just roll his eyes as he mutters.

"Hi, we can use a hand," Alice calls making Bella and I turn towards the door.

"I'll go and help out," Bella says. "I'm coming," she calls out a little louder as she walks toward the front door.

"I am going to go start up the music and I'll keep an eye on it to make sure only the good stuff gets put on." Emmett tells me with a pointed look.

As he walks past me, I clasp his arm. "Make sure you keep an eye on Bella. Now I am not saying that anyone I work with would spike her drink or hurt her. But you can never be too careful and she's not used to drinking. So help me make sure her drinks are all light."

Emmett grins and salutes me. "Chill, Dad, have a good time. Maybe you'll get laid and lighten up."

"There's more to life than getting laid, Emmett," I grit out.

"Like what, Eddie?" Rose asks joining us.

"Lots of things. Now, how has this one been behaving at your house?" I ask Rose who smiles broadly at me.

"He's a god send."

"Yeah, Dad, I gave her pipes a good cleaning."

Tilting my head and then shaking off the odd feeling his words gave me, I look back at Emmett to see he and Rose are now looking through the music laughing with each other.

Bella walks back in and my doorbell rings again.

"I'll get this one," I tell her. Moving past her my hand reaches out and trails around her waist. Her own hand covers my wrist and makes me look at her. She's looking right at me, and I wink as her blush appears making her look even more beautiful.

The party is going well and no one is out of line. Looking at my watch, I see it's almost eleven and my home is packed. There must be around thirty people still here. Everyone seems to be having a great time, but I've not been feeling the party vibe. Grabbing a couple bottles of beer, I walk around. Looking down the off limits hallway, I see a light on and the door to my office slightly open. Frowning, I wonder who in the world would be in there. Swearing I had locked the door earlier, I head down the hall.

Pushing the door open more, I see Bella sitting with her feet up on my sofa. She's reading as she hugs Mr. Cullen. It's not often you see her around the house without the bear, since she got it. The fact she keeps it close, makes me almost giddy. It's almost as if she's keeping a part of me with her at all times.

"You know there's a party out there?" I ask walking in the door.

She looks up at me and nods. Her look then changes to one of worry. "I'm sorry, do you mind me being in here?"

"That depends, Mina," I say with a cocky grin.

"Depends on what?" she questions me.

"On if I can join you?"

Her face lights up and she pats the sofa beside her.

Turning, I close my office door, before moving to the sofa. Placing my beers down on the coffee table, I sit and roll up my sleeves.

"Maybe we should go back out there," she states.

Unable to help it, I frown at her not unsure where this has come from.

"You know, to get food, and drinks, and that."

Grinning at her, I give her a nod. "How about this, you stay here and I'll get us some supplies."

She agrees and I get up heading for the door. Walking out, I look around seeing that everyone is having a good time. My eyes land on Rose who's sitting with Alice, Jasper and some younger girls from the office. Emmett is there as well, leaning forward talking to them, oblivious to anyone else but the group he's with.

"Way to keep an eye on your girl, Emmett," I mutter out loud to myself. Hell, the way he has been acting one would think that Rose was his girl. If she was around Emmett's age I would have been worried about this new development in their friendship. Rose is—apart from her age—Emmett's usual type, however he is not her usual type. Rose seems to have a problem only attracting dirt bag, sleaze.

Picking up a plate, I put several different finger foods on it. Grabbing a wine cooler for Bella and a Jack and Coke for me, I head back. Managing well at balancing all this, when I get to the door Bella jumps up to help me.

We place things down on the floor, and I pull the pillows off the sofa. Placing them on the floor, Bella sits down on one and I sit on the other facing her.

"Where did you learn the piano?" Bella asks after a few minutes have passed.

"My grandfather taught my mom, and she then showed me. It was something for just her and I to share together."

"What were they like – your parents?"

My eyes go to the photo of them up on the wall by my desk.

"They were amazing, always there for me. Even when I did stuff they didn't approve of. They made their feelings known, without making me feel unloved." Stopping, I look back at Bella. "I never did anything too big or bad. I always tried to be the man they were raising me to be. When it came out that I got Angela pregnant, it was the first time I saw disappointment on my mom's face."

Bella looks at me in shock, and I move closer.

"Not in that way. My mom and my dad were each other's only. She believed that you should save yourself for your one. So to find out, I had been with someone in that way—someone she knew I didn't love—hurt her. But she stood by me, they both did, in my choice to raise Emmett."

Stopping, I take a big drink from my cup.

"I really think that I would have given up in those first years if it weren't for her. My dad helped a lot too, just by being a dad to me. When they died, a large part of me died too."

Bella slides her body closer to me giving me a weak smile

"Do you ever think that one day Angela will come back, or that Emmett will ask more about her?"

Shrugging a little, I think about it. "I don't really know. I used to worry, and since this was my parent's house, she'd know where to find us. It's not like she hasn't had the chance to come back and know him. I've always been truthful with and told him about her, and her family. I haven't come right out and said she gave up her rights to him and wanted to have him placed up for adoption. He does know that we were young and reckless, and that she felt too young to handle it."

Bella nods seeming happy with the answer. Watching her sip her drink, I take one of my own as well.

"Why the hell is Emmett your first boyfriend?" I blurt out making her blush.

"He wasn't. Remember I dated the preacher's kid for a very short time too?" She laughs and I do recall the conversation about the kiss gone wrong. "I was not always like this, Edward," Bella says waving her hand up and down.

"I was always shy, and the fact I have some weird anxiety that makes me a klutz in public only made me look like a freak. I didn't want to talk to people so they didn't speak to me. It's a two way street, you know. Over the years I developed a sort of nervousness around people. It made me more of a klutz around them. In the end I would push people away just so I could breathe. As for asking me out, that was a hell no. It takes me a long time to calm down and be me around people. I mean look at us, it's been three months now and I just stopped being so clumsy around you."

Swallowing, I haven't noticed, but now that she says it, I know she's right.

"Then things like this," Bella points to the party going on outside the office door. "People my age like this, want this, all I want is to read." She holds up the book from earlier. "Or the small get together parties you normally have."

Just looking at her, I play with her hair as my eyes catch her small owl earrings.

"Do you want to dance again?" she asks shyly, and I bob my head jumping up holding out my hand for her.

Pulling her close, we dance and keep dancing. Feeling more relaxed from drinking, I move her so both of her hands are around my neck and my arms are wrapped around her.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Is yelled so loud from the other room, it shocks us both apart slightly.

Swallowing, I look down at her. "Happy New Year, Mina," I say kissing her cheek. So badly I want to kiss her lips, but I know this need inside me has become too much. With the fact that I've been drinking the only way I would stop with just a kiss is if she asked me to.

"Do you want me to take you to Emmett?"

"No, he knows where I am."

Nodding at her, I point to the door. "I need to go."

Bella nods and sits back on the pillow holding Mr. Cullen.

Walking around saying happy New Year to everyone goes quick. As the pull to go back to my office is too great. As soon as I have spoken to everyone I all but run back to my office.

"Hi," I say walking in closing the door, and sitting next to her.

"Thought you went back to the party?" Bella says and I can smell the fruity smell of her breath from the wine cooler.

"I did, but the one I want to spend time with is in here," I wave my hand around the room.

"Ah, you missed Mr. Cullen," she says waving the teddy at me.

"You got me," I laugh.

"How is Mrs. Cullen?"

"She's good, but I think she misses Mr. Cullen, maybe we should arrange a tea party for them?"

Bella snorts out a laugh. "Sorry," she says blushing and covering her mouth.

"Don't, I love your laugh."

Bella smiles at me shaking her head. "I sound like a pig when I laugh too hard."

"Maybe so, but a cute pig," I reply making her blush darken.

"What's your favorite book?" she asks after a few minutes of me just staring at her.

"Interview with a Vampire," I answer.

"Oh, I love Brad Pitt in that movie."

"Ah Brad Pitt, is he your famous crush?" I ask making her blush a little.

"Maybe..." she says and I chuckle shaking my head at her.

"Have you heard from your parents today?"

Bella shakes her head. "No, not really, my mom had texted me asking why the papers hadn't arrived. I had to remind her with the holidays, it will take longer. She texted me saying she should've just come and got them herself."

Bella stops and looks down, but I pull her face back up.

"She carried on and typed, wait no that would mean I would have to spend time in hell."

Closing my eyes tight and opening them to see that she thinks that her mom has included her in that comment.

"Mina," I say softly, but she shakes her head and clears her throat.

"Would you rather make out with Rose for half an hour, or kiss Jasper's hairy ass?" Bella blurts out and I look at her.

"What kind of choice is that?" I ask going along with her changing the subject. In truth her situation is beyond the point of making me angry for her and the way they treat her.

"It's a game called 'would you rather,' now come on which would it be?" Bella says with a small smile.

"Jasper's hairy ass, hands down," I say making her laugh.

"What about you, would you rather make out with Rose or Jasper's ass?"

"Rose," Bella says right away making me shake my head. "And it is meant to be two bad things, like Jasper ass, or make out with Newton."

"Okay what one of those two?" I ask getting the point of the game.

"Jasper's ass," Bella chuckles.

Bella and I have been playing 'would you rather' for a while when she yawns.

"Okay, would you rather suck your own cock or have Newton suck it?" Bella giggles at the end. It has become clear during the game she doesn't have any love lost for Mike Newton.

"I'd rather suck my own cock," I say without taking time to think.

"Would you rather suck mine and have me fuck you or kiss Newton on the lips?" I ask.

She looks at me wide eyed, as my eyes widen at what I had just asked her.

"You, Edward, of course! That's one good thing with a bad thing. I thought you were getting this game?"

Swallowing all I heard was her say sucking me off and being fucked by me would be a good thing.

Bella yawns again and I look at my watch seeing it's almost two. "Get to bed, Bella, and I'll check the house," I say quickly, knowing I need to get out of this room before I do something stupid.

Walking around I see the place is empty. I check the door seeing there's a note.

Hi, Dad,

I couldn't find you, but I've let everyone out and I'm driving Jasper, Alice and Rose home. Don't worry, I only had one beer and that was before nine. I have my keys so leave the chain off and I'll lock up when I get back around three.

See ya later,

Emmett.

Pulling at my hair, I know my friends would never have allowed Emmett to drive unless he had not been drinking. Looking around the living room, I see it needs cleaning, but I am in no fit state to do it.

Writing him a note to tell him to come to my room so I know he's home, I put it on the door and walk up the stairs. Stopping I look to Bella's room, there's no more point calling it a guest room anymore, it's her room.

Feeling the pull, I close my eyes and shake it off. Letting out a breath, I walk away. Opening the door to my bedroom and hating it because it feels so empty. Moving to the bed, I kick off my shoes.

"Edward?" I turn to see Bella standing there wearing my tee-shirt.

"Bella?" I say back to her and she bites her lip.

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath and I see her body relax before she opens her eyes and walks to me.

"Would you rather have me or Tia?" she asks and I gulp.

"You, always you," I say not having the ability to hide it.

Watching as Bella's eyes fill with lust, and desperation, I have no idea who moves first. All I know is she's in my arms and I'm kissing her.

"Mina, I want you," I tell her giving up on trying to hide this.

"I'm yours," she says as I look at her.

"We can stop," I tell her.

She shakes her head at me. "Please, no," she begs.

"I can do that, I can go slow," I tell her kissing her.

~RR~

I feel like I'm being spun around. "I'm gonna be sick."

"Your fine, Dad," I hear Emmett say in a quiet voice, "Just go back to sleep."

Hearing myself mumble back to him, I let myself drift back into my dream. Where I have Bella right here in my arms.

A/N: So dream or real? What do you suppose is going to happen next?