Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.

Trust, Loyalty, Commitment

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. -- Proverbs 6:16-19

__________________________________________________________________

Chapter 3 – TLC: Crazy On An Ordinary Day

BPOV

Edward's lips were lighting a trail of tiny brushfires all over her body. Bella arched her back and moaned his name.

"Oh Edwaarrrddd."

She wound her fingers through his hair, holding his head captive as he teased the tip of her left breast with his lips, lightly brushing, and then pulling away. He repeated the same motion with his tongue, giving equal attention to her right breast. Lightly brushing, pulling away. Teasing with his tongue and pulling away. Spasms of pleasure rippled from her chest to her core.

Bella felt like she was on the brink of exploding. What was this urgency, this aching that hurt so wonderfully?

"So good…so goooood," she crooned. Edward moved over her then, replacing his lips with his hands, careful not to place all of his weight on her smaller frame. She could feel the hardness of him, sliding against her thighs and then pressing insistently against her tummy. He hastily claimed her mouth, his tongue caressing hers and then pulling it into his mouth, sucking it as if it contained a mysterious nectar that he couldn't get enough of. The kiss was so intense it took every bit of breath out of her lungs. When she thought she wouldn't be able to breathe again, he released her mouth and kissed a trail from her lips to her neck, his tongue leaving tiny concentric circles in his wake. When he sucked gently on the most sensitive crevice of her neck, she bucked involuntarily as a warm pool radiated from her center to envelope the aching that wracked her body.

She cried out her release…Claire de Lune playing insistently in the background.

Claire de Lune? Bella's eyes popped open. Her cell phone was clamoring for her attention.

Bella would annihilate the unfortunate soul who felt compelled to call her at…she peeked over at the clock on her night stand…7:30 a.m. She tried to roll and lean over to reach her cell phone, but her limbs were tangled in her bed sheet, her fingers just inches from the offending phone. She rolled forward, hoping the impetus of her roll would finally allow her to reach it, but she over rotated and fell off the bed in the tangled sheet, her hand bringing the phone to the floor with her.

"Ooompf….Arrrrgghhh!" Bella was sure her neighbors heard her scream. She flipped her phone open angrily.

Par for the course, Alice.

"If I'd wanted a freakin' wake-up call, I would've made my request last night, Alice. What could you possibly want this early in the morning?"

Bella heard something that sounded like, "Meep," and then silence.

"Alice, I know it's you, I do have caller ID. Now that you've got me awake you might as well talk."

"Sorry to wake you, Bella. I was up with Jazz, you know, doing our quiet time together and when he left for work, I thought it was at least eight o'clock. Forgive me?"

Her pleading was so genuine and so heartfelt, Bella caved. "Yes, Alice." Bella extricated herself from the sheet and sat up, leaning her back against her bed. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to ask how things went with Edward. It looked like you two had great chemistry, but it was so loud at Café last night, I couldn't hear you guys most of the time."

Bella waited a beat. How could she explain to Alice what had transpired when she really didn't quite believe it herself?

"It's funny. When we talked in the ladies room, everything was going great. Better than great. But when we returned to the table, it was like he had changed his mind or something."

"I noticed that. It seemed like you guys smiled and touched a lot more before; then afterward, it was like a light had gone out and you were discussing your tax returns," Alice snorted.

Bella sighed. "I asked him what the deal was and he said we should just be friends because we have to work together, and that he wasn't good enough for me." Bella played with the edge of the sheet. "Alice, I had no idea your cousin had been through so much. What's wrong with his parents?"

"How much did he tell you?"

"He told me about how he and his Dad lived in Indianapolis, but he only said that his Mom was dealing with some kind of craziness…"

"My Uncle Edward Sr. and Aunt Elizabeth divorced when Edward was ten years old. My father's brother is totally different from my Dad in every way, sort of like Esau and Jacob were, you know. Well, Uncle Edward Sr. had always been one to enjoy the excesses of life, but he really went bonkers when my Aunt Elizabeth got involved in a cult."

"Oh, no. You mean an honest to goodness, Jim Jones, don't drink the Kool-Aid, kind of cult?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, her getting involved in that sect was probably just the straw that broke the camel's back. Edward Sr. was very vocal about his disdain for the Church of the Greater Son, but didn't bother to hide his infidelities anymore after she flatly refused to go back to the Episcopal Church with him. Neither of them was ever the same again. We had been a close family up until the divorce. Bella, my family didn't see Edward after the divorce until he was twenty-two and out of the Marines. We stayed in touch when he was discharged even though he was in Terre Haute and we were in Forks. Then when Aunt Elizabeth got sick, my Dad insisted on moving us here to make sure she was being taken care of. He always felt responsible for Aunt Elizabeth because he introduced her to Uncle Edward many years ago. Aunt Elizabeth wouldn't let any doctor near her but my Dad for a long while and wouldn't let him tell Edward she was sick in the beginning. When surgery became the only option for her, my Dad talked her into letting him call Edward. "

Bella had gotten a lump in her throat just hearing another part of Edward's story. "Wow, that is absolutely unbelievable."

"Tell me about it," Alice said sarcastically. Then she was probing. "Does it turn you off that he has so much…baggage?"

"No, but I think it bothers him. I am not afraid of his baggage; I'm afraid that he might allow his baggage to never give us a chance."

"Bella, if I tell you something else, will you promise not to get mad?"

"What did you do, Alice?"

"I didn't do anything. My sweet husband may have done something, though."

"Jasper? What could he possibly have done that would affect me?"

"Promise you won't be mad at him."

"OK, I promise."

"My Jazzy defended your virtue with Edward. He told him that you were looking for Mr. Forever, not Mr. Right now. You were not to be one of his conquests."

"I thought he'd guessed that by my ring, but Jasper actually told him that I was off limits or something?" Bella leaned her head back on the bead in exasperation.

"No, he just told him that you were not to be toyed with and you were the kind of girl who needed commitment."

"That was very sweet of Jasper, but I actually told Edward myself. Alice, you know I never date anyone unless I'm up front with them about who I am. Every man gets the spiel, and if they walk, it's their loss."

"You don't think Edward just decided to walk, do you?"

"Everything in me wants to believe that he's afraid, that he didn't just walk because he knew I wasn't… putting out." Bella tossed the edge of the sheet down agitatedly.

"Don't you dare tell Jasper I told you this, because he told me that I should leave you two alone and let God do His work, but I still see you two together."

"I saw us together, too, about 30 seconds before you called," Bella smirked, the dream sequence running through her mind again.

"You had a sex dream about my cousin?" Alice was incredulous.

"Alice, I'm a real girl. I have sex dreams like any other red-blooded American woman." Bella was smug.

"TMI, Bella. I don't need to see visions of you and Edward doing the vertical Mambo."

"That's just it, we never actually do it."

"So, you've had these dreams before? How is that possible? You just met Edward yesterday?"

"I've had a variation of this dream for the last three months, but before last night, I never saw the face of the man, never knew a name. But it was definitely Edward starring in my dream this morning, live and in color."

"Ew."

"And this from a married woman who can't keep her hands off her own husband."

"It's just icky thinking about a relative in that way."

"Not icky for me. Girl, your cousin is one serious gorgeous hunk of man. I will be praying along with your visions that he really is 'the one.' Although I have to be realistic, he kinda' kicked me to the curb last night with his whole 'I'm not worthy, let's just be friends' speech."

"Bella, he took to heart what Jasper said and really doesn't want to hurt you. He's been with women, probably a lot more than you or I want to think about, and I've only known him to keep one for any length of time, but I'll have to let him tell you about that."

"OK, see, now you want to put the brakes on the information. Not cool, Alice."

"I've probably told you too much stuff, already. Anyhoo, you'll be seeing him every day at the Center. I can dress you up in ways that will literally drive him insane."

"That sounds so sneaky and underhanded. Maybe he's happy with the crack-head skank ho. We don't know, Alice."

"Bella, I have seen my cousin with her, and I've seen him with you. She hasn't gotten anywhere near the attention or adoration in one month that you got from him in three hours last night."

"Alice, I'm inclined to agree with your level-headed husband. I think I'm going to let things take their course naturally, and if that doesn't work, maybe it's just not meant to be."

"Perish the thought. You are going to be with my cousin and that's final."

~888~

EPOV

Edward was in his shower, water running as hot as he could stand it, ruminating on what a gigantic tool he was.

Tanya was in his bed.

After dropping Bella off he'd checked his cell phone and found that he had several missed calls from her. He had not intended to call her back, but she hadn't given up and texted him about fifteen minutes after he'd gotten home. Far be it for him to turn down an opportunity to get laid. Besides his balls were almost purple from his exposure to la Bella vita, and jerking off in the shower was, to say the least, unappealing. It had been effortless getting Tanya to agree to a late night booty-call. However, he had not bargained on how a simple hookup had morphed into something he didn't even recognize. Usually he could be in the moment, no matter who the flavor of the week or month was. Last night, his two heads had absolutely not been in the same place. He went through all the right motions, but only one head came away happy. Bella was on his mind and under his skin. Tanya had been a placebo for Bella, and that was a first.

He tried to remember if he had ever had such a visceral reaction to a woman before. His memory was either very poor, or was eluding him big time.

However, he couldn't help but be honest with himself. As much as he would like to pursue Bella to see if whatever this thing was he had for her could work, the prospect scared him shitless. He would have to thank Jasper for inadvertently bringing this fact to his attention. Making a play for her would only prove definitively what the marine psychologist and his therapist in Terre Haute had helped him discover about himself: he had abandonment issues that spawned a motherfucker of a commitment phobia which rendered him virtually incapable of forming a lasting bond with a woman. His therapist warned him that until he faced some unfinished bullshit with his parents, it wouldn't get any better.

Hell would freeze over before he would face Edward Sr. again. That bastard owed him an apology and fuck if he would go crawling back to Indianapolis with his tail tucked between his legs to hash out anything with that cocksucker. And forget about having a rational conversation with the first daughter of the Church of the Greater Son. His mother's answer to everything was "demons." Satan's minions were some busy motherfuckers.

Edward dried off and exited the shower, wrapping the towel around his waist. Tanya was face down, spread-eagled on his bed, apparently still dead to the world. He almost felt sorry for her. He had taken her so savagely the first time, he was surprised she hadn't run screaming from his apartment in the middle of the night. She incidentally liked it rough, but his performance last night was a testament to her sexual resilience. He liked to think that he had made it up to her during the second go-round, but that's when that weirdness happened. It was like an Alchemic transmutation had occurred where the base, Tanya, had become the precious, Bella. His second orgasm had been even more powerful than the first. Maybe he wouldn't have to play "Taps" in his head at work today.

Get a grip, Cullen. Bella is off limits. Deal with it.

~888~

BPOV

Bella met Angela at Jasmine's downtown for sushi. This was one of their favorite haunts and they managed to patronize the tiny restaurant at least twice a month. Bella was doing what she did best, listening to her sister's deepest secrets and greatest fears.

"Bella, I 'm used to my Dad. I can shut him down when he goes too far. But Ben is probably right to be nervous about meeting him. He will flaunt Milo in Ben's face and all the money the Stavros family has. If I had been looking to marry Milo, I would have gone back to Malta when I finished the exchange program here."

"Have you discussed this with Ben? I wouldn't let him be blind-sided by your Dad's heavy-handed meddling."

Angela was enthralled at the simple question posed. "Uh…no." She hit her forehead with the heel of her hand, knocking her glasses askew. "I'll talk to him tonight. I guess I didn't want to make him even more nervous than he already was, so I didn't say anything."

"Milo's totally out of the picture as far as you're concerned, right?"

"Yes, he moved on after I told him about Ben last year. But that hasn't stopped my Dad from brining him up at least once every time I call home."

"Well, if Milo's not a willing participant in your Dad's drama, I think Ben will see it for what it is. Especially if he is forewarned."

"I hope I can reassure him that Milo isn't a threat. The Stavros family has been our neighbors all my life, and Ben has seen pictures of Milo. When we became exclusive, Ben couldn't believe I was giving up tall, dark and gorgeous for a vertically challenged nerd. But Ben cherishes me, Bella. He loves me more than Milo ever did. Milo really only loves Milo, and I hear he's found someone who's exactly like him, only she's tall, fair and blonde."

"See, that right there convinces me that Ben will totally receive what you have to tell him. He will thank you when your Dad tries to put his little subterfuge into action."

"Thanks, Bella. I'm so relieved. So how did your date go with…Edward, is it?" Angela asked cautiously.

"Yeah, that." Bella crinkled her nose. "The only way I can describe it is…weird."

"Really?"

"You know how it feels when a guy's feeling you and you're really feeling him and you have this gut reaction that you'll have amazing chemistry? Well, that's how the first part of the date went. Then halfway through, he did a total 180 like that 'He's Just Not That Into You' book guy."

"No he didn't." Angela looked mortified.

"Yes, he did. You know I didn't let him get away with that, right?" Bella grinned deviously.

"You called him out?" Angela asked incredulously.

"Yeah, and he very politely told me that he thought we should just be friends because we have to work together, and that he really wasn't good enough for me." Bella shrugged, her arms bent at the elbows and palms raised to the heavens in a "what gives?" gesture.

"My God, he's worse than Ben was when I told him how I felt about him. He worshipped me from afar, but couldn't believe he had me when he finally got me."

"Edward doesn't have to worship me from afar when he's got a regional supermodel as a fifth appendage." Bella was oddly annoyed by this fact now. "He says she isn't his girlfriend, but I'm sure they know one another in the Biblical sense."

"Ouch. Crappy date," Angela commiserated, popping a piece of sushi in her mouth.

"It doesn't…matter." Bella changed the subject. "So, what time is your flight leaving on Saturday?"

~888~

Bella was always happy to go to the Center, but today she felt an increased anticipation that fluttered in her stomach like butterflies. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't because she would be seeing Edward, because that would be just too lame. He had rejected her, even if it in a rather chivalrous… or cowardly way, depending on how you wanted to look at it. She chose to see the glass as half-full.

Officer Cullen showed up on the property a few seconds after she arrived. He was in full cop mode, but looked friendlier than he had been the day before. He also didn't brandish his cap today and his bronze hair was crazy, sexy wild. She was sure that display yesterday was a formality that satisfied a former military man's desire for pomp and circumstance. The only thing that had been missing in that introduction was a trumpet playing a rousing rendition of Reveille.

Bella smirked as she opened her office door to let him in.

"What?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, I…" The Swan blush reared itself. "I was just thinking about something that happened yesterday."

"Care to share?" That crooked smile almost did her in.

"Not really. Come on in."

He came in and followed her to her desk. She turned her laptop on then tuned to face him again.

She tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes. "So, should I expect Kwame Jones here in the center today?"

"Yeah, if he doesn't show up, let me know and I'll go pick him up." Edward had that determined, all-business cop look again.

"Great. You know, I wondered why he abruptly stopped coming to the afterschool program. He really seemed to enjoy the curriculum, especially the music." Bella was reflective.

"I know all too well why he might have stopped coming around. It's not cool to like classical music when you're thirteen, especially when your peers are pressuring you to do all sorts of things that don't jibe with Debussy, Mozart or Chopin."

"How did you deal with the pressure? I need a guy's perspective here."

"My experience was pretty unique. Crawfordville, being the bastion of the Performing Arts that it is, totally embraced my musical gifts," he grinned mischievously.

Bella laughed. "You are so full of it, Officer Cullen."

"The truth is some of the boys tried to give me a hard time about it, but that didn't happen for long. My friend, Emmett McCarty, who was the biggest of all of us even then, developed a love for classical music too after hearing me play for years. He threatened to beat the crap out of any of the guys who tried to tease me about it."

"I'll try to find Kwame an ally, like Emmett McCarty then." She worried her bottom lip briefly with her teeth. "Thanks for the tip."

"Anytime, Ms. Swan." With that he winked, turned on his heel and headed for the door. "Happy tutoring."

Former gymnast that she was, Bella's heart did a long-hang kip in her chest.

~888~

Despite beginning the aftercare program in a euphoric mood, the day got crazier by the hour for Bella. Alice and the volunteers descended on the Center and she gave them copies of the plans for the rest of the week and the sessions began quite peacefully. Within the first hour, one of her first graders tossed her cookies in the reading circle, making for a messy clean-up session. Mrs. Williams, one of her more matronly volunteers was a lifesaver; she stepped in and got the area clean swiftly and efficiently. Bella and Alice were relieved that Mrs. Williams took charge. Neither of them had ever had to deal with a sick child before. Bella called the child's mother and she came to pick her up within the hour.

Edward made his regular perimeter sweeps and had his fair share of crazy, too. A man in one of the units across from the Center was rushed to the hospital having suffered an apparent stroke. The man's wife flagged Edward and he called an ambulance. Bella couldn't help but smile when she saw how he comforted the elderly woman as her husband was being worked on by the paramedics.

Later, a female resident, who was visibly drunk, staggered into the common area and held court on one of the benches on the playground, bitching and cursing at a companion that was invisible to everyone but herself. Bella didn't want to get the woman in trouble, but she had to call Edward because this woman was a huge distraction for the children.

Hour two found them having to send two pre-teen girls home who had a heated argument over a tube of allegedly stolen lip-gloss. They were suspended for the next day, but could return when they brought a parent with them for a conference where Bella would go over the rules with them again and take them back if they were properly repentant. Alice called Edward this time, and he went with her to escort the two girls home.

If hours one and two had been the preliminary bouts of a prize fight, then hour three was the main event. A fight erupted as one of the other 7th grade boys picked a fight with Kwame Jones. Bella's lone male volunteer, a slightly built man named Sean, tried to separate them, but he was dealing with a couple of boys who were at least equal to his size. Mrs. Williams took Kwame into a corner to give him a talking to so he could cool down. While Sean was holding the more belligerent boy, Bella was trying to diffuse the situation, so he would calm down, too. But the boy wasn't pleased that Sean was restraining him, and he pulled roughly away from Sean, careened into Bella, pushing her roughly to the floor.

Bella wasn't sure how Edward got there so fast, but he was in the room and hauling the boy up against a wall by the scruff of shirt, and looking anxiously to see if Bella was OK all at once. Bella heard Edward saying something about "ending him" through clenched teeth. She had fallen firmly on her butt, and wasn't actually hurt.

Alice rushed over. "Bella, are you alright?

At the same time Edward barked, "Are you OK, Ms. Swan?"

Bella looked up at Alice then over at Edward. "I'm fine." Alice offered her hand and pulled her onto her feet.

"We'll be right back." Edward was pushing the frightened youth out the door with him. His mouth was a tight line and he looked furious.

"Officer Cullen…" Bella's pleading fell on deaf ears. "Alice take over, please." Bella stalked out behind Edward and the boy.

Edward had the young man pinned against the wall and was giving him a stern talking to. Tears were streaming down the boy's face unchecked.

"…and if you ever touch her again, whether it's intentional or not, you will be sorry…" Edward's voice was soft but deadly.

"Officer Cullen," Bella was unnerved, "can I speak to you a minute?"

"Don't move." Edward muttered at the crying boy. He made it to her in what seemed like three long strides. His face softened when he approached her, his green eyes probing. He whispered, "Bella, are you sure you're alright?"

"Edward, I'm fine." She held her arms out for emphasis. "See, nothing's bruised or broken."

His hand came up to cup her cheek and then he abruptly pulled it back, as if suddenly remembering where they were.

"Officer Cullen, you can't go man-handling these children like that. We have an obligation to their parents to keep them safe."

"What about your safety, Bella? That kid's bigger than you are, he could have really hurt you."

"But, he didn't. I took a tumble because I was standing too close when he pulled away from Sean, our volunteer. Marcus, the boy you just jacked up against the wall, picked a fight with Kwame. We were trying to diffuse it when you came barreling in."

"Even so, he shouldn't have been acting out so violently. I could run him in for aggravated assault if Kwame wants to press charges."

"That won't be necessary, Officer Cullen." Bella was exasperated. "Look, you can't just go arresting these children every time we have an altercation in here."

His eyes hardened. "I believe that's my call, Ms. Swan."

Bella was incensed. "Your jurisdiction is out here and the perimeter of this property that you patrol. But I am in charge on the other side of this wall. And you may only enter here at my invitation."

"I beg to differ with you, Ms. Swan. If I believe there is probable cause that a crime is being committed on the other side of that wall, I will enter whether I'm invited or not."

"You're not going to let this go, are you? Her voice was full of frustration.

"No."

"Then I hope you enjoy disappointment." Bella stepped around him to comfort the crying boy against the wall.

~888~

A/N: Thanks to all you wonderful readers who are, in fact, reading my story. I have had 14 reviews to date, but my story stats show that 400 people have visited the story and are apparently reading because there have been over 700 hits. Please read and even if all you do is say "Hi" or "I hate this about it" or "I love this about it" please leave a review so I can get an accurate gauge as to whether I am improving, or sinking into a dark abyss of mediocrity.

If you read this chapter and review, I will send you a sneaky peak of the next chapter many days before it posts. If that doesn't suffice, I'll let you guys interview Copward in the next chapter's Author's Notes and explain anything from this chapter that you didn't understand, 'cause I didn't put any explanations in A/N this time.

Come on, review me. You know you wanna'.

Love you guys!