I'll leave the usual thank you's to Pienuniek and Chandra, as I always do. And of course the disclaimer that it all belongs to SM. That just leaves you to read on:

Chapter 10 – A day in the life of

I was enjoying listening to Bella and her family catch up. I realized it was the one thing the Cullen household was lacking: communication. Because we were under foot everyday there was never anything to catch up on.

Looking around at everyone I noticed that Aunt Alida was watching me. I couldn't help but be a little curious as to what she was thinking.

'He has green eyes, but there's something…' she was thinking. All of a sudden she jumped up, pointing at me. "Vampire!" she shouted then ran out of the door.

We all looked after her in bafflement, although I could see Alison with her head in her hands and her shoulders shaking. We sat there waiting for a few minutes to see what would happen. Alida came running back in through the same door, but now she was wearing a garlic necklace. Bella was shaking next to me as Alida threw something at me that landed in my lap.

I looked down to see that it was a powdered blood pack. When I looked back up Alida was back to talking to her balls; she seemed nonplussed that she had done what she did. Looking back at Bella, she was trying so hard not to start giggling at me.

She opened her mouth, closed it again, snorted, then burst into giggles. That just set everyone off.

I waited until they'd settled down before I held up the blood pack. "Just what am I supposed to do with this?"

Charlie cleared his throat, trying not to laugh again, I was sure. "You add hot water to it, Edward, then you'll have a delicious drink in your hands."

I looked at the blood pack, kind of grossed out and kind of intrigued. "Ah… human?"

Bella snorted and then broke out into giggles again.

Chuckling, Amos answered. "No, Edward. It's not human, animal, or vegetable." This time he snorted. Must be a family trait. "It's a synthesized blood made for the vampire mates of Earth Angels. We figured that it could be something that happened."

I decided it best to not try it and placed it on the table. "I think I'll stick to food, thanks."

"Food?" Mikail asked. "Seth enthusiastically explained that you could eat food, Edward, but how is this possible?"

"I spent time with the Volturi in my younger years; they are the leaders of my kind on earth. They have created a technique that allows them to be able to eat food. I was able to become one of their inner circle and they shared that with me," I explained. "One day I'll show it to you."

They all hummed at that. "We would love to see it one day, Edward. When you're ready," Samail commented.

"Now what, Edward, can you tell us about you?" Amos asked. "Bella has been surprisingly tightlipped." He laughed as Bella yelled that it wasn't her story to tell.

I laughed at their interactions, noting that this is what a family was all about. "What would you like to know?" I countered.

"Everything!" Alison suggested.

We spent the rest of the afternoon discussing me. While it made me uncomfortable, I knew they were just curious.

~*~HS~*~

Later that evening after dinner, Bella asked me to go for a walk in their garden. I'd helped her up from the table and followed her out the back door with my hand at the base of her back.

When we were outside, Bella linked our fingers together. She showed me around their expansive gardens. We talked about everything and nothing.

"Tomorrow I want to take you by the schools that I went to and through the shopping district properly."

I nodded. "Sounds good, love."

"How are you feeling now, Edward?" Bella asked.

I hummed in contemplation. "To be honest, Bella. It feels like home." She beamed. "I mean, I'm still overwhelmed, but I feel like I can just relax here with you."

"That's excellent, my love. I'm glad that you can be yourself; it's all I'll ever want," she told me.

"Me too, love, me too." Bella started to yawn. "Let's get you back to bed, my love. We've had a long day."

She nodded, so I guided her back to the house and up to her room, where we got ready for bed.

~*~HS~*~

Renee had breakfast for us when Bella arose the next morning. After that it was time for Seth to go to school. He was excited because he was giving his report today in class.

"Seth!" Bella shouted up the stairs. "If we are going to get there on time you need to come downstairs NOW!"

"I'm coming, Bella!"

I laughed at them.

"And what is so funny, Edward?"

It was cute that she was trying to be stern with me. The hands on the hips and the scowl on her face only made me love her more.

"Nothing is funny, love. It's just nice to see that siblings are the same no matter where you are."

She stuck her tongue out at me in response.

"Oh mature, love."

She snickered. "I know. What are you going to do about it?"

"This…" I stalked up to her, grabbed her around the waist, and planted my lips on hers.

She moaned as her hands wound around my neck, her fingers plunging into my hair. My tongue dove into her mouth, twining with hers and fighting for dominance.

I was so invested in her that I didn't hear Seth coming down the stairs. "Aw c'mon, guys," he whined. "I don't need to see this."

Bella and I pulled back from each other, smiling and her blushing. "I'm not going to apologize, Seth. I love your sister and I'll show her and the universe." When I looked to him he was smiling.

"I know," he agreed. "And I just love to play with you guys. I think it's wonderful."

"Right, we've got to go!" Bella exclaimed.

We followed Seth out the door and back down toward the main center of town. We walked past the shops and restaurants toward a few really large buildings.

Bella indicated that we were to stop outside one of them and let Seth go on alone. This one was up on stilts and round. It had a thatched roof but was all open, no windows or doors. It was two stories and you could see the individual rooms. I looked to Bella for an explanation.

"This one here is the equivalent of your primary schools. It teaches the junior and middle school children. That one over there," she pointed to another building, "is what you would call high school."

The high school was more than one building. It was a group of bamboo buildings in the shape of a semi-circle. Again they had thatched roofing, but they were tiles instead of just thatching.

"Why is the high school set up differently?" I asked.

"It's different because they have a different teaching style there. There are actual classrooms, learning and testing, whereas the primary and middle school is all about learning to fly and all the other ins and outs of being an angel," she explained. "You have lessons there but they're more relaxed. The real structure comes once you hit high school."

We continued walking around and Bella pointed out the hall that the Elder Council met at. It was a beautiful display of architecture. Bent bamboo beams all led to a flared roof, which was thatched again. Part of the roof had glass in it, pointing straight up. We were allowed to look but not allowed to enter. It was a sacred place that just the council met in.

The last place Bella led me to was what she described as a town hall. It was another stunning design in architecture. With eight anchor points, the bamboo beams led up to a roof that was designed to look like a wave. There were thatched tiles and air vents, but it had open walls, no doors, and a solid floor. It had room for chairs or for standing. Bella led me to the end that had a bench for us to sit.

"You wanted to know what was up with Aunt Alida, right?" Bella asked me.

I nodded. I had wondered why she seemed so removed from the family.

"I'll show you. It's easier than to try to explain."

With that I was once again sucked into Bella's memories.

Bella and her family were sitting around Charlie and Renee's dinner table. They were talking and laughing, just having a good time, when there was a knock on the door.

Charlie got up to answer the door; you could hear him from the dining room. "Michael, good evening to you. What can I do for you?"

"Charlie, good evening to you too. I need to have a talk with your family. Are they all here?"

Charlie led Michael into the dining room as they talked. "Yes. We're all here barring Alida. Is there a problem?"

Michael took a seat at the head of the table. Being that he was part of the Governing Council and presided over the Guardian Angels, this was a big deal.

"There does seem to be a problem, but let me ask you some questions first please," Michael asked.

They all nodded, waiting for him to start.

"Alison, what have you noticed about Alida lately?" Michael started.

Alison gasped. "Um… I'm not sure. She's been secretive lately I suppose. Not spending a lot of time with the family."

Michael nodded. "What about you, Renee, have you noticed anything?"

Renee looked saddened. Being a Guardian, she had an idea on what could be happening. That and she'd noticed Alida's behavior go downhill. "Yes. She's been talking to herself, carrying on whole conversations. She's been hoarding assignments, taking on quite a few new charges. She is secretive, and drawing away from her family."

Michael nodded. His shoulders slumped a little, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Yes, she's become erratic too, mixing up her charges and what they should be aiming for."

"Oh dear gods," Amos moaned. "She's become an 'Other', hasn't she?"

There were gasps all around the table. The women started sobbing even before it had been confirmed.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Michael sighed. "We'll need to stage an intervention to gain access to her charges, so that I can assign them to someone else. We're also going to have to create some Soul Balls for her, so that she thinks she's still helping."

Samail joined in then. "That also means that we'll have to cancel her access to the earth, and stop her from getting down there too."

"She'll have to be given access to the Illusion Chamber so she thinks that she's going to earth to help her charges. Michael, you'll have to do that," Mikail suggested.

"Yes, I'll do that. Renee, here are a list of her current charges. Can you get started on those Soul Balls please?" Michael asked.

"Of course." Renee grabbed the list then headed out the front door.

"Charlie, you, Amos, and Alison head over to Alida's house and bring her here so that she's surrounded by family," Michael instructed.

They nodded and walked out the front door too.

"Bella?" Michael asked, "You have the most important job to do tonight." She nodded. "I need you to take Seth out into the forest and stay in one of the floating beds with him please. I know you want to help, but this is not something you or he need to see, okay?"

"Of course, Michael. I've heard of this before and how it's done. I'm not ready to see that yet," Bella agreed, grabbing up baby Seth and taking him upstairs to pack a bag, leaving out the front door.

That was where the memory ended.

"The next time I saw Aunt Alida she was carrying around those balls you saw last night, thinking they were her charges. It's a sad place to be in," Bella continued.

I digested that information. "What exactly is an 'Other', Bella?"

She sighed. "It's an unfortunate sad place that some angels end up in, inside their heads." She linked our fingers together and rested her head on my shoulder. "I suppose their equivalent is the crazy cat ladies you see on earth. It usually happens to the unfortunate ones that don't have a mate, not always though.

"The mind of an angel is made to have a mate, much like vampires. We can survive without one much like you can. Although sometimes, being mateless for centuries on end can take a toll on one's mind. They dedicate themselves to their charges and eventually just keep collecting them. When their mind starts to bend they start mixing them up, changing the direction the charge is supposed to go," Bella explained.

"Eventually we have to step in to help both the angel and the charges; they are assigned those Soul Balls, which they think are their charges and taken to the Illusion Chamber where they think they go to earth to help them. It's not something to be ashamed of, but we keep them in their delusions to help them think they still have a purpose," she finished.

I digested that. It was a lot to take in. Much like us, if we go without a mate we can become irrational and delusional.

"Now I understand the whole 'gods help her' thing. But what about what happened last night?" I asked.

"Ah… last night," Bella giggled. "Unfortunately it's a side effect of her delusion. While she accepts that you are a vampire and my mate, she tends to believe some of the myths about them, hence the garlic necklace. As for the blood powder, that was her welcoming you to the family by trying to feed you."

I chuckled at her and at the situation; while it was sad that Alida had essentially lost her mind, I could see the funny side of her interaction. Seeing the funny side also is a way of dealing with something hard. I'm glad that the angels had found a way to deal with it without having these poor creatures being hopped up on meds.

We sat there for a while longer discussing things like this.

~*~HS~*~

Around lunch time we headed over into the shopping district. Bella wanted to take me to one of her favorite restaurants. Once we were seated I looked around for a menu. Bella giggling at me stopped me in my tracks.

"What's so funny, love?"

She giggled again. "This isn't like your earth restaurants, although I heard the practice has become in fashion. Here they have a huge database of freeze dried ingredients; the chef chooses what he will combine, one dish a day. So we sit and see what he's thought up. You'll never know what you'll get."

"Oh, I see. I've never been anywhere like that."

"Then let's enjoy it. After lunch I'll take you out to the floating beds."

While we waited, we talked about all that I'd seen since coming to Eden yesterday. I held her hand over the table while we ate lunch before having to accept defeat and letting her pay because I didn't have the type of money they use there.

I let Bella lead me out into the forest to where the floating beds were. It was a beautiful view. Among trees like Redwoods were floating basket-like nests. They had mattresses and pillows inside them for angels and others to rest, play, and sleep.

When we reached them, Bella had to fly up to reach them so she brought out her wings. This time, though, instead of filling me with immeasurable lust, it filled me with lust burning bright. It was a slow, deep, burning that was full of passion. Once I jumped up with her we laid down in the nests and made out for hours on end.

This one didn't end in a fast, frantic orgasm, but a slow deep one. It was tongues and teeth, lips and fingers, love and passion, with Bella calling my name out to the skies and me growling her name. It followed with Bella falling asleep right there in my arms while I lay there and watched her with a fierce passion that would never, ever burn out.

~*~HS~*~

Later that afternoon, after Bella was awake, we made our way home. She wanted to organize dinner for everyone and I wanted to help her. She explained that there wasn't a lot to do so I could occupy myself while she did that.

When we walked through the door, I noticed Charlie was home so I invited him to go for a walk around the gardens, and hopefully out of Bella's hearing range.

"What are we doing out here, Edward?" Charlie asked, then his eyes lit with understanding. "You've decided to take me up on my offer?"

I nodded. "Yes I have. Can you take me to see the Looking Pool? Like now before dinner and Bella getting suspicious."

"Of course, come with me. We'll sneak out the side gate here." He led me out a gate I hadn't recognized as such, and back out toward the center of town.

Before we got there, however, he veered off into the forest and down a little path that, while well used, was also well hidden. We followed that path until we came to a little clearing, surrounded by trees and foliage. In the center was a round bamboo hut. It had a triangular opening with a roof that wound all the way around and had a small patio out the back. The roof was thatched tiles once again. It was a beautiful building from the outside.

On the inside, however, was a different scene. The walls were made of diagonally planted bamboo stalks in white river rocks. Although they essentially made a circle, the walls were wavy. The floor was flat bamboo wood, polished to a shine that you could almost see your reflection in. Off to the sides were a couple of lounges, covered in a fur that I wasn't sure what it was. But it was in the center that my eyes fell to.

There in the center, on a stand of black river rocks and white stained bamboo with an intricate design wrapped around it, was a huge black bowl. If I was right, and I'm positive that I was, inside was the water that Bella had first seen me in.

This was the Looking Pool.

The room was perfect for what I had in mind.

"This is fantastic, Charlie," I breathed.

He nodded. "I thought it might be. When are you looking at doing this, Edward? And what do you need?"

"This is what I have planned…"

~*~HS~*~

We made it back just as Bella was calling everyone for dinner. That being everyone in her family. Once again dinner was a loud boisterous affair.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Having this many people to sit down with and eat with was such a relief. Not having to hide myself was also a relief.

After dinner we converged in the living room to hear about Seth's report.

"I got full marks!" he crowed in excitement. "I mean, the whole project was exciting all on its own; being able to go to earth before I had finished school was just the icing on the cake."

"What's this all about, Seth?" Samail asked.

"You didn't tell them?" Bella directed at Charlie.

He shook his head. "No, we wanted to see how strong the cloaking ability was in children Seth's age. To do that we had to have no interference from well-meaning family members."

Bella nodded. "Ah, I see. Yes, they have been known to get in the way sometimes," she teased. "Well, in that case, Seth, you'd better start at the beginning. Because I'm sure that Gamma and Poppy haven't heard yet either."

The people in question shook their heads.

"Okay!" He jumped about. "Bella had kept in contact on her trip across the USA looking for Edward, recommending people that should be granted wishes, sending updates, and describing the things she had seen along the way. When she hadn't contacted us for a couple of weeks we'd clearly guessed that she'd finally met up with Edward. Then she sent a communication about a lovely lady called Laurice and her husband Ossie. She mentioned that she had indeed met Edward and they had completely fallen in love. The only downside to that was that his family, bar two, didn't seem to be happy that he had."

"No, no. That's not the case," Bella argued when her whole family seemed to get upset. "They were just unhappy that I seemed to know all about them when I couldn't tell them anything about myself, that's all."

That didn't really help the situation. I couldn't blame them for their reaction either, because I was just as upset about it.

"I don't blame you for your reaction," I agreed. "I didn't like it either, which is why I took her from that hostile environment before something could happen. But it happened anyway; let Seth tell his story."

They all settled down after that and readied themselves to listen to his tale. I wanted to hear more in detail anyway.

Seth continued, "Anyway." He sighed. "About three weeks after that communication, Bella sent an urgent one asking for Momma and Dad to meet them at Edward's house in Chicago. That she had a mission that she wanted Dad to complete for her.

"We arrived, meeting Edward for the first time. After I tried to tackle him," at that everyone laughed, "And he caught me in midair," they laughed again, "They explained everything that happened with his family and what Bella wanted us to do.

"Edward took some time to think it all over before agreeing that doing it this way was the best. But there was a stipulation; he didn't want his family to know where he had taken Bella. From what I understand it was for his sanity as much as for her protection.

"Dad and I flew out a couple of days later."

This is where I decided I wanted to see his memories instead of just listening.

Seth looked back after they had taken off only to see that they had flown higher and further than he had imagined.

"We caught an up flow, Seth," Charlie explained. "It sends us further, faster than had we just flown."

"Oh!" he exclaimed, thinking that that was pretty cool.

They flew all the way to Colorado Springs, catching drafts, playing, and just having fun because they knew when they got there it would be business.

"Dad, if my cloak fails while I land are you going to help me?" Seth asked. It had been bothering him for a while.

"Of course, Seth," he assured. "It's the one thing that we have to do: maintain our anonymity. We cannot allow the humans to know that we exist. It would be bad for all of us."

Seth nodded. They continued on flying until they could see the outside of town. While they wanted to test Seth's cloak, they didn't want to land in a hugely populated area. They found a spot not too far from the bus terminal - huh, popular place for landings – So that it looked like they were just coming in from a bus.

"Okay, Seth, activate your cloaking ability and we're going to set down near those humans over there," he said, pointing to a spot near some humans.

Seth could feel when his cloak had come over him, so he nodded to Charlie and landed nice and quiet. Not one of the humans had noticed. He was so giddy with excitement that Charlie had to remind him to put his wings away before taking it back off.

I could see one of the reasons that child angels were not allowed to go to earth.

Once they'd landed and walked behind a bus, they released their cloaking ability, then they walked into the terminals, to the showers and change rooms.

Changing into the professionally fitted suits, they walked out into the sunshine of this beautiful Monday morning. Charlie caught a cab out the front of the terminal and asked the driver to take them to The Claremont.

Once there, they walked into the front office, asking the receptionist if they could see Principal Benjamin Malek.

He walked out of his office, coming straight up to Charlie and Seth. "Welcome, gentlemen, my name is Benjamin Malek, what can I do for you today?"

Charlie took the initiative. "I'm Agent Don Eppes and this is Agent Colby Granger, we've come here on behalf of Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan."

"Ah, I'm afraid they were both no shows this morning. They didn't even advise us that they were unable to make it. I'm sorry to say that you won't be finding them here," Benjamin replied.

Seth shook his head. "No, sir, you misunderstand us. We haven't come to talk to them, we've come to advise you about them."

Benjamin looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

Charlie sighed. "We're sorry to inform you that Isabella and Edward will not be returning to this area at this time. They've become involved in something that they had to be pulled from and placed somewhere untraceable."

You could see when it clicked in Benjamin's head. He'd put together that we'd seen something that we had to run from.

"Oh, that's terrible. Will they ever be able to return?" he asked.

"Probably, eventually," Seth advised. "But not for some time."

Benjamin got up then, went to the receptionist, and gathered up a checkbook. He filled one out and then brought it back to Charlie.

"Please give them my condolences and hand this over to Edward. He deserved it for all the hard work he did here. Thank you for coming to let me know."

Charlie and Seth stood, shaking his hand, and then left the office.

Hailing another cab, they advised the driver to take them to the Cullen home.

When they arrived, they climbed from the cab and walked to the front door, knocking when they reached it. Esme answered the door. "Hello, gentlemen, what can I do for you today?"

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen?"

"Yes, that is me. How may I help you?"

"My name is Don Eppes, and this here is Colby Granger. We've come here to talk to your family. Are they all home?" Charlie asked.

Esme nodded. "Please come in, gentlemen, we're all in the living room."

After Esme showed them in and asked if they wanted anything to eat or drink, she showed them where they could sit.

Carlisle asked the obvious question. "What is it we can do for you today?"

Seth took up the mantle this time. "My name is Colby Granger, this is Don Eppes, and we've come to talk to you about Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan."

Esme gasped, grabbing Carlisle's hand for a minute then letting go.

"We've been in contact with them," Charlie continued. "And they've asked us to pass on a message to you."

They all waited with bated breath for what they had to say, until Emmett couldn't hold it in anymore. "What?" he asked. "What did they have to say?"

"They wanted to say that they are sorry that things happened the way that they did, to Esme and Emmett. They wished that it had gone differently," Charlie started.

"But they will be gone for some time. They will be in contact via the telephone, but that will be all for the time being," Seth continued.

Esme let out a sob, getting up and going to the window, turning her back to everyone except for when Emmett came up to comfort her.

"They also wanted to advise Esme and Emmett that they will not be at the place they advised you of. They will be moving around from place to place, and to not even bother to look for them. They are going to be spending time as mates." That earned them a hiss, because this meant more people knowing what they are.

Charlie and Seth paused, letting them calm down. Then they stood up.

"Remember that they will contact you when they feel comfortable doing so," Charlie finished. "Thank you for your time. We'll see ourselves out."

Charlie and Seth walked out the front door, before cloaking themselves and flying away.

I came up out of Seth's memories, glad that I had done so. It showed that they were not ready for us to be coming home until they've sorted themselves out.

"So the experiment was a success. I wrote up a report stating that even though our cloaking ability is strong enough to hide us in the human world, we are too easily distracted to be allowed down without adult supervision. I got full marks," Seth finished.

With that everyone got up and congratulated Seth for a job well done.

Bella and I decided to head to bed after that; it had been a long day after all. Even with her nap, Bella was exhausted.

~*~HS~*~

This weeks teaser, which was posted in our facebook group 'Bubbleybear and Pienuniek's Story Nook, had pictures of these buildings. If you wish to join, please look us up, we'd love to have you. See you again next week!