Chapter 18
It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to

Cry if I want to, cry if I want to

You would cry too if it happened to you

~It's My Party- Lesley Gore

The sun beamed down from cloud-free sky with it's bright rays. It warmed the small town and even raised the temperature until it was warm enough that to wear sleeveless shirts and shorts wouldn't be an insane idea. For the first time in a long time, Forks didn't have a single puddle as the sun had dried everything in the usually moist town.

Jacob adjusted the table across the driveway and laid a tablecloth on top of it. Bella pointed to the fence and made a motion with her hands, telling her husband to scoot it closer to the fence. Jacob followed her nonverbal cues and she sent him a thumbs up. He then grabbed the last table they were using and placed it next to the table he had just adjusted. The placement of the tables successfully blocked off the driveway so that when the kids were playing in the backyard, they weren't tempted to escape.

Bella and Jacob had spent almost an hour decorating the backyard of Charlie's house in preparations for Renesmee's party. Charlie had taken the task of distracting the birthday girl, by taking her out to see a movie that would end as the party started.

The backyard looked like something from a cartoon. There were multicolored, helium inflated balloons that were tied along the fence and danced against the breeze happily. Bella had also strung up lots of streamers to add pizazz to the yard. Along a part of the fence was a poster for pin the tail on the dalmatian. Next to the poster sat a small table with one blindfold and numerous tails. On the opposite side of the yard from the poster, Bella had set up an area for the children to draw their own dog. She had bought enough materials for them to color and decorate it with glitter, stickers and pipe cleaners. In the midst of the thick, soft grass, Bella had laid out a blanket and set atop numerous dog toys that the children and puppies would be able to play with. Hovering above the dog toys was a giant pinata shaped like a poodle that Jacob had filled with various candies.

"Hey Bella, should we bring out the snacks?" Jacob asked his wife while inching his way to the backdoor.

Bella adjusted a crooked streamer and turned to her husband with a curt nod. "Yes. Go." After Jacob had gone, a car pulled into the driveway and parked a foot away from the tables. Demetri exited the car and opened the side door. "Oh good, you have the puppies." Bella had also brought her own puppy and had him tethered to one of the tables. He was peacefully laying on the lush grass.

"I did." He pulled out a large bin usually used for storing various household items. "They didn't have a cage, and this was all I had at the time." Demetri smiled sheepishly, but set the bin on top of the table separating him from the backyard. "There's one more, gimme a sec." Demetri returned to his car to retrieve the identical bin and placed it beside it's twin. "There we go."

Bella peered inside and found three puppies in each bin. They were a little smaller than Midnight and were various colors ranging from white to gray and even dull brown. She couldn't quite pinpoint the breed, but figured them to be a mix. All the puppies yipped at her happily when she looked down at them. Their short tails wagged enthusiastically and she found herself wishing she could keep each of them. "Thanks Demetri. I think Renesmee is going to love this party."

"I think so too." Demetri looked around the yard in appreciation. "Looks good Bella." He returned his attention to her and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Did you need any help? I'm not doing anything today."

"Are you sure?" Bella asked hopefully.

"Yeah. I don't mind." Demetri hopped over the table just as Jacob returned to the backyard carrying a big bowl of animal crackers. He was followed by three small children looking excited upon entering the backyard.

"They're starting to arrive." Jacob told his wife. He placed the bowl on the table and the kids immediately reached their hands inside and fished out some of the crackers. "I'm going to wait by the door for the rest of the guests."

"Alright." Bella turned her attention to Demetri. "Do you want to keep an eye on the kids, or take over Jacob's task of getting bringing out the snacks?"

Her colleague looked at the kids nervously then nodded his head towards the house. "I think I'll get the snacks. I take it they're in the kitchen?"

Bella nodded to show that his deduction had been correct. "Yes. Go through that door and the kitchen is down the hall to the right. You can't miss it." After Demetri had gone, Bella received a text from Charlie, telling her that the movie had finished and they were on their way back. Two more children came running out of the house and into the backyard, joining the growing group. So far, everything was going according to plan and Bella was satisfied.

It didn't take Demetri long to bring out the rest of the snacks. Bella had bought a wide variety of snacks that she knew the kids would enjoy. Being a mom, she didn't want to load down her daughter with just any snack, and made sure to get healthy food as well. One of the healthy snacks she had prepared was various fruits cut into fun shapes. She hollowed out a watermelon and placed the fruit inside, giving it a cutesy feel.

"You must be a vegetarian or something." Demetri noted before popping a star shaped melon into his mouth. "This is good fruit though."

Bella laughed at her friend. "I'm not a vegetarian. I love meat." She paused and looked at him curiously. "What makes you say that?"

Demetri gestured to the wide variety of snacks. Cereal bars chalked full of fiber enriched granola, raisins and colorful M&M's were cut into the shape of dog bones were lined perfectly on a tray. Whole grain red and blue tortilla chips rested in a faux dog bowl and sat next to some low fat dip that Bella had dyed purple to give it a fun look for the kids. The only snack that wasn't relatively healthy were the mini cupcakes that Jacob had picked up. "This just screams health nut."

Bella shrugged and was distracted when more children entered the backyard, bringing the total up to ten. "I'm just conscientious of what goes into my child's stomach. Healthy but tasty, that's my motto." One of the puppies tried to jump out of the bin and Bella glanced down inside. "Oh, well now that the kids are here, we can release them from their prison." She reached inside and grabbed the puppy trying to escape and placed him on the ground by her feet. He immediately took off towards the children who had unhooked Midnight from the table and were petting him fervently. When the new puppy joined the scene, they split into two groups, one devoted to Midnight, the other to the nameless gray pup.

Demetri helped Bella release all the puppies, and soon exuberant barks and playful squeals from the children filled the air. "I haven't seen that much chaos since Black Friday at Best Buy."

Bella snorted in amusement at Demetri then noticed that the beverages weren't out. "I left the cooler inside. I'll be back." Bella pointed to the distracted kids. "Keep an eye on them. Make sure they don't eat the dogs." She joked, but instantly regretted it upon the look of horror on Demetri's face. Instead of retracting her words, she headed inside the house and made her way towards the kitchen. Her movements were derailed for a moment when four little girls ran past her to get to the backyard. As more and more children showed up, Bella began to worry about the food supply. Did she buy enough? She was very meticulous about her planning and a food shortage would nag at her, bringing down her mood.

"Hey Leah." Bella heard Jacob greeting one of Renesmee's closest friends. "Ready to have a good time?" Bella couldn't quite hear the child's response, but whatever she said had Jacob laughing softly. "That's fine. I'll take the gift and the party is in the backyard. Just make your way to the back of the house." Bella entered the living room just as Leah was making her past her. "Hey Bella." Jacob had been standing in the doorway, left his post to give his wife a quick peck on her lips. "Look all the gifts for Renesmee." He pointed to the growing pile by Charlie's couch. "I figured we keep them inside so they won't accidentally get trampled by the kids."

"Good idea." Bella told him. "I just came back inside to get the cooler. What drinks did you get?"

Bella walked into the kitchen and wheeled the cooler back into the living room just in time to see more children arriving. "Hugs and little waters." Jacob responded after a pregnant pause. "I think this is the last of the guests." Jacob told his wife. "Which is great because I see Charlie pulling up." Jacob abandoned his post and took the cooler from his wife. "Let's go."

When the couple made it to the backyard, Jacob placed the cooler by the snacks and turned to face everyone in the yard. Meanwhile, Bella walked into the center of the yard and captured the attention of most of the kids. "Hey everyone." Bella called out softly. "Renesmee is coming. When you see her, yell 'surprise'. Okay?"

Mostly everyone nodded and stared at the door expectantly. They didn't have to wait long as not a moment later Renesmee was exiting the house and gaping at the backyard. "SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled and Renesmee's face broke into the widest grin.

The birthday girl was engulfed by her friends and thrown into the mix of things. Jacob headed over to the art station as some of the kids were curiously touching things. Charlie made his way over to the 'pin the tail on the dalmatian' and some of the kids immediately gravitated towards him. "Look how happy she looks." Demetri commented once he had made his back to Bella's side. "Sorta makes me want to have kids." He admitted under his breath.

"You should." Bella piped up. "I think you would make a good father. Maybe overprotective."

One of Demetri's eyebrows rose in speculation. "What makes you say that?" He asked, mirroring her words from earlier.

Bella shrugged noncommittally. "I don't know. I just get that vibe from you."

"Interesting." Demetri replied.

Their conversation came to an end when Renesmee ran up to her mother and wrapped her arms around Bella's bare legs. With the sun shining, and the temperature rising, she had decided to wear some dark blue bermuda shorts and a red T-shirt. Before they had left to set up for the party, Jacob had teased her saying she looked like Mario and asked if he should change his clothes so he could be Luigi. "Mommy, this is so fun! Thank you for the party."

Bella leaned down and returned her daughter's hug. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

"There's so many doggies! Can we keep them?" The young child jumped up and down animatedly. "Please please please?"

Bella smiled ruefully at her daughter. "Unfortunately we can't. They already have homes."

"Aw!" Renesmee pouted but it didn't last for long when Leah came by and tugged her arm.

"C'mon Re-Re! Let's play with the dogs."

Renesmee allowed Leah to lead her back towards the numerous pups and soon her attention was focused on the four legged animals.

Halfway through the party and a busted pinata later, Bella noticed the snacks dwindling. She had bought some chicken nuggets in the shape of animals the other day, and decided to pop them in the oven as they would make a great addition to the snacks outside. After all, what kid doesn't love chicken nuggets?

Once the brunette was in the kitchen, she pre-heated the oven and opened the cabinet to retrieve a cooking tray. She lined it with aluminum foil, then took the nuggets from the freezer. As she opened the bag, she heard someone entering the house from the front door. That was strange as most of the guests were in the backyard. But Bella figured it was just a late child and didn't look up from her task. She began to line the tray with nuggets but felt her blood run cold and the bag slip from her hands at the voice that came from the doorway. "Hello Isabella Swan."

Bella looked up slowly and her body went rigid. There he stood. Edward Cullen. The man she once hoped to marry and lead a happy life. That had all changed the day his father died and he revealed his true colors...The last time Bella had seen Edward had been over six years ago. But seeing him in person, on her daughter's birthday, was like no time had passed. Even through her fear, she still could see what had drawn her to the man. His curly, bronze colored hair was untidy and doing it's own thing, giving the man a boyish look. His lean physique was only outlined by his height and unblemished, pale skin. He was attractive by many people's standards, including Bella's.

Edward took a few steps further into the kitchen and looked at Bella calmly. "You know it's rude not to return he a greeting." He said lowly, the undertones of annoyance a mere breath away.

"Hi Edward." Bella finally forced herself to say. She tried to break from his stare, but couldn't look away from the man or even move a limb.

Edward walked around the table that was separating them, then reached down and picked up the bag of chicken nuggets that she had dropped. He placed it on the table then walked back around table and leaned against the wall casually. "I take it you're surprised to see me."

It wasn't a question but Bella felt compared to answer. "Yes. What are you doing here?" When Edward crossed his arms and looked down at the tray, Bella found her eyes following his and noticed the two lone nuggets placed crookedly on the tray. She felt her body unfreezing and she was no longer paralyzed as she straightened the food.

"I needed to see you." He told her simply. "Is that so wrong?"

Bella whipped her head up and captured his gaze. "Why are you here?" She asked with forced politeness. Edward was a loose cannon and it wasn't safe for her to be around him alone. For the time being, she was going to have to play a nice host until she could get to safety or get him to leave.

Edward's impassive lips twisted slowly until a creepy leer was sent to Bella. "I think you know why I'm here." He replied. "You won't answer my calls anymore, so I had to drop by for a visit. We need to talk."

"I would appreciate if you wouldn't call me anymore." Bella tried to speak as calmly as she could. For the time being, Edward wasn't lashing at her and she wanted to keep it that way. "What do you even want to talk about with me?"

Edward pushed himself off the wall and his demeanor suddenly grew cold. He pointed an accusatory finger at her and kept his voice low. "I lost the company because of you." His fist clenched and he rested them on top of table. "This is all your fault."

Bella took a half step away from the table and held up her hands in defense. "I didn't make you lose the company."

"Yes, you did!" When Edward realize he had raised his voice, he took a calming breath. "Yes you did." He cursed under his breath and looked at her with the intensity of a thousand livid suns. "You ruined my life." He told her, unclenching his fists and slowly making his way around the side of the table.

As he approached her, Bella backed away until she was cornered against the fridge and kitchen sink. Her breath caught in her throat and her hands began to shake as he drew nearer. She felt a cold sweat break out across her brow, and her palms became clammy.

Once Edward was upon her he poked her in the chest roughly and kept his finger there. "Why did I even date you?" He searched her eyes for something and when he didn't find it, his narrowed. "You're weak and have been dragging me down since I met you." Edward removed his hand and raised it high as though he were going to strike her.

Bella closed her eyes and waited for pain to erupt across her face. It was a familiar pain and she hoped if she braced herself, that it wouldn't hurt as much. Instead of pain, she felt a soft caress across her soft skin. When she opened her eyes, she found Edward running the back of his hand down her cheek tenderly. He looked at her with an unreadable expression and they shared a painless silence.

"I did love you." He spoke so softly that Bella almost thought she had imagined he spoke. "I really did." Edward's expression softened as he continued to talk. "Dating you wasn't awful. You used to be a woman I could see myself happy with."

Bella blinked at Edward wordlessly. Taking a trip down memory lane was painful, but before the pain, there had been happiness. "What happened?" She asked softly, breaking whatever spell Edward had fallen under.

Edward's face hardened and he removed his hand from her cheek. "You play dumb so well, sometimes I wonder if you actually don't know." Edward laughed bitterly and anger flashed across his face, distorting his laugh. "Why did you become friends with my parents?"

The conversation was really throwing Bella for a loop. She had no idea where Edward was going with his question. "I don't understand."

"Don't play dumb." Edward hissed. "You started talking to Carlisle more and more out of nowhere."

"Did you not want me to have a relationship with your parents?" Bella asked nervously. She could tell by the way Edward was repeatedly clenching his hands, that they were in dangerous waters. He could strike her at any moment.

"No." He snapped. "You know that's not what I mean." Edward sighed in exasperation and seemed to calm down slightly. He leaned away from Bella and even broke eye contact with her. "For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why Carlisle had changed his will. When he died, I should've inherited the company. But he had changed it."

Bella remembered the day Carlisle had died. That was when Edward had changed so drastically. He used to be a sweet and caring boyfriend. While it was true that he was a work-aholic, Edward still seemed to care enough to try to fit Bella into his busy schedule. But after the death of his father, he became cold and standoffish. Eventually he treaded the dangerous waters of abuse before diving in headfirst and traumatizing Bella. "Why did you even date me?" Bella hadn't realized she'd spoken aloud until Edward was responding.

"I thought you were cute." Edward told her honestly with no hint of malice. "My mother always worried that I wouldn't settle down." Edward broke character and actually produce a slight smile. It was such a rarity for him that it fell just as quickly as it came. "I like being alone." He grunted before looking into Bella's wide eyes. "Carlisle really liked you." Edward's voice began to grow with irritation. "He really like the thought of having you as a daughter-in-law." Edward clenched his fist and rested it near Bella's blanched face. "I don't know what you said to him that made him change the will, and frankly, I don't care."

"I didn't say-

"You're a gold digging bitch." Edward swore, taking both of his hands and bringing them to Bella's throat.

Bella grabbed his hands and pulled at them to prevent him from choking her but found his hands immobile. Luckily he wasn't pressing down on her larynx, merely holding his hands against her skin. "Please don't hurt me." She nearly begged, trying to hold back tears as memories of their abusive past flooded her brain and caused her to shake uncontrollably.

"Shut up!" Edward snapped. "If I were going to hurt you, I would've done it already." He looked at his hands on her neck and gave a slight squeeze. "It's so tempting to end your life right now." He chuckled darkly at the frightened look she gave him. "Lucky for you, I have other plans."

The brunette stared at him wide eyed. "Plans?"

Edward glared at the woman beneath his hands and bared his teeth. "Because of you, I not only didn't get Cullens inc., but went to prison." He spat the last word and caused Bella to flinch. "I've had a long time to plan my revenge." He leaned in so close to her face that his hot breath flushed her face. "You ruined my life. Now I must return the favor." Edward finally dropped his hands from her and walked towards the exit. "I have eyes and ears everywhere." Were his final words to Bella before he disappeared out of the kitchen and the house.

Bella felt relief wash over her body after Edward had gone. Her body sagged against the fridge and her weak legs gave. She sank to the floor and her breath began coming in short quick gasps. "He's gone." She whispered to herself. "He's gone. He's gone. He's gone." Bella felt the room begin to spin and her head felt light. "He's…" She felt the darkness claiming her for it's own and succumbed to it helplessly as someone called out her name.

A/N: Well someone knows how to hold a grudge… Anywho, I meant to post this chapter earlier but I've had a very busy day. Regardless, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. And just to clarify, cuz I'm sure this may cause confusion. Bella didn't scream or run because she's in a fight or flight situation, she's the type of person who freezes. AND it was her daughter's birthday party so she didn't want to lead him to the backyard where he could potentially hurt her daughter.