Teddy and Family
Chapter 26
A/N: We find out a little more about something that Bella never wishes to talk about…but then again its need to know information after the day they've had.
Disclaimer: EL James and sometimes SMeyer (I love to play with her characters but with my AU spin on them from my other story. Sorry folks I don't do Cannon ever. Like, Love it, Hate it…you have been warned ^^) own it all I'm just having fun with the characters, but the OC ones and story ideas are all mine
Ana
Can't say that Bella and I don't have watchdogs now. Nope. Frankie and Hudson are all suited and booted to be our buffer at the special showing tonight. They're both parked in the kitchen woofing down the treats. We're both so annoyed that we don't even warn them that they may or not pack a punch when you eat them.
It doesn't take a genius to know that Jason, Adam, and Logan have gone into Defcon 1, because Chris is losing the plot. Can I just hide now? I don't relish not being able to sit down for a week.
Though, Seriously! Did they have to get the Commissioner who's already pissed at us more pissed at us because we lied through our teeth that we were going to be good girls and stay in our suite at the Waldorf. Not that it's not my fault that Papa K's laid up with an IV in his arm in a hospital suite because NORO got him too!
William informed Gloria that the paps are even more ravenous than usual because of that blasted TMZ LIVE site! I think that there is more to it, but no one is giving up the deets for fear that I myself will lose the plot again. I mean, look what I'm capable of doing to a priceless wedding dress. William somehow got to see the wedding videos too, so Jose had it set to send to more than just the moms! If that's true then he's a dead man walking when I get my hands on him!
Bella's glued to her phone, but she won't let me in on what's wrong now. Angelo, who is addicted to those home and viral video shows, clued me onto one tiny little detail about my big sister that completely slipped my mind. She was the star of two of the most famous videos on Funniest Home Videos show and had been dubbed 'The Klutziest Teenager in America' as a kid. She even still to this day has a loyal cult following as other friends of the family have shared various moments online. I remember being gawked at and pointed at as a teenager but shrugged it off because of being a Steele. After seeing these they were thinking…Hey! It's that girl who needs a safety hazard sign wherever she goes! Someone wrap her in bubble wrap! Not to mention being teased by the guys over them, but honestly I've never seen any of them until now.
No wonder she wanted to be a Vampire! She wouldn't have survived to 21! I thought that her books were an exaggeration! I'll admit that when I was little that I had two left feet for a while and got into a bit of mischief, but I shadowed Chris everywhere so I was able to grow out of it by mastering activities where balance and agility were all key. That's how I conquered my clumsiness.
I have to get my hands on her laptop again! Edward must have been going out of his mind! No wonder when we first met he was muttering about the world not being able to handle two of us! He's had to endure years of her being a trouble magnet.
"Angelo! Where the hell did you get that!?" Shit! He's busted! Bella caught him showing it to Gloria.
"You were so adorable, Bella!" Gloria gives her a hug.
"I was a walking disaster, but thank goodness I grew out of it! I didn't even know about them until a family friend clued me in during a quick overnight stay in Destiny, Idaho. Let's just say that my dad and I had words. Now where did you get those from?" She's got Angelo backed up against the wall fearing for his life.
"From the forum dedicated in your honor…a family friend uploaded dozens of videos. This is nothing. Your videos get millions of hits…" The poor man is whimpering like a scared puppy who just chewed up his master's prized slippers.
"WHAT?!" Bella's going to crush his phone if she isn't careful. "I don't care if he's one of Charlie's closest friends! He's toast when I get my hands on him!"
"Think of it as being the inspiration for all of those hazard prone kids that they can and will be able to overcome it! Don't think of it as being the star of some of the most embarrassing videos ever! That was then this is now and leave it at that!" I race over on my sky high heels to rescue his phone and prevent her from outing herself in the process.
I thank the powers that Kate and Mia made me take those modeling courses when we were teens or I'd be in the ER right now with a broken ankle! I can even out catwalk a Victoria Secret Angel and did during fashion week New York for charity when I was still attending Harvard.
"It's just infuriating that I'll never be able to forget that I was a walking disaster waiting to happen. I couldn't even cross the street without an incident sometimes, because I was such a trouble magnet and clumsy to the extreme. The only plus side to those blasted videos is that it set my Dad up for life, because Jasper took his winnings and invested it for him into quite the nest egg. It was for my college education, but seeing as I was marrying my very own Bruce Wayne, Charlie didn't even have to make a dent in the fund that he had set up for me." Bella's pacing like a caged angry lioness.
Our two shadows for the evening are wisely staying out of it, but I can see that the two of them are looking at something on their own phones, and trying like hell not to show any emotions to what they're watching.
Bella stalks over and takes their phones. "I was eight! Kids fall out of boats all the time!" She snarls darkly at the two now terrified NYPD officers. "The other I was twelve! I'm not the only one that accidently snags their dad with a fishing lure in the crotch and then not knowing that it's happened tried to cast my line! Then having a klutz attack sending me and some of the ones in our boat into the lake!"
"No…that…uh…can happen…to….any kid…" The boys gulp at the fire that's burning in her nearly black as midnight eyes. Shit! She's not even trying to dial it in!
"Well, at least you didn't cause a city and state wide amber alert because you wanted to go snuggle with Chris and were banned because he had the chicken pox! They had the FBI, all of SPD, Helicopters, boats, the works all searching for me and I was sound asleep cuddled with Chris in his bed. I was three and Chris was four." I confide to her in hopes that it'll defuse her temper.
That has everyone's attention. "How in the world did you…"
"I don't have Lara Croft envy just because I envy the character. Figuring out situations, and carrying out the means to solve them has always come naturally to me. Adam thinks of it as me being a born cat burglar. Climbing stuff was nothing when I was really little, it was the running that was a pain. I got over that by shadowing Chris around…." I gave into their stunned faces and spun the story of when I caused most of Belleview to go into panic mode major. "That's only one of my many adventures…so you needed a caution sign growing up. Everyone has their own unique quirks."
"Edward found it endearing when he wasn't pulling his hair out rescuing me…"
"Then there's your plus side to your, um, condition…"
"That's one way of calling it…" Bella's calmed down. "I'll bet you kept them all on their toes…" She smirked.
"Oh you have no idea…" I grin, eyes dancing. "It's only fair, so I'll show you some of my greatest childhood moments when we get back to the Meadows. Dad had them all put on DVD and Teddy loves to watch them. The Mr. Bubble one being their all time favorite."
"My kids get a kick out of mine too. Dad did the same and gifted the collection to me for my twentieth birthday. None of them inherited it, thank god. When it comes to coordination they take after Edward."
"Angelo! I've got a Glam emergency to take care of!" Gino's lying through his teeth, but I don't blame him with Bella on a tear. "Ciao belle signore! Buona notte!" His crew has already packed up and he all but drags Angelo with him out the doors.
"What a bunch of pansies!" I snort, rolling my eyes.
"We'd bolt too, but we're on the job…" Hudson snarks between bites of Crème de mint brownies.
"Nah, I've got sisters and cousins that are way worse than these two! Sam being one of them…" Frankie shoots back between bites of Grand Marnier brownies. "It's just good that the she got it out of her system now, because we gotta get going soon if the two of you still wanna try and sneak in and not walk the carpet."
Bella stalks off to get her coat and clutch for the night.
"Boys, if you value your lives and the ability to father children ever in your lifetimes I suggest that you keep the snarky commentary to yourselves!" I hiss at them through narrowed eyes and stalk off to collect my own jacket and clutch for the night. "And for the love of god we had better have a driver, because the two of you have been scarfing liquor laced sweets ever since you parked your asses in the kitchen! I was very generous with the booze so you'd probably fail a breathalyzer test! It's a good thing that my weapon of choice can also act as a belt, because the two of you couldn't shoot or walk in a straight line if your life depended on it! They were for our guys to mellow them out, not for company consumption!"
"William's already ordered a limo for you this evening and it should be waiting outside!" Gloria calls out. "And he and the staff are loving the treats you sent down!"
"He's gone above and beyond for us today. You both have and deserve a sweet reward for it." I choose to leave my phone here. Yes, I know that it's delaying the inevitable, but at this point it's probably gone tilt with all the missed calls, messages, text, and emails being sent to the poor thing. That goes for my tablet too! Bella's got hers, so it's not like we'll be phoneless.
"You can't be serious, Anastasia!" Bella's caught sight of my braided leather accessory around my waist that I've fashioned into a snazzy looking belt.
"Hey, it's red, leather, and matches this ensemble perfectly!" I grin wickedly. "And I know how to use it too!"
"How many sweets did you sample?" Bella groans.
"One each of the first batches to make sure that I got the taste just right…" I shrug as I slip on my jacket on the way towards the suite doors.
"And you barely had an appetite tonight …"
"I'd just expressed my milk and my stomach couldn't handle that much after the day we've had and Chris's impending arrival."
Bella walks over to the fruit basket on the island and tosses me an apple and then after I've easily caught it, throws me a banana. "Indulge me. It's going to be a long evening. You've hit your limit today for sugar and junk food. You need to eat healthy for you and the babies, no matter how nervous you are or not."
"I had a big lunch and I'm not even the least bit buzzed." I reassure her. "I'm just dreading this evening. A promise is a promise. I'm carrying my weapon of choice, because in situations like this it acts like a kind of security blanket. Sam taught me how to expertly wield it and it makes the perfect bottom feeder deterrent."
"Hudson and I can drink anyone under the table. We're trained in bottom feeder control. You won't have to tame anyone. That I promise you." Frankie grins at me.
"You mean that's a real whip?" Hudson's finally clued in to what my belt actually is.
"Sam's an expert at wielding one and Ana's her charge, so it makes sense that she'd teach her how to use one as well." Frankie nods at his buddy.
"No one can say that she won't fit in tonight…" Hudson wisely heads for the doors. "I'll go check the situation out front. When these two make an appearance the paps are gonna go nuts."
"Dad's got a handle on it. The sharks have been pushed back to across the street. The limo's out front. It's straight to it and we're out." Frankie was all business now that someone was talking in his ear.
"Yeah, yeah, we know the drill." We roll our eyes and head out the doors after Hudson with Frankie right behind us.
"Have a good evening, Girls!" Gloria calls after us.
"You too! We'll try!" I call back, not believing for a second that our never ending day has decided to give us a break.