Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to SM. No infringement intended. Anything original is mine, though. Rated M for future chapters.

This is an AU/AH story. My first fanfic in the Twilight world.

CHAPTER SEVEN

"How did you know how much I love peanut butter pecan waffles?"

Bella stared in amazement at the tray in Esme's hands, covered with a huge plate of the most mouthwateringly delicious smelling waffles she'd ever encountered. Esme chuckled and behind her, Edward wore a shit eating grin on his face.

"A certain person in California told me when I spoke to him this morning," Edward admitted, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. Esme set the tray over Bella's lap and stood back, her hands clasped in anticipation, waiting for Bella's reaction.

Bella giggled, grabbing her fork and knife and spearing a piece, moaning in delight when she tasted it. "Oh my God, this is the greatest thing I've ever had in my life! Even better than Ted Drewes frozen custard!" She swallowed and looked up at Edward in surprise when his words registered. "Wait, you talked to Jake today? Did he call?"

Edward's ears turned pink and her heart fluttered at the adorable response. "Uh, I called him. We just wanted to find out what your favorite foods were. Mom wanted to surprise you with breakfast."

Bella was touched. "You didn't have to go to all the trouble, but thank you. Seriously. You all have been so wonderful to me and I can't thank you enough."

"Oh sweetheart, it was no trouble at all," Esme insisted, sitting at the foot of the bed. "After everything you've been through, you deserve a little pampering. Plus, you'll need your strength up. You have some visitors coming later."

"Visitors?" Bella took another bite of the sinful waffles, her eyes rolling back at the peanut buttery crunch of the whole toasted pecans sprinkled liberally over the top. "Who would be visiting me?"

"Well Emmett wanted to see with his own eyes that you were okay," Edward said, the grin on his face growing even wider at the blissful expression on hers. "And Emmett's wife Rosalie will be coming with him. Not to mention my sister Alice, who should be getting into town today from college for summer vacation. And possibly her fiancé, Jasper."

"Huh," she mumbled, confused as to why they would all want to visit with her. "I can't imagine why they all want to meet me. I'm not a celebrity or anything."

"We're a social bunch," Esme teased, patting Bella's blanket covered foot. "We don't get many newcomers in a town this size. I guess they're all curious."

Esme stood up then, smoothing out her pants. "Well I'll leave you two alone for a bit. Just let me know if you need anything."

Bella chuckled as she swept out of the room and looked over at Edward. "She's like a graceful Energizer Bunny, isn't she?"

He laughed. "That description fits her to the letter. She can never stand still for long. If she's not working, she's cooking or cleaning or looking for someone to spoil."

"What work does she do?"

Edward leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable. "She's an interior designer. Had her own company ever since I was in junior high. In fact, Alice is studying for her Bachelor's degree in Interior Design over at ETSU so she can start working for Mom when she graduates."

Bella whistled. "I'm impressed. I can totally see her with her own HGTV show."

"That's Alice's dream," Edward grinned. "The HGTV studios are in Knoxville and she's been working on her portfolio since she was a little kid. She's been on Mom's case to send hers ever since those twin brothers started their own show."

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a ballerina," Bella laughed, sipping her orange juice. "Of course, I can barely walk without tripping over my own feet, so that career path was out before it even started. I have no idea what I want to be now."

"Are you in college?"

She shook her head. "I just graduated from high school in June. I didn't think I would have the chance to go to college, but when I get settled wherever I go, I might look into it. Not really sure what I would major in, though."

Edward stretched his long legs out, crossing his ankles. "So you're eighteen? That's pretty young to be driving cross country by yourself."

"Hey, I'll be nineteen in September," she said in defense.

"I'm not knocking your age, honey," Edward teased and Bella wanted to swoon at the endearment. Seriously, he made that word sound smooth and sweet in that sexy subtle Southern accent. "You just seem older by the way you act. It's not a bad thing at all."

Bella focused on her food as she continued to talk. "Ever since my parents died, things have been pretty difficult. I wasn't living in the best situation and I honestly didn't think college would even be an option. Some stuff happened and I had the opportunity to travel and find a place that made me happy. I really would like to go back to school. I like writing and I like to cook, so maybe I could study something in those areas."

"UT has a 12 week Culinary Program. They also have a great English program," Edward blurted out, immediately slapping his hand over his face. Bella laughed at his actions.

"I guess you went to UT yourself," she joked. "Are you trying to recruit me, Edward Cullen?"

Edward shook his head ruefully. "I apologize for my outburst, Bella. You just kind of floated into town and already I'm trying to get you to set up roots here." He met her eyes. "But yes, I did attend there. I got my Bachelors in Architecture two years ago. It's a great school."

He wants me to set up roots here! He wants me to stay! Bella couldn't stop the jubilant thoughts from flitting through her head.

"Wow, an architect? That's impressive." She said instead. "Houses or buildings?"

"A little of both. I've been working on the blueprints for my own home. I'd like to build it here in a couple years," he relaxed back in his chair. "Right now I'm designing a new library here in town. Alice's fiancé Jasper is a buddy of mine and got his degree in Business. We're hoping to start up our own Architecture Company soon."

"Damn. You Cullen's are a driven bunch, aren't you?" Bella really was impressed. "A doctor, two interior designers and an architect. You got any lawyers or politicians in the mix?"

Edward laughed. "No, no lawyers or politicians. What did your parents do, if you don't mind my asking?"

"My dad was the police chief in the town we lived in. Mom was kind of flighty and didn't stick to one thing for too long. She tried her hand at jewelry making, photography, painting; just about anything creative you could think of." Bella chuckled at a memory. "One time she bought a cookbook on pastry making and decided she was going to open up her own pastry shop. Then she tried to actually follow the recipes and ended up starting a kitchen fire. Dad threw the cookbook out and I took over the cooking duties after that."

Edward laughed along with her. When they settled down, he cleared his throat. "How did they pass away?"

Bella's smile turned sad and her eyes watered slightly. "Car accident. I was at school and they were driving home from shopping in Port Angeles and a drunk driver hit them head on."

"Oh Bella," Edward murmured, scooting his chair closer to the bed. He reached out and took her hand in his, squeezing gently. "I'm so sorry."

She stared at his hand on hers and blinked rapidly, keeping the tears at bay. "Thank you." She cleared her throat. "That letter from my purse that's drying out on the desk was actually from my father. His lawyer gave it to me recently and it was kind of my reason for taking this road trip. Dad wanted me to see the country and meet new people before settling down. I figured now was the best time to do it."

Understanding filled Edward's eyes. "No wonder you wanted to have it laminated. I can take you to do that in a couple days if you'd like."

"That would be great. Thank you."

Edward released her hand so she could continue eating, and sat back in his chair. "Emmett was able to get everything out of your car. I hope you don't mind, we opened the bags and have everything drying out downstairs. Mom washed all the clothes and they're probably finished drying now. I'm sorry, but your laptop and camera were ruined."

Bella figured they would be. But like her phone, they could be replaced easily enough. "That's fine, I'll just get new ones. What about the stuff in the other bag? The jewelry box and police uniform? Were the pictures ruined?"

Edward shook his head, his face taking on a look of wonder. "I can't explain it, but that bag wasn't damaged at all. There must have been an air pocket in the trunk where it was, because it didn't even get wet."

Bella sighed in relief and grinned, meeting his gaze. "You probably think it sounds insane, but I'm sure it was my parents who protected it. They would know just how important those things were to me."

He grinned back at her. "Doesn't sound insane in the least. You seem to have a few guardian angels looking over you. Wouldn't surprise me that they would save something that has so much meaning to you."

Bella finished up her last bite of breakfast just as Esme walked into the room, carrying a laundry basket full of folded clothes. "Sorry to interrupt, sweetheart. I just wanted to bring you some clean clothes. Thankfully, they weren't ruined in the water."

"Thank you so much, Esme," Bella was relieved to have clean clothes again. She desperately wanted a shower and her favorite sweatpants. The ensuite had a massive shower with multiple heads that she was itching to try out before her visitors arrived.

Esme set the basket down on top of the dresser and walked towards the bed. "Can I take your tray for you?"

"Yes, please." Bella returned Esme's smile. "And thank you again for the fabulous breakfast. I've never had waffles that good before. They were perfect."

"Well thank you, Bella. I'm so glad you enjoyed them."

Bella looked towards her clothes basket. "I know Carlisle said I needed to stay in bed, but do you think it would be okay if I took a shower?"

"I don't think that would be a problem," Esme assured her. "Do you need some help?"

"No, I think I'll be okay. I saw a bench in there earlier and if I get tired, I can sit down."

Esme stood up straight, the tray in her hands. "We'll leave you to it, then. Give us a yell if you need anything."

Edward reluctantly stood up, glancing between Bella and the bathroom door. "My room is next door. Just knock on the bathroom wall if you don't feel like yellin'."

Bella laughed. "Will do."

She watched as they left the room, closing the door behind them. And if she was being honest, her eyes never left Edward Cullen's ass until he was out of sight. That man could fill out a pair of Levi's like nobody's business.

*.*.*

The shower was just as orgasmic as Bella expected. She was a bit surprised to find her shampoo and body wash already in the shower and she was grateful for the little bit of normalcy that it represented.

She took her time in the shower, washing her hair twice and shaving her legs. While she was feeling a lot better than the day before, she did have to sit on the bench halfway through shaving. At least she wouldn't embarrass herself with stubble if Edward happened to see her bare legs.

Bella dried off and brushed her teeth before pulling on her warm, soft sweatpants and a comfortable tank top. She was too tired to blow dry her hair, so she braided it instead and called it done. By the time she was finished, she was exhausted and crawled back in her freshly made bed, reminding herself to thank Esme later for changing the sheets while she was bathing.

A soft knock on the door pulled her from her dreams. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up slightly and called out a quiet "Come in."

Edward's head poked in through the opening, his usual easy smile on his face. "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. You up for visitors?"

Bella blushed, sitting up against the pillows and pulling the comforter up to her waist. "Sure." Her hand automatically went up to her hair, checking to make sure falling asleep with it wet didn't leave it a rats nest.

Edward opened the door fully and stepped in, closely followed by a bear of a man that she vaguely recognized from the night of the flood.

Emmett McCarty would be considered intimidating with his size if it wasn't for the playful smile on his face and the huge, adorable dimples in his cheeks. His blue eyes sparkled with mirth as he bounded into the room, making a beeline for Bella. She grunted in surprise when he wrapped her up in a bear hug.

"I'm so glad to see you awake, Bella!" He exclaimed, placing a loud smacking kiss on the top of her head. "You scared the hell out of me the other night! But damn girl, you are one badass chick! I've never seen anybody get out of a car that fast in my life."

Bella giggled, not feeling a bit of discomfort at this virtual stranger hugging her like a long lost friend. She just hugged him back, patting him on the back a few times. "I don't think badass is the right word, Emmett, but thank you. And for your help with saving me. I can't thank you enough."

"Oh pshaw!" he stood up, his dimpled grin in place. "I didn't do anything but hold onto the rope. Eddie is the one who jumped in after you."

"But you were driving the ambulance and you saw me," Bella argued, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "Just take the gratitude like a gentleman and say 'you're welcome, Bella'."

His boisterous laugh filled the room. "Well then, you're very welcome, Bella."

Edward stepped up, playfully shoving Emmett aside. "Quit hogging her Em. You're not her only visitor."

Bella giggled as Emmett rolled his eyes before turning around and holding his hand out to a beautiful blonde standing behind him. "This beautiful lady is my wife, Rosalie. Rosie, baby, this is Bella."

Emmett wasn't lying. Rosalie was a beauty, as much as the Denali sisters were. She was tall, almost six feet, with straight silky blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes. And the smile on her face was just as welcoming as the Denali's had been.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," she said in a glorious southern accent. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Thank you, Rosalie. It's great to finally meet you as well."

"My turn, my turn!" A giddy high pitched voice giggled and Bella peeked around Rosalie to see a tiny woman who looked a bit like Tinkerbelle. She was wearing a lovely lavender babydoll dress and bouncing up and down in strappy heels that Bella knew she would never be able to even stand up in. The little fairy woman had close cropped black hair and huge blue eyes framed with long black lashes that Bella envied. And the smile on her face! A crazy mix of sweet and mischievous that had Bella laughing in anticipation.

Oh the trouble I could get into with that one!

Fairy-Woman bounded to the bed, wrapping her arms around Bella in a surprisingly strong hug. "It's so awesome to finally meet you, Bella! I'm Alice, and we're going to be such great friends!"

Bella hugged her back, giggling at her exuberance. "I think you may be right, Alice. It's great to meet you, too."

Alice plopped down on the bed at her side, grabbing her hand gently. "I can't wait until you're well enough to get out of the house! I have so much to show you! Do you like shopping? There's a fantastic outlet mall in Sevierville we have to go to!"

Edward shook his head in exasperation, sitting down at the foot of the bed on the opposite side. "Give her a break, Alice! She just met you! Let her take a breath!"

Alice rolled her eyes playfully. "Not everybody is as serious as you, brother dear. I can tell just by looking in Bella's eyes that she is a hell raiser! We're going to have so much fun!"

"She's right, Eddie," Emmett spoke up, sitting down in the chair beside the bed and pulling Rosalie down in his lap. "Jacob did say she's become quite the little adventurer lately. The girl jumped off a freaking skyscraper for God's sake!"

Bella blushed, looking at the faces surrounding her. "You talked to Jacob too?"

Alice grinned. "We all did! He told us all about the places you've been and that you've been keeping a Facebook page on it. Seriously, I would love to go on a road trip like that! We'll have to do that sometime. Maybe we can go to New Orleans!"

Bella shook her head in confusion, feeling a bit overwhelmed now. "Did he call again?"

Edward gave her a sheepish grin, looking down at his hands. "We've talked to him a few times since yesterday. I told you we called him to ask him about your favorite foods, but then he called while you were taking a nap to check up on you. Alice and Emmett happened to be here and they wanted to talk to him, too. The Adventures of Bella Swan seemed to be the hot topic."

"Huh." Bella felt a bit strange being the center of the group's attention like that. She didn't know what to think, realizing that this family knew more about her than she thought.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Alice jumped up suddenly, rushing out of the room. Bella stared after her wide eyed before looking at the others. "She's a hyper one, isn't she?"

Rosalie laughed. "Whatever you do, do not let her consume caffeine. Get some Starbucks in her and it's all over."

Before she could respond, Alice shot back in the room carrying a few bags. "I stopped in Sevierville on the way home from school and picked you up a new laptop, iPhone and camera. Mom called and told me the ones you had that were ruined and I hope its okay, but I got you the same ones."

Bella was stunned as Alice unloaded the bags on the bed, showing off the brand new still in the boxes digital camera, iPhone and laptop. "Alice, honestly, you didn't have to go to all that trouble! I could have picked it up myself when I go into town!"

Alice giggled. "Bella, shopping is my life. Swear to God, it was no trouble."

"Plus, from what Jacob said, you have a lot of new friends who are very worried about you," Edward said softly, meeting her gaze. "He's reassured them that you're okay, but I'm sure they won't be satisfied until they hear from you themselves."

Bella swallowed the lump that made an appearance in her throat. If someone had said that just a few months ago, she would have thought them insane. Going from not having many friends at all, to having a big group of them from all over the world was a bit unbelievable. She cleared her throat, managing a small smile. "Thank you. It will be nice to get back online and update them on my trip."

"Also, we were kind of hoping you'd let us see the pictures and video from the places you've been." Emmett admitted, his face filled with excitement. "Jacob said you might have a career as a bowling alley singer in the future."

Bella laughed. "Oh God, he would bring that up." She reached out and ran her hands over the new boxes. "You'll have to let me pay you back. This cost a lot of money and I won't have you footing the bill."

Alice looked like she wanted to argue, but one look from Bella and she sighed heavily. "Fine."

Relief filled Bella at that. She refused to be indebted to anybody and she already owed the Cullen family her life.

They chatted about their lives while Edward set up the laptop. Besides being a part time EMT, Emmett was the football coach and PE teacher at the local high school. Watching him while he talked about his students and team with such pride made him even more adorable than before to Bella. Rosalie was really a very lucky woman.

Rosalie was a nurse and worked at Carlisle's office. When Alice was home from school, she alternated between scheduling appointments at the doctor's office and helping her mother with her design projects.

Bella felt a little inadequate beside these hard working Cullen's. The only job she ever had was a part time at Newton's Outfitter's, a family run sporting goods shop in Forks. Granted, she had just graduated from high school and in Forks, the only places she would have been able to get a job was either Newton's or waiting tables at the diner. And with Bella's lack of coordination at times, carrying a full tray of food and glasses would not have been the best idea.

When Edward had finished setting up the laptop, he plugged it in and placed it in Bella's lap. She couldn't help but laugh at the looks of excitement on the Cullen and McCarty faces and she decided to put them out of her misery by immediately logging into her Facebook account. After quickly updating her status, letting her friends know that she was okay and safe in Tennessee, she let her new friends go wild at her videos and photos.

Emmett whooped and high fived her at the wrist cam video of her Stratosphere jump, while Edward paled slightly. Alice absolutely fell in love with the henna tattoos that she and Tia had gotten and they all sang along to her karaoke performance. When they came to the pictures from Yosemite, Rosalie suggested that they all take a weekend hike in the Smoky Mountains soon.

"It might be more relaxing than Yosemite," she said, looking through all the pictures. "That had to be a pain to hike with all those people there."

Alice was giggling over the Prada Marfa pictures when the message alerts started coming in.

It'sTanya,Bitches: Holy shit, Bella Girl! We've been scared shitless since Jacob let us know what happened! So glad you're okay!

TiaMargarita: Goddamn, Swan Dive! Give a girl a heart attack why dontcha! Give me a call when you get your phone replaced. Don't make me and Benjamin fly out there!

TourGuideGod: Damn, girl. You're not supposed to go white water rafting in the Volvo! Glad you're safe.

Rosalie raised her eyebrow at that. "Tour Guide God?"

Bella rolled her eyes and clicked on a picture of her white water rafting trip. "Alistair. I think Irina suggested the name to him when she saw his pictures."

They all crowded around the laptop to see said pictures and Edward scowled while Alice and Rosalie whistled. "He doesn't look like all that."

All eyes in the room turned to Edward and his ears turned pink. Emmett laughed at his cousin's discomfort.

"You jealous, bro?"

Edward rolled his eyes and Bella felt her cheeks turn warm. Was he jealous? The thought was intriguing.

"That trailer is too cute!" Alice squealed, clicking through the Marfa pictures, Edward's outburst forgotten.

"This is awesome, Bella," Emmett said, dropping down beside her and throwing his arm around her shoulder. "Little Miss Adventurer in da house!"

"You could write a book about your travels," Rosalie suggested. "You've been to some pretty cool places here."

"We need to get you out of the house so you can take pictures here," Emmett decided, pulling her into a little half hug.

"If you hand me that new phone, I'll plug it in and we can take a group picture right now," Bella said. "I definitely need to add you guys to the group."

Alice scrambled for the iPhone box and had it charging and in Bella's hands before she could blink. Bella chuckled at Alice's enthusiasm and everybody crowded around Bella. Her arms weren't long enough to get everybody in the shot, so Edward held it out in his hand, framing them all before taking the picture.

Bella admired the photo for a second before signing into Facebook on her phone and loading the picture. She posted a new status of her Tennessee friends and went back to the laptop, quickly sending friend requests to them. She couldn't help but laugh when all four of them pulled out their own cell phones and logged into Facebook to accept her invitation.

"You guys are crazy," she said, her smile feeling huge on her face.

The laptop beeped and they all looked down to see the comments start.

JacobBlack18: Wow, Bells, you got a laptop already? I thought Doc Cullen told you to stay in bed? Glad to put faces to the voices, though.

It'sGreat2bKate: Damn, now that's a good looking bunch! Glad to see that beautiful face Bella. Give us a call when you get a chance!

ChicagoCharlotte21: Welcome to the Bella Swan Fan Club Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Edward! Many thanks for taking care of our girl!

Bella smiled at the comments, feeling blessed that she had such wonderful friends. Beside her, Alice started typing furiously on her phone and a minute later, the laptop beeped again.

Alice'sWonderland: Hi guys! Just wanted to let you know that we plan on keeping Bella and we refuse to give her back :P

Everybody laughed and Bella stared at the screen openmouthed.

"Damn straight we're keeping her, Twinkle Toes," Emmett hooted, giving Alice a high five.

The beeping that followed had them all rolling as everybody commented that they had met Bella first and they had dibs. Bella's sides ached from laughing at the virtual tug of war between her friends with her as the supposed prize.

"You've started a war now, Alice," Edward teased, his beautiful smile never leaving Bella's flushed face. "We may have to fight them all to keep her."

OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod!

*.*.*

A/N: If you could take a road trip anywhere, where would you go?