"So yeah, the sooner we get that sample the better it will be for everyone involved."
"Enough talk about DNA and forensics," Alice whined in a very Alice-like fashion. "Let's talk about what happened last night instead! I've heard you've made some progress with my brother. And when I say heard, I mean I've heard it from someone who has heard you going at it, first hand," she wiggled her eyebrows.
"No, no, no! We're not going there!" Bella grumbled, kicking her feet to clear the snow off her boots, "Seriously, Alice, you need to quit your matchmaking schemes!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," her so-called friend smirked, cocking her head innocently to one side.
"Like hell you don't." Bella sighed, and noticed the fact that her breath came out as a frosty cloud. The temperature was dropping again as were the sun – only a few more hours of daylight left.
To say that Bella wasn't entirely pleased with how the day had progressed was an understatement. Nothing had changed. Fifteen man hours worth of shoveling, which translated into five hours of toddler wrangling, and she was still stuck in limbo; still nowhere nearer of solving… well, anything. Edward was still in a foul mood, not receptive to any kind of serious conversation, and there was still snow and downed trees blocking any potential escape route.
Correction, one thing had changed; the number of Cullens in the Cullen lair. Alice, Jasper and Rosalie had joined the holiday "festivities", meaning Edward had his entire family gathered around him now, meaning the fallout, when everything came out in the open, would be brutal. She dreaded it, yet she could not wait for it to be over and done with. Limbo was about as far away from paradise and rainbows and unicorns as one could get.
Bella let out another breath, and another puff of condensed air escaped her lips or nose. "Remind me again how I ended up in a fake engagement with your brother, because I can't for the life of me remember agreeing to that one," she said with pointedly raised eyebrows.
Beside her, Alice was rubbing her pink mitten-covered hands together in an attempt to stay warm, a small smirk still evident on her face. "It's not a scheme, if you do it to protect someone you care about."
"What about that cabin you rented for Edward and Anthony?"
"What about it?"
"It had bunk beds and a fold out sofa. You obviously had no intention of staying there yourself. Your suitcases alone would have taken up half the living space."
"It was the best I could arrange on such a short notice," she shrugged and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.
"Riiight…and your hastily exit…. You were planning on leaving us high and dry all along, weren't you? I know what you're up to, and you're not as stealthy as you think you are."
"Why are you complaining? You should be thanking me! You got some quality time alone with Edward out of it, didn't you?"
"Have you forgotten we had an active little toddler prancing around our feet? We were hardly alone for more than a few minutes at a time."
"That's not what I heard!" Alice teased with a shrill laugh. "My prediction is still 'right on target'. Dark green or purple are my colors. Remember that when the time comes to choose the dress for your maid of honor."
Bella rolled her eyes, muttering, "Not his again…"
"I'm serious! You have like this new glow about you. I'm rarely wrong about these things."
"Well, you're wrong this time; DEAD WRONG!"
"We'll see about that. Don't forget I have it all in writing. I have the envelopes in my purse, they are still sealed and everything."
"What envelopes?" said a gruff voice from behind, making both Bella and Alice jump a little.
Alice was first to recover. "Oh, hi Edward! I didn't hear you coming."
"Is it my mail you're talking about?" He was standing with his shovelover his shoulder, and his face twisted into a confused expression. "I know I asked you to check it, but I didn't think…. Is it about Anthony? Legal stuff? Don't tell me his poor excuse of a mother has finally decided to make contact?!"
The words were spilling out of his mouth in a rapid stream. He sounded frantic, panicky even, but given his situation, it was a perfectly understandable reaction. Perfectly understandable to Bella at least, Alice on the other hand looked a slightly annoyed.
"Believe it or not, but sometimes we actually talk about things that doesn't concern you at all."
"She's right," Bella deadpanned. "We we're just making small talk."
Edward was looking back and forth between themwith a skeptical expression. "Small talk about sealed envelopes?"
Alice gave an indignant little cough-snort. "You really are paranoid, you know that right? If you must know, Bella and I have a little bet going."
"A bet? What kind of bet?" He asked, leaning his shovel against the nearby wall.
"It's more of a test," Bella hurried to interject, shooting a warning glance at her friend. "Isn't that right Alice?"
"Right! Yeah, she's questioning my clairvoyant abilities. Can you believe that?"
"About a month ago, your sister made a prediction about me that I really don't see happening anytime soon, or at all." Bella threw her hands out in an exasperated 'she's-so-full-of-herself' gesture.
"So, she wrote down a couple of predictions of her own." Alice cut in, rolling her eyes. "She even went as far as sealing the envelopes with a chewing gum. Like that will make any difference… She knows my predictions, I don't know hers, but even with the advantage I'll still win this thing…"
"Alice is not suppose to open them until New Year's Eve. That's the deadline."
"I hope you didn't wager anything you can't afford to lose, Swan," Edward shook his head, snow falling from his knitted beanie.
"It's not that kind of bet." Bella sighed, watching the snowflakes swirl around him. He was beautiful like that, with flushed cheeks and bright eyes. His top layer of clothing was missing and heat radiated from every surface of his body.
"I actually wouldn't mind, if Alice's utopian pipe dream came true. I wouldn't mind one bit," she admitted, feeling herself inch closer to soak up all the warmth she could manage.
She could see his forehead furrow in confusion, but before he could form a question, Emmett came running up the shoveled pathway with two hyper toddlers hot on his heels. Every few meters, he would pretend to stumble and fall into the snow, in the most dramatic ways imaginable, allowing his short-legged pursuers to catch up with him.
"Ugh… Great! I believe that's my cue to run and hide,"Edward said, letting out something between sigh and a wary laugh. "You ARE staying for dinner, right? I mean, with the roads mostly driveable again, I understand if you need to get going, but…. "
Alice, who had been watching their interaction with great interest decided to interject on Bella's behalf. "Don't worry. She definitely needs to eat something before she goes anywhere."
He looked at Bella for confirmation and she nodded slowly.
"I will stay a little while longer and we will talk before I leave."
"Good!" he nodded and then he took off after the kids, sprinting through the snow.
Bella surprised a groan at the sight of his backside in all of its curved and muscular glory.
Beside her Alice was whistling the opening notes to jingle bells, shoulders shaking with mirth.
.
xXxXxXx
.
"Did you manage to reach your mother, Isabella?" Edwards mother asked, passing the pot of steaming potatoes to Bella.
The question threw her for a moment, and Bella blinked. "I'm sorry? What?"
"Earlier, when you went outside with your phone, did you get a hold of her?"
"Ah, no, I'm afraid not," she answered with a frown. The truth was she hadn't even tried to contact Renee yet. She understood why Esme was asking though, as it had been the excuse she had thrown over her shoulder as she had bolted out of the kitchen with the bile raising in her throat. One minute, she had been fine, standing by the sink, helping with rinsing vegetables and getting ingredients from the fridge. The next, nausea had hit her hard and fast. It was the eggs that had done her in. Everything had been fine until Esme had started cracking eggs into that bowl. Apparently eggs in any shape or form were a big, no-no. It had been the same thing with the eggnog that Rosalie had whipped up and served earlier that very afternoon. Puking in the snow behind the garage, with Edward's entire family right around the corner, had been a new low-mark.
No one had commented on it. She wasn't sure whether Carlisle had intervened with some sort of distraction, or if they all just assumed that she too was hungover. Either way, it appeared as though Edward's mother had yet to connect the dots, and for that she was thankful.
Alice was another story though. She had caught Edward's sister giving her suspicious looks and side-way glances on multiple occasions now. Alice was most definitely on to her, and had been ever since they had stepped inside and Bella had been forced to take off her coat.
Was her waistline really that much bigger, compared to two, three, weeks ago? Or was her boobs that gave it away. They were huge and heavy. And tender. And sensitive. Everything was achy and swollen these days. Yikes, even her feet had looked bloated when she had gotten dressed this morning.
"Have you tried the back patio? I've found that you get the best reception if you stand by the far end corner," Carlisle said, looking up from the meat he was carving.
Yeah, that's right Dr. Cullen never made it to his 3 p.m. work shift. Getting the Cullen driveway cleared for driving had taken longer than anyone had anticipated. The Chief of Surgery wasn't the only one stuck in the snow, though. Many vacation plans had been spoiled by the uncooperative weather. Not just because of canceled flights and closed roads, but because with the snow came ice, and with ice came lots of broken bones and fall-related injuries.
The E.R. was filled to capacity, but according to Carlisle, it wasn't necessarily as ill-timed as it may sound. The staff was just as snowed in as the rest of the town, leaving the hospital not nearly as short staffed as it typically would have been this close to a major holiday. Finding someone willing to trade shifts wasn't a problem. Then again, who would say NO when the person asking was the boss man himself?
"What mobile phone carrier do you use? Maybe that is what's wrong," Jasper suggested.
"Nah, it's not the reception," Bella replied, stabbing into a pile of peas with her fork. "While I did not speak with Renee, I did actually manage to get through to Phil. He'll let mom know where I am and I'm fine. I also spoke briefly with my airline. The good news is that Sea-Tac is open again. They expect all flights to be running as normal by lunchtime tomorrow, so it looks like I won't have to drive all the way to Portland after all."
"That's good!"
Bella looked up to see Esme smiling at her, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Have you been rebooked on another flight or will you be forced to do the whole standby shuffle?" Rosalie asked, wrinkling her nose in obvious disgust. "I hate airports during peak travel season. Long lines, grouchy attendants, cranky children, and those tedious security checks."
"You forgot the delays and the lost or mishandled baggage," Edward muttered, from his spot across the table. "So, tomorrow, huh?" he commented, tuning to look directly at Bella.
"Yes, I know I've said that I'm leaving a couple of times before, but this time it's definite. I will definitely be flying out of here tomorrow. And to answer your question Rosalie, the airline couldn't really promise me anything. Almost every single flight is already overbooked as it is. That's why I called Phil. He said he'll take care of it."
"Who's Phil?" Rosalie asked.
"My step dad," Bella answered at the same time as Emmett jumped in and said "Big shot politician, duh," to which Alice rolled her eyes and then put her two cents in, "Only one of California's top three powerful people according to Forbes"
"Okay then… So, he'll send you his private jet or something?"
"Or something… Not that he owns a jet or anything, but he has connections. At this point, I don't care how he does it; I just want to get out of this fu-… freaking snow globe." Bella grimaced at her near slip. "No offence! I really do appreciate your hospitality," she hurried to add for Esme's benefit. "I'll gladly come back some other time when the weather is warmer."
"That's alright. You can come stay in one of our guest room whenever you feel like it. Our door is always open for you," Edwards mother reassured her and this time her smile seemed more genuine.
Bella felt her cheeks heat up. Alice had implied that someone had heard… eh…some rather incriminating sounds coming from that very guestroom last night. She sure hoped it was Emmett she was hinting at, and not Edward's parents…. Yikes!
"We are extremely grateful for the help and support you have given Edward this past couple of weeks." Esme continued, not picking up on Bella's obvious discomfort.
"What can I say, Alice's persistence wore me down."
On her right hand side, Jasper was sniggering, no doubt knowing exactly what she was talking about.
"Also Tony is a charmer," she added, craning her neck to find the two boys, who had already been fed and were pottering about in the dining room.
"I've gotten the impression that your boss has been very generous," Carlisle commented." Allowing you to take time off to stay in Seattle longer than you had originally planned for."
"Uhm," Bella hesitated, biting her bottom lip. Touchy subject…. "I think he's probably just relieved to have me out of his hair for a while. I've been stuck with limited desk duty for a couple of months now and it was beginning to drive me nuts."
"Is this because of your head injury? Or your unstable blood pressure?" Edward asked with sudden interest.
"Well yes, mostly because of my health issues, but also because of the internal affair's investigation that I was submitted to."
"Of course," Carlisle nodded. "In order to be reinstated as an active field agent, you'll need to pass a complete physical, as well as psychosocial evaluation. Isn't that how it works?"
"Yes. I was offered to take some time off, to recuperate and to let things settle, but I decided to keep working."
"Why would you do that?" Edward asked.
"To keep my job, to keep my sanity. I work in a male dominated field. You can't afford to show weakness, not if you want to gain your collogues respect; not if you want a long and successful carrier. That's just the way it is…" she shrugged. "Our department is always clogged up with paperwork and administrative tasks, so it all worked out pretty well for everyone involved."
The table settled into silence. Not necessarily an uncomfortable one, but Jasper took upon himself to lighten the mood by launching himself into retelling some pretty twisted observations he had made at the airport.
.
xXxXxXx
.
"Swan, the pool house, now!" Edward commanded, grabbing her by her arm.
Bella didn't much like being bossed around, but Alice had been trying to corner her for what most likely would turn into an interrogation that would put officer Franklin to shame.
"Lead the way," she nodded towards Edward, feeling her chest constrict with panic welling up inside her. This was it, this was the moment of truth.
"Hey, can't you see we're having a conversation here?" Alice pouted.
"No, actually I cant," Edward, replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've already called dibs, besides have you forgotten that you promised you'd keep an eye on Anthony for me tonight. Or should I ask mom instead? "
"Don't you dare!" Alice huffed. "We're planning on bathing the little tykes; bubbles, toys, the works. It will be a hoot!"
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea…" Edward shook his head.
"Alice, he doesn't like water much."
"That's why I thought it would be an excellent idea to put him in the same tub as his cousin. Elliott loves to bathe."
Edward raised an eyebrow at Bella, as if silently asking her for her opinion.
"I think it's certainly worth a shot."
"Right, but surely it can wait until tomorrow morning…"
"Eww, Edward! He needs a bath, he's all sweaty and sticky and SMELLY!"
"She's right," Bella grimaced. "Besides, don't you think you should stick around for his bedtime routine, Edward? I mean, in case he throws a tantrum or get scared or something. To be honest it's probably better we wait until he's a sleep anyway. Less risk of interruptions."
"When you put it that way…."
"Bella, you can help too!" Alice was clapping her hands together happily. "I'll get mom to boil some water on the stow. The water heating system is still not working properly. Bella, round up the kids! Edward, get the camera! This need to be documented. This will be so much fun!"