Hello, lovelies!

I'm here with a very exciting little snippet. This is an excerpt from Through the Storm, which is YES, the sequel to Along the Way! I know! Two years later and I'm finally ready to tackle it.

I have a couple of chapters for Life Along the Way outlined, so those will go up as well hopefully shortly, but we will have Through the Storm this December.

Thank you all so much for your patience. I can't wait to get back to these characters with you all!

Title: Through the Storm

Prompt: The Fic Lab (#NoVacancy)

Summary: Six years after their unexpected adventure across the country, Edward and Bella are facing down a whole new challenge: traveling with kids. Due in Montana for a family gathering over winter break, they have to somehow drive their whole family out in one piece. When things stop going according to plan, inflexible Edward has to learn how to roll with the punches and somehow make it through the storm.


We'll take the Tesla.

I stood beside our bed, my phone dangling from my fingertips as I stared at my wife.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I snapped, my voice nearly cracking from my sheer disbelief. We couldn't fucking take the Tesla, had she gone insane?

"Don't swear at me," she replied, distractedly looking through Nicky's diaper bag.

I gaped at her, my pulse jumping in my throat as I tried not to snap at her even more.

She was wholly unconcerned with the absolute shit storm she'd just unleashed in me.

"Bella."

She was looking through the diaper bag, shaking her head. "We need more wipes," she murmured. "We can pick some up on our way out of town."

"Bella."

She finished with the diaper bag, then turned to the backpack also sitting on our bed. "Oh, and we need to make sure we have food for Justice. Hm, maybe we bring the big cooler for that," she mused.

"Bella."

She finally looked up at me.

"Edward, we don't have another option."

I felt like I was having a heart attack.

"We can just stay home," I stressed, my voice cracking over my words. God, please let us just stay home.

"The whole family is coming," Bella said, glaring at me. "And unlike you, the rest of us don't get to travel for work." Fuck, she was getting pissed. "I get to leave for vacation once a year, and now you want to stay home?"

Her tone was glacial, and I knew I had to tread lightly or she would kick me in the balls. Normally, I didn't mind getting her riled up. She was fucking stunning when she was arguing. Maybe it was because that's when I got to see the lawyer in her, but I sometimes intentionally pushed her buttons.

But not like this. This was truly ball-kicking territory, and though she'd never hit me before, I wouldn't put it past her with the way I was whining. I knew I was being a dick about everything. Bella worked harder than anyone. If I were a better husband, I'd offer to watch the kids while she went on her own. It might actually kill me, but for her, I'd do it.

"We just… don't have enough time," I said, trying a new tactic, one that I hoped would appeal to her logic.

She looked down, snapping the backpack bag shut. "We do, I planned the car's route already."

I stared at her.

"When did you have time to do that?" I demanded. She frowned.

"When you were shouting abuse at the mechanic."

I scowled. "I was not abusing him," I grumped. "And maybe if we had a decent mechanic who could actually fucking fix things, I wouldn't have to raise my voice."

Bella rolled her eyes, not buying any of my bullshit.

"We're taking the Tesla to Montana," she continued. "Deal with it."

I couldn't believe we were doing this. Driving five hundred and twenty miles with my kids and dog in the car, while having to caravan with my parents and sister's family, was going to be bad enough. But now…

What should have taken eight hours was now going to be at least eleven. We were going to have to stop and charge, and knowing my children, they would need bathroom breaks on an opposite schedule. Plus there wasn't enough room for the kids and the dog to sit comfortably. How the hell did Bella expect us all to fit in there?

I was looking at this drive being the whole vacation.

"We're going to have to stay somewhere tonight," Bella mused as I packed the bags into the car. "The kids can't do twelve hours in the car."

My eyes squeezed shut as I processed her words. Stopping tonight meant two fewer days in our already short vacation. At this rate, we'd pull in, say hi to my cousins, then come back home again.

Fuck.

I didn't say anything as I kept piling our luggage into the car. We could only use the front trunk, which didn't leave a whole lot of space for all the shit we were bringing.

"It's not going to fit," I growled out.

"Use the luggage rack," she answered immediately. I wanted to bang my head against the car.

"Bella," I groaned. Before I could complain more, cars were pulling up in our driveway. I straightened, looking down at the incoming vehicles. My shoulders slumped when I saw my parents and Alice and Jasper pulling up.

Great.

"Good morning!" Mom called as she climbed out of the car. She was dressed in a puffy white coat and fur-trimmed boots, like she expected the forty-five degree morning to suddenly start dumping snow on us any second.

"Morning!" Bella said, just as chipper.

"Nana!"

The kids were racing out the front door toward my mom, cheering as they tackled her in a hug. They weren't that big yet—four and two—so thankfully, they didn't knock her to the ground. I could hear her squealing with them in excitement as they both shouted over each other.

"Looking forward to your vacation?"

I looked up as dad made his way over to me.

I huffed. "It's not a vacation," I muttered. He chuckled, bringing a hand up to rub his chin.

"It won't be until Nicky is grown," he warned. "Then you'll be able to just sit back and watch your kids worry about their own kids," he joked.

"I can't wait," I said dryly. Dad chuckled again.

"Try not to let it get to you too much," he said, clapping my shoulder. "Bella won't stand for you pouting."

I took a deep breath. He was right, of course, which just pissed me off more. He laughed at the look on my face, shaking his head. "How can I help?"

I motioned to the luggage I was trying to fit into the luggage rack. I watched his eyes drift over the pile of bags before going over the vehicle.

"You're taking the Tesla?"

The skepticism in his voice was validating.

"Some punk a—" I stopped, glancing toward the kids. "Some kid ran into my car this morning when I was filling it up."

Dad's eyes widened, "Everyone okay?"

I nodded. "Physically," I grunted, picking up another bag. Legally, that I was going to fry that kid's ass. He'd never get to touch a fucking phone again when I was through with him. "But I can't drive it, and we can't get a rental in time, so now we have to take the Tesla."

Dad eyed the car.

"Is it going to make it?"

I grunted again. "According to my wife."

Dad snorted, but then reached for a bag to help me load the luggage rack.

At some point, Jasper wandered over to help us too as Alice and the kids went to interact with my family.

Justice was barking happily when he saw all the visitors, and each boom out of his mouth was like a hammer to my spine.

"Babe, did you pack the snacks?"

I looked at Bella as we secured the last of the luggage. "No, we can just buy something," I told her. She rolled her eyes.

"Right, because you're going to want to stop to hunt down food when the kids get hungry."

"We'll have to stop at charge points anyway," I argued. "We can get them food there."

Bella glared at me. "I'm not feeding our children on vending machine snacks and fast food for two days," she snapped. "Let me cut up some veggies. It will take no time at all." She shook her head and went inside, presumably to pack up the kitchen.

I let out a long breath, my anxiety spiking. If I had to take the Tesla, I at least wanted to get on the fucking road. The longer we delayed, the longer I'd be in the car.

I loved my family, well and truly, but this was not a vacation. The time Bella and I went to Aruba for a week and left our phones at home? That was a vacation.

The last time I'd been this stressed, I'd been brokering a fifty million dollar buy-out for VE, and the only reason that had stressed me out was that midway through, half my team had come down with a seriously bad flu that had left me scrambling.

Somehow, that sounded a little more appealing right now than what I was about to do. Dad, Jasper and I packed as much as we could into the luggage rack, but there was still a cooler left over that wouldn't fit no matter how I tried to maneuver it.

Why do we need so much stuff?

"We can't fit everything," I said, looking from the car to the large ice chest that needed to be packed. Dad clapped my shoulder.

"Put in our car. We have some space."

I nodded in appreciation, hoisting the cooler up to haul into the back of their four-door. The cooler was stuffed with the packets of raw dog food Bella insisted we feed Justice, and took up whatever space was left. As soon as the cooler was situated, and I took in the back seat of my parent's car, I internally sighed, letting go of my hopes that at least one of my children would ride with their grandparents.

"It'll be fun," Dad assured me as we headed into the house. I shot him a look but didn't speak up. I didn't dare.

Inside the house was pandemonium as my children along with my two nephews sprinted around, screaming and laughing. I wanted to slow them down but then thought better of it. Maybe if they got it all out of their systems now, they'd sleep on the road.

Maybe.

Bella was in the kitchen with Alice, stuffing reusable grocery bags with the entire contents of our pantry. They were laughing and joking as they worked, and their good mood made me grumpier for some reason.

Bella used to laugh like that with me.

I knew I was being a petulant ass about this. My wife and I laughed all the time. My life had changed dramatically when she'd come into it, and all of it had been for the better.

But sometimes I slipped into old habits, and those were hard to break.

"This one is ready," Bella said, coming over and holding out an overstuffed grocery bag.

"Where are we going to put this?" I asked her. "If we put it in the back, Justice will eat it."

She nodded. "Put it at my feet. There should be plenty of room."

Rather than arguing like I wanted to do, I nodded my head and took the bag out.

I didn't elect to go back inside, fearing my bad mood would piss everyone off.

It was starting to get cold in Washington, but no snow had stuck. I was hoping to get some snow, but now with the Tesla, I wasn't sure that was a good idea.

Fuck.

I'd never driven this thing in the snow. Why the hell were we taking this to Montana?

A few minutes later, Bella and the kids came pouring out of the house. Henry and Mia climbed in the back, Justice bounding in after them. I made sure both the kids were properly strapped into their car seats, before Bella handed me baby Nicky. He gurgled at me in my arms, and I couldn't find it in me to deny him a small smile.

"Brace yourself, buddy," I whispered to him, placing him against my chest. "This is going to be a long week."

Being six months old, he didn't say anything as I maneuvered him into his car seat. I did a double check at all the kids and the dog were safely inside before shutting the falcon wing door.

As it shut, Bella came up behind me, smacking me on the ass.

I looked at her in surprise.

"I know you're stressed," she said, winding her arms around my waist. "But I want you to try to relax. This will be fun, I promise."

I let out a long sigh, folding my arms around her.

"I really took it for granted how simple it was driving across the country with you last time."

Bella grinned, reaching her arms up around my neck. "If you like, I can see what I can do about getting us a car that is too small for you."

I groaned. "I still can't believe we didn't think to stop and trade it in," I growled. Bella giggled, kissing my chin.

"I don't know, but I was thoroughly enjoying the ride. I was a bit caught up in you, and despite what you remember, you didn't grumble about it all that much."

I frowned. It felt like I had. Had all that been in my head? Bella reached up, gently weaving her fingers through my hair. I groaned softly. "This will be an adventure," she whispered. "And we won't be alone. Your parents are here to help us if we need it."

I knew she was right. She was always fucking right.

"Do you think we can trade my parents for some alone time?"

Bella giggled and I smiled as she leaned up to kiss me sweetly. "I'll leave the negotiating up to you, counselor."

Fuck, I pulled her closer to me, wanting to get lost in her a moment, but then my parents came around and mom let out a loud whistle.

"You know, one can never have too many grandbabies," my mom joked, sending us a wink as I let Bella go. My wife coughed.

"Yeah, well we'll talk about that when I finally get a break from nursing," she griped. Mom laughed and nodded in understanding, wrapping her in a hug.

"I'm so excited about this trip," mom said turning to me. "It'll be so nice to have the family together."

Like we were never together. We'd just done this at Thanksgiving.

Instead of getting myself into trouble, I just nodded. Bella reached out a hand, rubbing my back.

"It's going to be awesome."


And on this note, I want to take a moment to thank you all, because with this snippet, I have officially posted 1,000,000 words on FFN. With my two-year ficiversary being tomorrow, I am truly grateful and just, riding in my feels. Thank you all for the incredible support, the love, the joy, and the friendships. xx