don't own twilight. What I own is my character's behavior, personality, background, and the plot of the story.

A huge thank you to my beta Madmooey18 for putting in the effort and helping me make this story what it is.

Author's Note at the end.

Bella stands behind Edward as he sees through the peephole. "It's my brothers, Rosalie, and Alice," he turns around informing her, and then opens the door.

"Surprise!" Rosalie and Alice exclaim as soon as the door is swung open, but they are the ones surprised when they catch Bella behind Edward.

"We wanted to check on you and keep you company but it seems that someone beat us to the punch," Emmett states.

Edward rolls his eyes at his siblings' not-so-subtle digs and tells them to come in.

Rosalie is the first one to step in and hug Edward tightly while whispering, "When Emmett told me what happened, I got really worried but he told me that I should give you some space since Esme and Carlisle were staying the night."

They hug each other tightly for a minute before he pulls back, "You would have done me and them a favor if you had come. By the end of it she was so done with me. If Bella didn't show up when she did, she would have probably shot my other shoulder."

Rosalie opens her mouth but Bella beats her to the punch and nudges his shoulder and reprimands him. "Don't say that. It's a bad omen, and don't mock your mum for caring."

"Yes, ma'am," Edward states, saluting her and then winking at the end.

Bella stops herself from laughing and makes a big show of rolling her eyes at him, but once she notices everyone staring at them, she starts feeling self-conscious and awkwardly asks them, "Aren't you planning on coming in?"

"Bella is right. What are you people doing standing in the doorway? Come in. We aren't going to spend the entire day in the doorway." It's like a spell has been broken as the three enter through the doorway at once. Jasper and Emmett pat Edward on the back, while Alice gives him a quick hug before going to the living room.

Bella stays behind with Edward while he locks the door and then tells him once the rest are no longer in hearing shot. "I will leave in fifteen minutes, so you can have some privacy with your family."

Edward takes her hand in his uninjured one to stop her from moving and tells her, "Please don't. I know my family. They will drive me up the wall unless there is a buffer. Rosalie, and Alice like you, so they will be on their best behavior. Please stay."

"So you are using me?" she asks raising an eyebrow.

"I know that's bad but please say that you will stay," he tells her in a pathetic voice.

"Fine, but only because you asked me to," she replies, and then her eyes drop to their hands as if only noticing them holding hands.

Edward seems to make that connection as soon as she does as he tries to drop her hand but she stops him by holding on and tells him, "Since I am a puffer, I might as well put on a show. Don't forget that we are dating baby," she finishes and adds a wink at the end.

He smiles a Cheshire cat smile as he leads her to the living room. He knows that it's all for show, but he can't help but notice how Bella is getting more and more comfortable with his touch.

"So, what have the two of you been up to? We rarely see you out and about?" the ever nosy Alice asks. Edward misses it, but Bella catches the glint in her eyes. Bella raises an eyebrow. Alice just shrugs her shoulders and smiles innocently.

She wouldn't be Alice if she didn't try to weasel information out of us.

"The both of us are too busy with work to go around getting seen out and about," Bella answers Alice giving her a "shut your trap" look.

Alice seems to be in a jovial mood as she tilts her head to the side and asks, "What have you two been up to?"

Edward rolls his eyes at her. "Company, music, and helping the family. What else would I be doing, Alice? Fighting sharks?" he ends his reply sarcastically.

Alice nods her head and then turns to Bella in silence waiting for her answer. Everyone's eyes follow Alice's as everyone waits for her answer.

"Aside from modeling, my socials, and the blog, I attend an acting workshop everyday to prepare for a short film I was cast in," Bella replies. She doesn't mention that she spends hours every day doing IT work for Aro. She knows that he is a family friend and generally liked by the family, but she isn't sure if they would be okay with her being this close to him.

Alice raises an eyebrow, "I didn't know that you were interested in acting."

"I'm not," Isabella tells her, then pauses to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before she continues, "The director is an asshole. The only reason I accepted the offer was to do my worst so that the critics would tear him apart and he would have to direct five more shorts before any production company would give him the green light on his feature debut."

Everyone gets her sarcasm and laughs at her joke except Alice. She tilts her head to the side and studies Bella. Bella mirrors her move for a second before she smiles innocently and throws her a wink. In high school, Bella was the more popular one out of the duo. She was taller, a model and her mum a supermodel. Alice's parents may have been richer, but in high school, no one cared for a boring businessman.

They are no longer in high school and Alice knows that. She is on top now, but Bella becoming a success at acting would return her to second best and she doesn't want that.

Bella feels a nudge on her side then turns to meet Edward's eyes and he asks her, "What is going on between you two?"

Bella leans into him and whispers, "Alice is being Alice. You don't need me to introduce you to her."

"What are you two lovebirds whispering about?" Emmett's booms make Bella jump in her seat.

"I was just telling Edward that I will need to leave soon for the boys' bath time," Bella answers swiftly without missing a beat. Edward stares at Bella in awe at her ability to figure things out instantaneously. If it was just him, he would have probably stumbled over his words and embarrassed his way through a see-through lie.

"Speaking of kids, what is being a parent like? Emmet and I plan to have kids after we get married," Rosalie tells her.

Bella leans back to think and answers her, "Self-doubt, responsibility, anxiety, and a fight every single morning because your child seems to be under the delusion that wearing their left shoe in the right foot is a socially viable option." She intentionally adds frustration to her voice at the last point to be dramatic.

Edward is surprised by her statement and asks her, "Every morning?"

"Not every single morning," Bella replies slowly.

At the look of relief on Rosalie and Emmett's face, she continues, "We rotate through a collection of arguments. That way things never get boring. Adam is creative so sometimes he will throw in a new argument to spice things up. Like this morning for example, at breakfast when we were in a time crunch, he decided that he wants to learn how to eat with his left hand. We spent double the time on breakfast and more food made it to the counter than his mouth."

At the return of the horrified looks on Emmett and Rosalie's face, Edward steers the discussion in a different direction and asks his siblings about their work. Eager to gloat about her trial win, Rosalie launches into a long winded story about an American business man that has been running a drug cartel, and sex trafficking ring in Europe and how one of his employees was a key player in finding the evidence.

Half way through Rosalie's retelling, Edward puts his arm behind her at the back of the couch. Bella goes to lean away and moves on instinct, but a thought stops her.

Alice is watching you like a hawk. If you move away from his arm, she will have a lot of questions.

She leans back and tries to relax against his arm. "Your shoulders are very tense," Edward whispers after a couple of moments, seeming to feel what she is feeling.

Seeming to confuse the reason behind her tense shoulders, he drops his arm around her shoulders and continues while rubbing her arm, "You have nothing to worry about. My family adores you. Alice is your friend. Rosalie is only not asking for your autograph because she wants to appear cool. Also they think that I am annoying and that no one would willingly subject themselves to me, so they would never try to scare you away."

His last statement seems to get a laugh out of her. "I don't know why we are even over when the two of you are in your own world?" Jasper states breaking the moment they were having.

Edward's hand pauses for a second and then he continues rubbing her arm and retorts, "Ask yourself that. I didn't invite you. You were the ones who showed up and shoved yourselves down my throat."

"Edward," Bella exclaims in horror, glaring at him and then she turns to the rest and tells them, "Don't listen to him. He truly appreciates you guys coming to check on him."

Edward opens his mouth to contradict her but she gives him a look that shuts him up.

The last thing I need is to deal with a boyfriend's family that thinks I am trying to steal him from them.

He is not your boyfriend.

No shit, Sherlock Holmes. I know that.

"You don't have to tell us. We already know that," Jasper tells her. She would think that he is being friendly from his tone but his judgy eyes tell her otherwise. Those are the kind of looks you give to someone you don't like.

Feeling uncomfortable under his eyes, she decides it's the time to leave. She made sure that Edward was okay. She doesn't need to worry about him since his family is present.

"Bella, please come with me," he whispers, leading her to his bedroom after she told them she is leaving and stood up. He picks her bag from the couch and walks behind her.

"What is it?" Bella asks worriedly once they are in the privacy of his bedroom and he locks the door behind him.

"I want to give you something," Edward tells her as he walks to the closet and gets a box out of it.

"What's this?" Bella asks, taking the box from him.

"Open it," Edward tells her and once she does he continues, "I know that you don't like to carry one but I would rather have you carry it."

She raises her eyes to look at him in worry and asks, "Is there something I need to be worried about?"

Edward closes the box and puts it down on his bed then places his uninjured arm on her shoulder and tells her, "No, there is nothing for you to worry about. If yesterday has taught me anything, it's that you can never be safe."

Bella shakes her head and takes a step back as she tells him, "I don't need a gun. I don't feel comfortable owning one."

"Think of it this way, you are a famous person with no security and a mother of two living on your own. Those two things alone should make you want to own a gun."

Bella turns away from him and paces near his bed trying to decide if she should have the gun or not. She bites her lip as she frowns at her thoughts. Yes, Edward is right about her fame and single mum status meaning that she needs more security than the average woman, but does that warrant owning a gun?

There is a reason why she left the gun Aro got her in Forks and didn't bring it with her. She doesn't want to become desensitized by violence. She doesn't want to be okay with aggression and firearms. She wants to stay the person who is uncomfortable with using a gun outside of a shooting range. She prefers to stay by herself as she has been through a lot in life. It would be so easy for her to fall off the cliffs. Indulging in violence and revenge is quick sand and she doesn't want to sink in. She knows if she sinks in that she will never come up for air again.

"Listen, I know that you feel uncomfortable owning one, but can't you just keep it in case you need it?" he asks her, interrupting the downward spiral her mind was going down.

She looks up at him and opens her mouth to speak but he beats her to it. "If you think that you will never need it, fine. But can you keep it at least for me? I will sleep better knowing that you are armed."

She giggles as she walks slowly to him until only a couple of inches separate them and tells him in a sing-song voice, "Someone is worried about me."

It seems that her cheeky comment isn't found funny by Edward as he frowns and tells her, "Yes. I worry about you just like you worry about me. Now quit changing the subject."

Bella's smile drops and she crosses her arms across her chest and tells him, "Fine. I will take it. If I shoot someone and get arrested, it will be your job to explain to the police how I got access to an unlicensed gun."

He smiles and tells her, "I licensed it."

"Fine. You will still have to explain how your name is on the license," she mutters as he hands her the box and she stuffs it in her handbag. Good thing, she brought a big one or she would have to carry it around in a plastic bag.

"It's licensed in your name," he tells her, smiling.

"How?" she asks in confusion.

He raises an eyebrow and it dawns on her. "Stupid question. Of course through your family connection."

She walks beside him as they climb down the stairs together and then she hugs everyone goodbye before he leads her to the door. "You know you can stay longer if you want to. It's not even five. I love spending time with you."

She shakes her head and tells him, "Oh no. I'm going to leave you so you can have some privacy with your siblings."

"No! I don't want any privacy with them. I barely tolerate them when they are on their best behavior," he tells her cracking a joke.

She giggles even though she thinks the joke isn't that funny and then tells him, "Quit it. I know that you love them. A blind man can see that."

He shakes his head in faux disappointment and tells her, "And here I thought that you would say that you know that I love my siblings because you know me."

She smiles at him and stands at her tip toe to pinch his cheek lightly before she answers, "I do know you. You are the kind of man whose love for the person in front of them shines through your eyes. You are uninhabited in your love. You aren't afraid to love openly and that's something I appreciate about you." She doesn't just appreciate that about him, she envies it.

You can see my love for everyone yet you easily believed that the song isn't about you.

Edward forces a smile as he replies, "Everyone else hates that about me. I am a Cullen. I need to be a blank page. I can't show emotions. I need to be a robot. Also being an open book isn't as alluring as being an elusive celebrity is."

Bella takes his face in her hands and tells him, "I don't care if everyone on planet earth sees it as a negative trait. I see it as a positive one. Don't ever change that about yourself for anyone. If they have a problem with it, send them my way."

Edward knows that Bella doesn't like being intimately touched. He understands that, but for some reason beyond him, he finds himself raising his uninjured hand and placing it on her hand, holding her hand to his cheek. The same reason that made him do it, is the one behind Bella not flinching away from Edward's touch and relishing in it.

"Thank you," he whispers, feeling like the moment is too fragile to be shattered by his loud voice.

"You're welcome."

Worried that Bella will get anxious and pull back, he drops his hand after a minute. He doesn't want her to be the one to step back and be uncomfortable.

Bella drops her hand down and right as Edward starts to frown thinking he was right in preparing for Bella pulling away, she throws her arms around him and hugs him tightly.

"Take care of yourself. Eat," she tells him the last word, an order as she continues to hold onto him.

"I will," he replies, not letting go either.

Finally after what felt like the longest hug in human history but was in fact two minutes long, Bella pulls back but keeps her arms around his shoulder and tells him, "Take care of yourself. I don't want to worry about you like that again."

He smirks as he tells her, "I don't know. Maybe I will get hurt more so that you will come and hang out with me."

She swats her hand at his side while glaring at him and he takes her swatting hand in his and squeezes it instead. "Don't do that and we will hang out."

Edward is quiet for a moment before he tells her, "How about tomorrow? We could go to a club I know that always has paparazzi near the doors. That way the public will know that we are still going strong and I didn't stand you up."

Bella tilts her head to the side then shakes it and tells him, "Or we could hang out at your place again. The public will find out that you are injured when you go back to the office and figure out that it's why you didn't attend with me."

Number one song producer and CEO Edward Cullen injured.

Yesterday, Edward Cullen stepped into his office in Manhattan. While that is normal and expected, what wasn't expected was his arm being in a sling with what seemed to be a shoulder injury. It's unclear when the injury took place, however eagle eyed fans were quick to point out that the last time Edward Cullen was seen in public was three days ago in his office.

Again, it's unclear how the injury occurred, and when and where he was treated. The theory that he was injured the same day he was last seen holds merit as that night he was supposed to attend an event he never arrived at, a Gala held by Phil Dwyer, step father of Isabella Swan, rumoured girlfriend of Edward Cullen.

Some internet users were quick to assume that the pair had separated, but it was made worse when the list of attendees was leaked and it became clear that Edward Cullen RSVP'D less than 48 hours before that. Many trollers were quick to floor her social media posts to spread the rumour that he stood her up.

Isabella has been silent on social media since the event took place, and while some of the haters had thought that she was hiding, licking her wounds, now most believe that she was simply too busy taking care of him to think about what the internet has to say.

"You had to contact the website and threaten to sue them for spreading false information if they don't edit the article and refer to Phil as your step dad," Edward tells her snorting. She can practically hear the smirk on his face through the phone.

Bella smiles as she tells him, "Of course. They should be thankful I am not suing them for spreading rumours about me," then pauses for a moment before continuing an after thought, "I hope they spread the word to only refer to Phil as my step dad. I would hate to do this with other magazines."

Edward lightly laughs in the background before he tells her, "You do know that you wouldn't win if you were to sue them, right?"

Bella rolls her eyes and tells him, "I know that, but I also know that their readers won't grow if they get sued for spreading misinformation."

Edward changes the subject and asks her, "How is your schedule like these days?"

"The usual. Why do you ask?" she replies curiously.

"I have a red carpet event. I was invited six months ago but I forgot to tell you. I know you would want to attend," he answers her.

"Who is hosting it?"

"Why?" Edward asks, "So you could stand me up? A tit for tat?"

Bella waves her hand as if he can see her and states, "Don't be ridiculous."

"It's gonna be hosted by Martin Matthew." Bella's eyes widen at Edward's answer.

Hello lovely people,

I apologize for the late update. My Beta was in a vacation and I forgot to send her the chapter early enough for her to edit before leaving.

Please leave a comment in the review section. It could be your favorite part, thoughts, feeling, or even criticism. Any and every comment you leave is read and taken into consideration. Your comments motivate me to update faster and help me grow as a writer.

Until my next update,

Stay Safe