Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I just play with them. This story is rated M, and is not suitable for younger readers. Story contains violence, coarse language and sexual "situations". Please do not read if any of these things offends you.

Note: [Beta'ed by: CrimsonIceGoddess & Maxipoo1024]

Chapter 46, "Dinner"

Edward Cullen POV

Bella was coming over for dinner, so I was helping Mom out by chopping the vegetables for the salad. I didn't do it out of kindness of my heart; I did it because I was bored. Bella was spending her afternoon in Port Angeles with Jasper and Alice, while Emmett was up in his room, doing the nasty with Rosalie. So, my choices were to either help Mom out or to stare at the wall in my room, and God knows I had already stared at that wall far longer than I cared to admit.

It was the first day of winter break. The last week of school had passed quickly, and the past few days had been alright, I suppose. I had made the mistake of sneaking up on Bella in the hallway, when she was standing by her locker one day. I kissed her, and she didn't mind, but someone else sure did.

I hadn't given much thought to Tanya or what her reaction to us would be. I had been too caught up in more important things, like keeping Bella safe from crazy mothers and delusional motherfuckers that wanted to hurt her. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when Tanya chose to corner Bella again.

Bella refused to report to a teacher what happened, of course. She said it wasn't a big deal, and I suppose it wasn't compared to all the other shit she had going on right now. At the same time, it wasn't an uncommon occurrence that she said that something wasn't a big deal. It was like her new catchphrase or something. Nothing was ever a big deal to her.

Tanya didn't hurt her physically; she only used words this time. I guess she had learned her lesson the last time. Bella never elaborated on what Tanya said exactly, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. It was about me, obviously.

But whatever she said, it didn't seem to have done much harm, because the next day Bella didn't mind leaning in for a kiss in a full cafeteria where everybody could see us. Even Tanya.

I wondered if that had been her way of peeing on my leg or some shit.

I didn't mind. Whatever made her happy made me happy – and kissing in public definitely made me happy. I didn't want us to be a secret, and if Bella was comfortable with PDA now, then who the hell was I to say no?

Bella and I hadn't discussed the whole blue moon issue, or anything related to the legends at all really, since that night in my room. The topic of sex never came up either. I think I freaked her out when I told her when the next blue moon was. I was right when I figured she would change her mind about doing the deed during a blue moon. She must have thought that the next blue moon was far into the future; far enough for her to get used to the idea.

But what good would a blue moon do in a year or two? By then the crazy people would be caught and shit would have gone back to normal. Hopefully Bella would be normal by then too.

I was worried about her. She was calm, like fucking ridiculously calm; but the calm wasn't normal. She had nothing to be calm about. She kept saying she was alright, and I didn't bring up the topic of therapy. I had promised her I wouldn't nag her about it until January, and I didn't want to break that promise. Yet at the same time, it hurt to see her like this.

Bella wasn't hiding stuff from me, and she didn't keep any secrets. We talked about everything. But that didn't mean I knew everything that was going on in her head. Maybe she was more nervous and anxious about things than she let on.

Things didn't get better when the cops let us know that they hadn't caught her mother. The police had busted the crazy woman's hideout in Phoenix, but she wasn't there. According to my dad, who kept himself updated on the progress, they were only a few minutes too late. She had been drinking coffee as if she was normal; it was still been hot when the cops got there. She must have known that they were on their way and disappeared within a few minutes' notice. She was sneaky, that one.

I had figured this news would send Bella into a downward spiral of anxiety and depression, but it didn't. She took the news like a champ because she wasn't surprised. I guess I wasn't either. I had been right when I had said that as far as she and I were concerned, good shit never lasted. So of course this didn't come as a surprise to us.

I continued going to Dr. Randall and for the first few sessions all we had talked about was the situation with Bella. Every now and again we also talked about my blackouts. We had talked briefly about the night when my music muse went out the window and never looked back. He was been scribbling away more than usual when I talked about that night. I wondered if he knew something I didn't.

We didn't speak much about the blackouts after that. I wondered if it had to do with what I told him about that night, and about what I remembered –or didn't remember, as it were.

Then, during one of our last sessions before my winter break, he suddenly asked me about my family. We never talked about my family. So of course I was surprised me when he asked me about them out of the blue….

"How would you describe your relationship with your mother?" he asked after we spent twenty minutes discussing Bella.

"My mother? I don't know… non-existent?" I replied, shrugging.

"What makes you say that?"

"I have barely spoken to the woman since the accident. I mean, if I hadn't pulled my shit together, I don't doubt for a second that she would have agreed with Dad eventually and sent me off to Chicago," I said. "It might even still be a possibility. Who the fuck knows?"

He scribbled something down on his notepad before looking up at me again.

"How was your relationship with her before the accident?" he asked in response.

I shrugged again. "I don't know? Fine?" I sighed and looked out the window.

He didn't say anything as he let me ponder the question for another moment. He always did that. It was as if he sensed what questions were hard for me to answer, and he never pushed me to answer. He always let me take my goddamn time. One thing was for sure, that man was patient.

"Mom is a pushover," I said, still looking out the window. "She never raises her voice, and she rarely has an opinion of her own. When Dad says something, she usually agrees with it. Our relationship before the accident was simple. She let me get away with my shit and she never fought with me or bitched at me for anything…. Our relationship was fucking easy. She used to show me her new designs and ask for my opinion and shit. She was a fucking saint."

"You used past tense," he noted. "You don't consider your mom to be a saint anymore?"

I shook my head.

"She's a pushover. Not a saint," I said. "She didn't defend me at that damn Thanksgiving dinner, and I know she was almost about to agree with my father to send me off to Chicago. A saint would never send her son away, and a saint would defend their flesh and blood to the end. A saint would fucking care, she doesn't."

"What about your dad? How is your relationship with him? Has it changed much since the accident?"

I snorted at that. "Don't even get me started on that motherfucker," I muttered. "The only good thing he has ever done for me was when he brought me to Bella when she asked for me. Other than that, he can go to hell for all I care."

I told Dr. Randall all about how I felt about my dad, and how I resented him even more than my mom for not sticking up for me during that Thanksgiving dinner. I hated him for threatening to send me off to Chicago even when he fucking knew that I was suffering from shit that I wasn't even aware of. The bastard even kept shit about my health from me. It was as if he wanted to have something on me that he could later use to his advantage. I didn't trust my dad at all anymore. He was just as manipulative as Bella's mother. Maybe they were both crazy?

"You told me how he cared for Bella after the accident. How can someone like that be a bad person?" Dr. Randall asked with an even voice. "It's hard to be a parent, especially to teenagers. It's not easy to communicate. Don't you think that most of the issues between the two of you are based on misunderstandings and miscommunication?"

"Miscommunication my ass." I snorted. "It's impossible to talk to the guy. He doesn't listen. It's like talking to a damn wall."

Dr. Randall sighed and made another note. "Let's leave your father for a moment. Let's talk about your brother instead. How is your relationship with him? You used to be close, correct?"

I groaned and leaned forward in my seat, resting my elbows on my knees and gripping my hair. "I don't even know what to think about Emmett anymore. Bella doesn't like him."

"And that means you can't like him either?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just that…" I trailed off and frowned. "Bella's reasoning as to why she doesn't like him is fucking valid, and her reasons are fucking real. If she dislikes him for those reasons, then why can't I?"

"And what are those reasons?"

"He's not constant," I mumbled, massaging my eyes with the heels of my hands as I leaned back in the chair.

"What does that mean?"

"Aren't we done yet?" I asked.

He sighed in response as he checked his watch. "We still have five minutes," he said.

"Fine," I said, letting my hands fall to my lap. "It means that he lets shit alter him. He changes because that's what the society is expecting of him. He changes because that's what people are expecting of him. Some shit happens, and he lets it change him."

"Why exactly is the society expecting him to change?"

"Don't you fucking get it?" I snapped. "People expected me to change just because of the accident. People expected me to become Bella's best friend just because I crippled her." I dragged my hands through my hair, gripping it tightly. "Emmett changed overnight. Suddenly he was all up in my face because I didn't let the accident change me. He became her bodyguard and was completely on her side just because I hit a patch of black ice."

"I'm still not sure that I'm following…"

"Why the fuck am I supposed to change who I am because I got into an accident? And why the hell should my brother change because of it? He wasn't even in the damn car!" My grip on my hair tightened even more. He frowned as he studied me for a moment.

"Do you consider yourself to be the same person you were when you were five years old?" he asked and I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What? No," I replied, not sure what he was asking.

"But by your logic, you should be. Correct?" He smiled softly as it was evident from my face that I had no idea what he was getting at. "From what I understand, you're saying that the accident didn't change you, nor should it. Correct?" I nodded hesitantly. "Then by that logic, you should be the very same person you were when you were five years old, or even when you were born. Because if events in your life don't change you, then how do you become who you are?"

I opened my mouth to answer and he smiled at me.

"Time's up," he said, not letting me respond. That was just as well, because I doubt any words would have left my mouth anyway. He probably knew that too. I glared at him as I got up, grabbing my jacket from behind my chair. He made another note on his notepad, before standing up as well.

"We won't be seeing each other again until after the holidays, so please, think about what we talked about today. Life is not as black and white as you might think," he said, which earned him nothing but an eye roll from me as I left his office.

I was so lost in thought, remembering my session with Dr. Randall, that I momentarily forgot what I was doing and accidentally cut my finger.

"Fuck," I cried out, quickly letting go of the knife and putting my finger under cold running water. Mom glanced at me from the stove, smiling softly.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I gritted my teeth, hissing as the cold water came in contact with the cut. "The first aid kit is-"

"I know where it is, thank you very much," I snapped. She laughed and rolled her eyes. She was used to my outbursts, yet again more proof of what a pushover she was. She didn't even react when her own son snapped at her.

It was ridiculous how much Dr. Randall's words stayed with me after our sessions. It was fucking with my head. I was starting to consider how my words and actions were affecting other people. I didn't like how it made me think about other people's points of view and their fucking feelings. If I never cared about that shit before, why did it have to change now? There was only one person's point of view that I cared about, and she wasn't even here yet.

Other people's feelings. The world not being in black and white. My blackouts. All these thoughts swirled together in my head into an impossible mess.

Maybe Mom wasn't so much a pushover as she was… well, a mother. This was the first time Bella was coming over for dinner, so my behavior could easily be passed off as nerves. My mom probably thought it was hilarious that her youngest son was so on edge about bringing his first girlfriend home for dinner with the family.

I had yet to introduce Bella as my girlfriend, but I didn't doubt for a second that Mom and Dad knew that was what she was to me now. I hadn't asked them yet if it was okay for Bella to spend Christmas with us. I didn't see why I had to ask for permission for that shit anyway. She was my girlfriend - she was my fucking family – so of course I would want to spend my Christmas with her. My parents couldn't deny us this, especially considering her situation. They couldn't deny my Bella a nice family Christmas when the alternative was to spend it with her foster parents.

There was a sound of a car driving up the driveway, so I immediately turned off the faucet, grabbing the nearest towel and wound it around my finger. I walked over to the front door and opened it just as Bella climbed out of Jasper's car. She looked up and met my gaze, smiling and waving before steadying herself on her crutches. She said something to Jasper, and I saw Alice waving from the passenger seat. I raised my hand and gave her a weak wave in response.

Bella walked up to the porch as I watched the car turn around and drove away. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face as she came closer. I put my hands on her waist and pulled her close, leaning my head down so I could meet her lips with mine.

"Did you have fun with the Spazz and the Pixie?" I asked against her lips.

"I've been through worse," she replied with a smile.

"That bad, huh?" I asked, pulling back a little. "I thought you were fine with them."

She sighed and shrugged. "Jasper is fine, I guess. I just… I don't know what to make of Alice. She's too hyper."

I snorted. That was true. "Come on, let's go inside. It's freezing out here," I said, stepping aside so she could walk inside.

The sound of Jasper's car faded completely as I shut the door behind us. I was glad that Jasper and Alice didn't invite themselves over for dinner as well. Not that we weren't cool – we were, I guess. I somehow managed to solve some of my issues with Emmett and Jasper. After Bella had left on the day that we found out about the blue moon, they came into my room and we talked for a few hours. Or rather, Emmett talked for hours. Jasper and I just listened. Maybe Emmett could benefit from a few sessions with Dr. Randall as well.

I hadn't spoken with the girls much since Rosalie made that stupid joke and sent Bella running for the hills. Bella and I didn't eat lunch with them anymore after that. We made it clear that we weren't ready for that shit yet. I didn't care much though. For me, right now, it was more important to sort shit out with my brother and my best friend than their stupid girlfriends.

Also, I needed to get shit straight with Jasper, because I knew how much his support meant to Bella – even if she would never admit it. Bella might still not like him, and he might not like her, but they worked together in a way that was too good to just throw away. They had formed a friendship despite it all. I told her this, of course, which probably was why she had asked him if she could join him and Alice when they went to Port Angeles.

"So, what did you guys do?" I asked, as I helped her take off her jacket.

"Last minute Christmas shopping," she said, sounding reluctant.

"Did you find anything good?"

She bit her lip and did a semi-shrug. "I… I think I did… might be a little cheesy, but… it was funny… I think… Alice didn't get it, but I didn't expect her to… but Jasper did… I think."

I raised my eyebrows in amusement.

"What?" I said, a smile in my voice.

"I didn't have much money, but I bought you something," she explained. "You might think it's stupid and stuff but-"

"If it's from you, then I'll fucking love it," I assured her, kissing her forehead.

"I'm going to love seeing you fake excitement when you open it," she said.

Rolling my eyes, I led her toward the kitchen.

"I'm sure my mom wants me to introduce you," I told her.

"But she's already met me," she argued.

I snorted. "Yeah, but not like this."

"I suppose you're right."

I wanted to hold her hand as we walked toward the kitchen, but her crutches made that impossible. I couldn't wait for her to get rid of that shit.

I cleared my throat as we entered the kitchen. Mom had her back to us as she stood by the stove. She turned around, her face practically breaking in two because she was smiling so widely. The scary thing was that there was nothing fake about her smile at all. She was genuinely that excited about this.

She walked over to Bella and pulled her into a hug. Bella yelped in surprise, and I resisted the instinct to pull my mom away from her. Bella forced a smile – probably for my mom's benefit – as Mom let her go.

"It's so good to see you again, Bella. How are you?" Mom asked.

"I'm fine," Bella replied in a small voice. "Thank you. It's nice to see you too."

"Dinner will be ready in an hour or so," Mom said. "And I think Edward has helped me enough." She gave me an amused smile and I rolled my eyes.

Bella looked at my hand, not noticing the blood on the towel until now.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I cut myself. No biggie," I said, throwing the towel on the counter. "Come on, let's go to my room."

I swear I could hear my mom chuckle as we left the kitchen.

As we passed the second floor, we heard loud music playing from Emmett's room. It just barely muffled the excited grunts from my brother. I couldn't help but smirk. Bella gave me a weird look but didn't say anything. We made it to my room, and I closed the door behind us. Bella wobbled over to my bed and plopped down, putting her crutches on the floor before laying down with a sigh.

"My whole body aches," she said. "Alice insisted on us going into all those stupid stores in that stupid mall. We even went into a hardware store. Who the hell buys Christmas presents in a hardware store? Answer is: not even Alice. I think she might have some OCD about it. She can't leave a mall without stepping into every single store first… I didn't go with them for the last five. Instead I sat outside on a bench and waited for them. My body couldn't take the abuse."

I laid down beside her, propping my head up on my arm and putting my hand on her stomach. She turned her head to me and smiled.

"All those stores, and I still couldn't find the perfect gift for you," she said, sounding apologetic. "You gave me the necklace. It was perfect… how am I ever going to top that?"

"It's not a competition," I replied. "Besides, I was just lucky I stumbled across that necklace in the first place. And I told you already, if it's from you, then I'll fucking love it. You could give me a bag of bird shit and I'd still put it on display on my damn bookshelf."

"Gosh darn it," she said. "If I had known that you were that easy to please, I would have stopped by the pet store and asked them for some bird crap. Cheap and easy."

"Just like me," I said and leaned in to kiss her.

She hummed against my lips and when I pulled back she was smiling sadly.

"Do you really consider yourself cheap and easy?" she asked.

"Only for you," I replied.

Her smile got a little happier and I leaned in to kiss her again.

"I missed you today," I admitted. "I thought that I was going to see you more now that school was out, but instead you left me to hang out with Jasper. I'm almost hurt."

"I promise it will never happen again," she said, braiding her fingers with mine on her stomach. "It's not worth the anxiety."

"You were anxious?" I asked, frowning in concern.

"I wasn't with you. I didn't know where you were or what you were doing. For all I knew, you might have crossed paths with Jacob again… or maybe my mom had already cut your throat, and there would have been nothing I could have done about it," she said with a quiet voice.

"C'mon, Sparrow," I said, gripping her hand more tightly. "You know what the police said. They're keeping tabs on everyone entering and leaving the town and the border to the rez. They're also on the lookout in town and around your house. This is the most excitement these cops have had in decades. They're taking this shit seriously. I know, I know, the cops are fucking idiots… but still, we have to have a little fucking faith that they're at least not blind."

"I know, but still… it makes me anxious to be away from you. I don't feel safe anywhere else," she said with a sigh.

"So it was for purely selfish reasons then," I noted. She rolled her eyes and turned to her side, mirroring my position. I scooted myself closer and put an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

My instincts told me to tell her that I loved her. It was an overwhelming feeling that washed over me more often than not; especially when she was this close. But I had to bite my tongue to keep the words from spilling out. I didn't want to say them – and not because I didn't mean them. I didn't want to say them because it hurt like a son of a bitch when she didn't say them back. It hurt more and more each time she didn't say it. I knew she wasn't ready for it – maybe she'd never be, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

She hummed quietly as she let her finger trace my jaw.

"I can't wait to get this stupid cast off my leg. It's really starting to be a pain in my ass," she mumbled. I ignored the pang in my chest that followed her words. The pang that always appeared when she spoke about her leg, the cast, or the accident. It didn't matter that it was the accident that brought us together – I still fucking crippled her. I would take it all back if I could, if it meant that she would be alright again. I didn't want to see her suffer anymore.

She must have sensed the change, because she smiled sadly at me and put her finger between my eyebrows to even out a frown I didn't even realize was there.

"You always do that," she murmured. "You always frown and look like you're in pain every time I even mention my leg or the cast. Please tell me you're done blaming yourself."

"I will always blame myself," I argued.

"Please," she said with a soft smile. "Remember when you kept saying it wasn't your fault? That it could have happened to anyone? You hit a patch of black ice. You lost control. It's not your fault. We both know that. So what changed?"

"You know what," I said, unwilling to say the words.

She shook her head, sighing. "That's not a good enough reason though. The facts of the accident remain the same no matter your feelings for me."

"Tell that to my heart," I said.

"You're impossible," she said, sitting up with a groan. "Stop being so damn masochistic."

"This coming from the girl-"

"Oh, shush you," she cut me off. I sat up and looked at her incredulously, but she was completely unaffected by my gaze. "Stop saying stuff like that, like I'm not entitled to have an opinion about you because I'm a certain way or whatever. You annoy me."

"Well, right back attcha, smartiepants." Leaning forward, I rested my chin on her shoulder. She turned her head to me, glaring. This was not the first semi-fight or argument we'd had in the past few days, or for the past month and a half that we'd 'known' each other for that matter. It seemed as though we couldn't really get along for long periods of times – or maybe this was just the way we were with each other, always bickering about something.

I would be lying if I said that I minded it. Every time she stood up to me, or said something to put me in my place, just proved that she was stronger than she thought. Yes, that shit turned me on just a little. I liked that she wasn't afraid of saying stuff just because it might hurt my feelings. She wasn't a wuss.

I licked my bottom lip and leaned in to kiss her. She rolled her eyes as my lips connected with hers. When I leaned back, she smirked.

"You always do that," she said.

"Do what?"

"Kiss me after we fight and stuff," she said with a shrug.

"Your lips are just so kissable after we fight… not my fault," I said with a smirk as I leaned in to kiss her again. She kissed me back, and I smiled against her lips.

"You are so cheap," she mumbled.

"Cheap and easy," I corrected.

She rolled her eyes and pushed me away. I fell back on my bed. I expected her to follow, but instead she leaned forward to pick up her crutches. She got up and wobbled over to the window, looking out. I could tell by the way she kept adjusting her hold on her crutches that her arms were sore.

I closed my eyes and rested my arm over my face.

If her body was sore – then my mind was too. Dr. Randall was a major mindfuck.

"Have you read any more of the book?" she asked. I shook my head without removing my arm.

"Have you talked to your dad?" I asked. She snorted.

"Which one?"

I rolled my eyes behind closed lids. "The Chief."

"No, I haven't. According to his former co-workers, he's been spending most of his time on the rez during his suspension… he never leaves. I wonder what they're doing to him there."

"Who the fuck knows," I said. "Have you thought any more about asking for a paternity test?"

I heard her sigh. "I've been thinking about it, yeah. But how are we even going to do it if the guy refuses to leave the rez? The cops can't go over there and take him."

I sat up and turned to her. "We could go."

She gave me a skeptical look. "Edward, have you forgotten that you're banned from the land?"

"So fucking what?"

"And do you really want us to go there? Me, the sacrificial lamb, and you who has a damn bounty on your head? I don't think so," she said. "We might be stupid, but not that stupid."

"Like they would ever touch us," I muttered. "They wouldn't dare."

"Oh, here we go again. Macho E rears his ugly head," she said with a sigh. I glared at her and she just quirked an eyebrow. "You seriously think you could take them all down? It's on their land for Christ's sake. They all want this to happen. You really think you can take twenty or thirty big guys on your own? When the hell did you turn into an idiot?"

"Well, excuse me for trying to help and getting this fucked up situation over with already. The paternity shit is the loophole, right? So why the fuck are we even arguing about this?"

"We are not arguing. You are arguing," she corrected.

"Semantics," I muttered as I got off the bed. I walked over to her, stepping up behind her and wrapping my arms around her. She leaned her head back and I rested my cheek against her hair.

"I wish they could catch her already," she mumbled. "She is the mastermind behind this, after all. I don't think the rez people would continue to pursue me if it wasn't for her."

"At least we know she's probably heading back to Forks, and then it's just a matter of time before they catch her. There are only so many places she can hide here," I said quietly.

"I was thinking… maybe they're not going to wait until the next new moon…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that maybe they'll try again with something on the blue moon. You said so yourself that no time is more powerful to them than the blue moon. So maybe that overrides everything? Maybe they don't even need to drain my blood or whatever on a new moon. Maybe all they need is a blue moon? Maybe they can finish the ritual then?" she said.

"Fuck," I muttered, my arms tightening around her. "I guess they have their fair share of their own loopholes as well." I sighed and nuzzled my face in her hair. "I bet they have a plan b for everything."

"So why are we even bothering coming up with our own?" she mumbled quietly.

"Because the only way to beat them is to beat them at their own game. If we can find a loophole that makes the Black Swan invalid, then there is nothing they can do about it. No fucking loophole can save them if you're not the girl the legends speak of."

"Edward?"

"Mmm?"

She turned her head so she could meet my gaze.

"Can't we just… take a break from all of this? At least until after Christmas?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me," I said.

I rested my cheek against her hair as we looked out the window in silence. It had been snowing relentlessly for the past few days. It was the perfect weather for a snowball fight. I would have loved to tackle Bella in the snow. It would have been fucking hot… and cold.

But her cast prevented us from doing just that.

"Mrs. Weber wants me to go with them to Seattle over Christmas," she said suddenly.

"What?"

"I told her that I didn't want to. I told her that you asked me to spend Christmas here, but since they're spending a few days up there there's the issue of… well, sleeping arrangements. They're not comfortable leaving me alone at the house. And frankly, they're not comfortable leaving me behind at all. Not when all this stuff is going on," she said with a deep sigh.

"You can stay here," I said without thinking.

She glanced up at me with an amused smile. "Yeah? Because the Webers and your parents would surely go along with that."

"I can kidnap you," I said, kissing her hair. "We could check into a hotel somewhere. Just you and me. We could run away."

"As romantic as that may sound, I still don't think it's a good idea," she said softly, turning her head up. "But I appreciate the sentiment." I smiled crookedly and leaned down to kiss her.

"Let's ask them about it first and then book the hotel after they've denied us the opportunity to spend Christmas together," I said.

"Sounds good to me," she said with a smile.

There was a knock on the door, and I turned around, my arms still wrapped around Bella and she turned with me. Emmett peeked in with his hand over his eyes.

"Mom said dinner is ready, so why don't the two of you get dressed and get your sweet asses downstairs," he said. I quirked an eyebrow at him as he peeked through his fingers. He grinned. "Wow, you get dressed fast."

I rolled my eyes and stepped away from Bella. She gave me a look that clearly said she still didn't know what to make of Emmett. I had started to wonder if she disliked him because she thought she had to and not because she genuinely didn't like the guy.

It was as if she was happy with me being her only friend, not counting Jasper of course.

We went downstairs and into the dining room. Mom had just prepared the table and she smiled as we entered. I pulled out a chair for Bella and she gave me an amused smile as she sat down. I leaned in and kissed the top of her head before taking the seat next to her. Emmett entered a moment later with Rosalie in tow. They took their seats across from us.

Dad had yet to come home from work, so I guessed he wasn't going to join us for dinner.

Mom was nice and all. She asked Bella about school and how her leg was doing. Bella was as polite as they come; she answered every damn question as if they didn't bother her at all, even though I knew she didn't like answering shit.

Emmett followed the conversation with an amused grin. Rosalie couldn't have looked more bored even if she tried.

A dreadful hour later, the dinner was finally over. I had just brought my and Bella's empty plates to the kitchen when Dad came home. Bella wobbled over to me by the sink just as Dad walked in.

He spotted us and smiled.

"Just the two people I wanted to see," he said. I pulled Bella to me, not liking the tone in my father's voice. He noticed the cautious look in my eyes and he smiled. "Don't worry, it's not a bad thing." I leaned back against the counter and Bella leaned back against my chest.

"Mrs. Weber called me at work today. She wanted to talk to me about Christmas," he began and I groaned.

"Yeah? And you all want Bella to go to Seattle with them? Fucking perfect," I said. He sighed and gave me a tired look.

"No," he said. "We discussed the option of her staying in Forks, but I think we all agreed that she can't stay at their house all alone. Especially not considering the current circumstances. I did offer to let Bella stay here while they're away, but I'm not too sure that's a good idea either."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"May I please ask why?" I asked politely. He glanced at me, then at Bella, and then at me. He raised an eyebrow and gave me a pointed look. I rolled my eyes at that. "Give me a fucking break." I snorted. "You really think we're gonna fuck like bunnies just because she's staying here?" Bella stiffened in my arms, and I made a mental note to apologize for it later. "You do know her history right? You really think I would do that to her?"

"I think the question is, does he really think I would let you do that to me," she said, turning her head to me. She smiled crookedly at me, before turning her gaze to my dad. "With all due respect, Dr. Cullen, do you really think Edward and I are going to have sex after everything we've gone through in the past month and a half? You really think that sex is that high up on our list of priorities right now? I'm sorry, but I'm more worried about staying alive and not be abducted by my crazy mother than I am about Edward jumping me in my sleep."

Dad chuckled lightly and scratched his neck absentmindedly.

"I suppose you're right," he agreed. "I will have to talk to Mrs. Weber again, and I will have to discuss it with my wife." He sighed as he studied us for a moment. "You two sure have come a long way, haven't you?"

"It took forever to get here," Bella said solemnly.

"I imagine it did," he said with a soft smile. "I'll see what I can do about Christmas."

He left the kitchen and Bella sighed in my arms.

"Wanna go up to my room?" I whispered in her ear. She nodded, but didn't move. "What is it?" I asked.

"Is it weird that I'm disappointed?" she asked quietly.

"About what?"

"That they have nothing to worry about. They have nothing to worry about at all when it comes to us and sex. I kinda wish they had a reason to be worried, because that would mean I'm not a freak," she said. "If I had been any other girl, then they would never have let me stay. If I had been any other girl, then they would have been worried about you knocking me up. But I'm not any other girl. I'm not normal. There is no risk of you knocking me up because I can't even imagine doing anything that would lead to that."

"What happened to the blue moon loving?" I teased.

She turned her head to me. "Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?"

I sighed. "Sparrow, the reason I'm even with you is because you're not just any other girl. You're my girl. I couldn't care less about whether or not you're normal. If I wanted normal I would have been with… hell if I know. What the fuck is normal anyway, right? I want you. Only you. And the sex can wait for as long as it needs to. I'm in no hurry… okay, that's a lie. I'm frustrated, yes. But you're more important than my hormonal needs. Alright?"

She looked doubtful and I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me, Sparrow. Normal is boring. Why would I want someone boring? I'm too awesome for boring. Besides, do you consider me to be normal?" That earned a smile from her. She shook her head. "Exactly. We're both fucking abnormal. And I fucking like it. So there. Now turn that fucking frown upside down, and let's go up to my room and make out for a few hours."

I stepped away from her and she steadied herself on her crutches. I had reached the door before I realized she wasn't following. I turned around and, when I looked at her, I noticed she was frowning.

"What now?" I asked, worried that I had put my foot in my mouth again. She bit her lip and was quiet for a moment before answering. Each passing second felt like a fucking eternity. If I had said something wrong, then why couldn't she just come out and say it? Why let me suffer like this? "Come on, what the hell did I say now?" I asked aggravated.

Much to my surprise, she cracked a smile.

"Making out in your room, isn't that kind of a… normal thing to do?" she asked.

I sighed and dragged my hands through my hair. Figures the birdlady was just messing with me. She had become a pro at it – how come I could never read her well enough to know when the hell she was yanking my chain? She could read me like a goddamn book, but I couldn't read her at all. Not that well, anyway.

"Okay, how about I pour some glue over us, then cut a pillow and throw the feathers over us? And then make out. We could call it pecking or some shit. Like birds do, right? Would you consider that to be normal?" I asked.

She laughed. "No, not even a little bit. It's perfect. Where's the glue?"