December 2004
"Mom, why do I need to wear a shirt with buttons?" Nine-year-old Emmett Swan grumbled as he pulled on his collar. "I look like a dork."
Renee Swan knelt down, so she was eye level with her oldest child. "Because you need to look like the little gentleman man you are at the ballet," she explained before giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek and standing back up. "Charlie, where are my red heels?"
"All the boxes marked shoes are downstairs near the entry," Charlie muttered as he came out of the walk-in closet, fighting with a tie. "How the hell am I supposed to do this up?"
"Come here," Renee chuckled as her husband of nine years walked over to her with a pout. She grabbed the ends of the black silk tie and twisted them expertly. "You'll need to learn how to do this on your own, Special Agent." Her eyes sparkled with mirth as she finished the knots. While she would always be thankful Charlie had agreed to leave rainy Washington all those years ago, the young family couldn't turn down the opportunity to move back when the FBI recruited Charlie the Phoenix PD. Plus, after eighteen weeks of being separated while Charlie trained in Quantico, Renee was just happy to have her whole family back together. And at least Seattle was more metropolitan than the small town of Forks they had lived in when Emmett was born.
"Maybe I'll have you do them up and just leave them knotted in the closet?" Charlie suggested with a wink before gently kissing his wife. "Thanks, Nee."
Renee rolled her eyes at Charlie's suggestion, but there was still humour written all over her face. "I'm going to look for my shoes. Can you make sure Bella's almost ready? She's been very quiet."
"She's always quiet," Emmett stated from his parents' bed where he'd turned on the television.
"You still need socks and a sweater, mister," Renee scolded, grabbing the remote out of Emmett's hand and pointing to his room, although she couldn't argue with his statement. Emmett and her four-year-old daughter Isabella were like two sides of the same coin. He was boisterous, Bella was quiet and introspective. Emmett always needed to be doing something physical, while she was content to read or draw peacefully. With the move to Seattle, Renee had been hoping to help Bella open up more, and thought tonight would be a good start. Living only a few blocks from the Swans' new house was Renee's old college roommate Esme and her family. While Renee and Charlie had the surprise of a senior year pregnancy with Emmett, Esme and her husband Carlisle had waited until his last year of residency to start their family and had a son the same age as Bella who was enrolled at the same preschool as her. As soon as Renee had found out they were moving to Seattle, she had been on the phone making plans with Esme, who had only moved back a year prior from Chicago. "I'll grab everyone's shoes while I'm down there."
"Thanks, Nee," Charlie grinned. "They should be in the box marked Special Shoes." Renee nodded and left the bedroom. Once Charlie had his blazer laid out on the bed, he shooed his son out of the room and went to the smallest bedroom on the second floor, where Bella was laying down on her stomach with The Kissing Hand in front of her. "Bells, sweetie. We need to leave for dinner soon. Are you ready?"
"Almost, daddy," she replied, and stood up from the floor, smoothing the pink butterfly skirt of her dress before picking up her book and placing it back on the shelf. "I need mommy to do my braids."
"She's just getting shoes," Charlie explained and picked up his little girl. "Why don't I give them a try?"
Bella crinkled her little nose, not wanting to hurt her daddy's feelings. "It's okay, daddy. I don't need braids."
"Were you offering to do hair, Charlie?" Renee laughed as she entered the bedroom. She kissed her husband on the cheek before passing him two pairs of black leather oxfords. "Why don't you help Em before he watches TV again?"
"Sounds like a plan. I think I already hear that damn Pokémon…" Charlie sighed and headed back to the primary bedroom.
"Okay, baby. Take a seat and I'll get started," Renee said, getting a nod from Bella before she climbed up on her tiny bed. After placing Bella's patent leather pumps on the floor, Renee grabbed the hairbrush and a pair of elastics from the dresser before taking a seat behind her daughter. Thankfully, Bella was a fairly calm and patient child, so Renee could get two perfect French braids done in about eight minutes - less time than it took Charlie to get Emmett ready. By the time Bella and Renee were getting their coats on in the entryway, Charlie and Emmett were finally making their way downstairs. "Finally!" Renee shook her head, full of mirth. "We were about to leave without you."
"Can you?" Emmett asked hopefully. "I don't mind missing the ballet."
"Emmett," Charlie said in a warning tone. "You know Esme and Carlisle are looking forward to seeing you. It's been six years."
"But I don't even remember them," Emmett whined as his dad ushered him towards the family Taurus.
"But they remember you," Renee pointed out, as she helped Bella into her booster seat. "You were their ring bearer."
"I don't remember being a bear!" Emmett grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Look, I'm sure it won't be that bad. They have a boy, too," Charlie pointed out from the driver's seat as Renee climbed in beside him.
"Yeah, but he's a baby like Belly."
"I'm not a baby," Bella growled, glaring at her big brother. "I'm four!"
"You can't even go to real school," Emmett scoffed.
"Emmett Charles Swan, enough!" Charlie barked. "Stop being mean to your sister. If you think you're so much more mature than her, act like it." He shook his head and turned on the ignition to the car. "Now, where are we meeting the Cullens again?"
"It's an Italian restaurant near the ballet, Volterra," Renee murmured, and turned to her kids with a smile. "Bella, are you looking forward to the ballet?"
"Yeah! It looks so pretty," Bella giggled, images of graceful women in tutus from her book, Lili at Ballet.
"You'll love it, sweetheart. It's such a beautiful thing!" Renee gushed. "And this one's good for kids. It's got a snow queen, and a sugar plum fairy…" She looked over at her son, who looked bored at the idea, so she threw in a few answers for his benefit. "As well as The Nutcracker and his soldiers."
"Wait, there's soldiers in this thing?" Emmett asked curiously. "Maybe it won't be so bad."
"You just need to keep an open mind…" Renee mused before turning back to the front, but not before giving her husband a smug smile.
The rest of the ride went quickly, with Charlie listening to sports radio updates until Renee changed it to a Top 40 station, bobbing her head along to the music. They arrived early enough to find parking in the garage between the Seattle Opera House and the restaurant on the other side. They had barely entered the restaurant when they heard a loud squeal. "Rennie!" Esme called from a pair of tables pushed together towards the back of the small restaurant.
"Essie!" Renee replied, grabbing her old friend in a tight hug. "It's been too long."
"I'm so happy you moved back." Finally, the two released each other with huge smiles on their faces. "Charlie, how are you? FBI, you must be excited!"
"Esme, always a pleasure," Charlie greeted, returning her polite hug before turning to Carlisle's handshake. "Carl, how's medicine treating you?"
"Better now in private practice," He chuckled,. "How was the move?"
"Still a mountain of boxes," Charlie shook his head with a grin.
"Emmett, look at you!" Esme beamed, grasping Emmett's shoulders. "You've gotten so big."
"I was the biggest in my class back in Phoenix!" Emmett bragged.
"And I bet you'll be the biggest one here, too," Esme assured him before turning to the shy little girl hiding behind her father's leg and kneeling down. "And you must be Isabella."
"Bella," she whispered in reply.
"I'm sorry, Bella," Esme apologized. "You're just as pretty as your mom said. Do you want to meet my little boy?" Bella looked up at her parents for assurance and both gave her an encouraging smile, so she gave Esme a nod before stepping out from behind her father. "Bella, this is Edward. He's the same age as you."
"Hi, Bella," The little red-haired, green-eyed boy greeted with a timid wave that Bella returned.
"You'll be going to his pre-school, Bells," Charlie said as they all took their seats around the table. "Won't it be great to know someone when you start?"
"I'll show you around," Edward offered as Bella climbed into the chair beside. "I promise."
"Thank you," Bella replied quietly, her cheeks flushing as Esme introduced her mother to Edward's two-year-old sister, Alice.
"Cullens! Buonasera!" A cheerful older man with a thick Italian accent greeted them as he approached the table. "And I see you have guests tonight!"
"Aro, these are our good friends, Charlie and Renee Swan," Carlisle explained with a smile.
"Bene, bene! I hope I see lots of you Swans!" Aro chortled and took out his notepad. "Can I get you drinks?"
"What do you say, Essie? Want to split a bottle of chard?" Esme offered. "I can never get Carlisle to drink wine."
"Same here!" Renee giggled. "If it's not made with hops and barley, I can't get Charlie to touch it!"
"Well, I'm getting a Vitamin R," Charlie added. "Haven't had one in years."
"Make that two," Carlisle added.
"Ci, and the little ones?" Aro quickly jotted notes on his pad before looking at Emmett.
"Mom, can I have Mountain Dew?" He asked his mom with a hopeful look.
Renee sighed, reluctant to give her already energetic child neon yellow soda. However, if this helped him remain positive, maybe it was worth it. "One, but then it's just water," she conceded.
"And you, principessa?"
"Apple juice," Bella answered softly.
"Ah, that's Eduardo's favourite, too." He grinned at the pair, making Bella blush again at the attention. "Apple juice, signorino?" Edward just nodded and squeezed Bella's hand under the table. "And piccolina?" Aro looked at Alice endearingly as if he already knew the answer.
"Choca miwk!" Alice squealed with delight from her highchair.
"Ci, of course! I'll have those out shortly."
The rest of dinner went off well with the families getting along. While Renee cooed over little Alice and Emmett shared his hopes to start softball in the spring, it didn't escape Esme's notice that Edward and Bella seemed to have their own private conversation, barely touching their meals.
"There's four slides, but we only use the big ones," Edward stated as he told Bella about the pre-school. "The little ones are for babies like Alice."
"I no baby!" Alice pouted from her seat. "I big giwl."
"Yes, you are, Ali," Esme cooed, smoothing down her daughter's dark hair while Edward rolled his eyes. "Bella, your mom says you like ballet."
"It's so pretty," Bella sighed. "But I've never done it before."
"Well, if you like what you see today, maybe you'd like to take lessons?" Esme suggested. "I actually teach ballet. Edward takes classes at my studio."
"You do ballet?" Emmett snorted. "That's girl stuff."
Edward scowled at the older boy, but before a fight could break out, Renee jumped in. "Actually, a lot of football players take ballet. It's good for their footwork. What position do you play?"
"I like running back," he muttered.
"Well, Ricky Watters took summer lessons at my studio before this season started." Esme smiled at him, leaving Emmett confused as he went back to his pizza.
"I think it's cool you do ballet," Bella whispered to Edward once the focus was off them and back on a messy Alice.
"Really?" Edward's eyes widened as Bella nodded. "You should take lessons, too. That would be fun."
Bella blushed at his enthusiasm. "I'd like to."
Once dinner was through, the bill paid and the plates cleared, the two families waited at the crosswalk for the light to change. "Hold hands!" Esme instructed as she held a hand back for Edward while Carlisle pushed the stroller. It surprised Esme that her normally obedient son didn't grab her hand, so she looked back at him, only to see him holding little Bella's right hand, while her left was in Renee's. She couldn't help but share a smile with her best friend at the children's display. "Edward, why don't you give me your free hand?" She asked, trying not to laugh.
"Do I need to let go of Bella?" He asked, wide eyed.
"No, you can keep holding Bella's hand," Esme giggled, and grabbed his right.
As they crossed, Charlie and Carlisle both took a quick peek back at the conversation behind him. "Looks like your daughter has an admirer," Carlisle chuckled with a nudge.
"Your boy better know how to treat a lady," Charlie replied with a hmph.
"That's not a lady, that's Bella!" Emmett interjected. "And girls are gross! Why would anyone want to hold their hand?"
"And they say chivalry is dead," Carlisle laughed as they approached the front doors and handed over their tickets.
"Dad, can I get popcorn?" Emmett asked as he spied bags of the snack at the bar.
"You just ate a personal pizza and fries!" Charlie replied.
"I'm a growing boy," Emmett whined.
"You can get some popcorn as long as you help your dad and Carlisle bring drinks," Renee offered. "We'll go find our seats."
"Do you two want some popcorn?" Esme asked the two between her and Renee.
Edward looked over at Bella, who just shrugged. "We could share?" He offered.
"Okay," Bella nodded with a smile.
"Perfect," Esme grinned knowingly. "Can you get one share with Alice, as well? And water for everyone?" She asked her husband, who nodded in confirmation.
While their husbands and Emmett got in line at the bar, Esme parked the stroller with the ushers and hoisted Alice onto her hip before heading to their seats with Renee and the younger kids.
"Don't run ahead!" Renee stated, digging through her purse as they entered the auditorium, Bella and Edward still hand-in-hand walking down the aisle. "Aha! I knew I brought it!" She produced a small
camera with a proud smile.
"Oh, nice!" Esme complimented, looking at the sleek silver object in Renee's hand. "New?"
Renee nodded. "Charlie and the kids got it for my birthday before he went into training. Seems like a perfect time to use it, don't you think?" She gestured at the two preschoolers walking ahead of them, oblivious to their moms.
Esme grinned enthusiastically. "Absolutely! A photo when it all started."
Renee giggled and called out in front of her. "Bella! Edward! Look over here!" Not wanting to let go of each other's hands, the pair looked over their shoulders at Renee with a smile, who got the pair with the set behind them. "Perfect!"
"And our seats are just up one more row," Esme said, pointing to the aisle of Row M.
It didn't take long for the others to join them and hand out drinks and popcorn, before the bells chimed to signal five minutes to show. "Have you seen this before?" Bella asked as the crowd rushed to their seats.
"Yeah, we saw it last year," Edward answered. "It's a little scary but I'll keep you safe."
"Thank you," she whispered, with a blush as the lights went down.
While the dancers on stage kept Bella's attention throughout the show, her hand stayed firmly clasped in Edward's all the way until the garage at the end of the night.