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on August 14th, 2013, based on

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6069398/

The content in this book is copyrighted by dontrun or their authorised agent(s).
All rights are reserved except where explicitly stated otherwise.

This story was first published on June 20th, 2010, and was last updated on
August 10th, 2013.

Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated - please email any bugs, problems,
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Summary

He is a cocky, arrogant dare devil living life on the edge as a Pro Motocross Racer.

Bella is raising her young brother alone. She knows that getting involved with him
isn't a good idea, her mind keeps telling her that she should stay away from him,
bad boys are never a good idea. To bad her body doesn't agree. But what about her
heart?

- 4 -

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the
property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners,
creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is
intended.

A big thanks to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing this for me. I loved

the idea so much that I wanted to make it perfect, so I doubled up the betas
*Both of whom are awesomesauce girls* Love ya both! The idea has been in
my head for a long time, I hope you like it as much as I do ;0).

To The Extreme

Edward's POV

We've finally hit the twelfth track in this year's AMA Motocross Championship.

Thank God it's in Seattle, Washington my home town so I can sleep in my own
fucking bed tonight. I'm so fucking ready for this shit to be over so I can kick back
away from these assholes. We've been on this since May.. It's fucking September
now and they keep annoying me more each day. And I don't mean my crew, shit, my
brother and sister-in-law are my head mechanics and my brother-in-law is my
second driver. So, if I meant them, I'd be knocking my family; and that shit isn't
cool.

No, what I meant was the fucking competition. There's fucking Crowley who's a

big Momma's boy and has to call home every forty-five fucking minutes to tell her
that he is still alive. There is Newton, who spends all of his time moaning about how
his skank of a girlfriend is cheating on him. And my only real competition in the 250
class James Harris, who is the biggest man-whore alive. All he does is bitch about
the lack of quality pussy, or how his wife is trying to bleed him dry in fucking
divorce court. If he kept his dick in check, she wouldn't be divorcing his sorry ass.

"Cullen, you ready for this?" Jasper, my brother-in-law and the guy who does the

450 class rides for us gets my attention.

"Hell, Hale, I was fucking born ready." I laugh at my own stupid joke.

"Sure, asswipe. Just remember to smile pretty in the winner's circle, so we can

- 5 -

bring in some more of those million dollar endorsement deals."

"Yeah, yeah." I reply sarcastically. We're already one of the most lucrative

Motocross teams in the history of the sport. Plus, my ass isn't stupid. I've invested
wisely, so when I'm too old for this crap, I can retire and not hang on like some of
these guys. I don't want to be like Banner, forty and still trying to race. Fuck no.

"Edward, don't forget, after the race, there's that 'meet and greet' that the local

radio station gave out tickets for. You are required to be there for at least an hour,
per your contract." Alice, my baby sister, Jasper's wife and head of public relations
reminds me.

"Sure thing."

"You're set to ride, Eddie." Emmett, my older brother and second in charge of

mechanics lets me know. It shows how secure he is with his manhood, when he
doesn't mind that his wife is the chief mechanic; of course, she is ten times better at
it than him.

"Don't call me, Eddie." I grumble. Ever since I was born, he's been trying to get

that shit past me.

"Whatever. Ride, win, then we get our drink on before we go home and eat some

real food. Mom promised to make roast fucking beef, man!" He groans and licks his
lips before his eyes get glazed and I know there is no point talking to him, because
he is in some sick twisted food fantasy. I often fucking wonder if he and Rose have
to use food as foreplay, because Emmett seems to be turned on just by the idea of
food.

"Let's get ready." Jasper calls me over in order to do our pre-ride prep.

Four hours, that includes both Jasper and I winning later; and I just want to go

crash in my bed. Not that the gnome will let me. She keeps reminding me that I
have a fucking contract. I swear, sometimes I wonder why I keep her over efficient
drill sergeant ass around. Then I remember she's my sister and the fact she's helped
me through it all and remember why. Whatever. I paste on my Colgate smile and go
in to meet the fans. Hell, without them, I'd be just a guy riding a dirt bike around.

I sign autographs, politely decline some groupies offer of a four-way. I point them

in James', who came in second place *HA!*, direction. I hope they are up for some

- 6 -

kinky ass shit. Don't get me wrong, I love women. I'm just picky as hell and not big
on girls who look like they've been rode hard and put up wet one too many times.

"Dude, someone looks out of place." I hear Crowley laugh to Newton.

"Shit, that's one hot piece of ass though." Newton replies.

I turn to see what the commotion is about and freeze. She does look out of place,

like a virgin hanging out with hookers. And I hate that I have to agree with Newton,
but she is one hot piece of ass. Unlike the other girls here, she's covered. Her jeans
aren't painted-on, they are fitted but not so tight that you wonder if she needed a jar
of Vaseline to get them on. Though they cup her round ass nicely; and I have to fight
back the fantasy of fucking her from behind while smacking her plump behind. She
is also wearing a long sleeved blue sweater that makes her pale skin glow and shows
off what looks to be a nice real set of breasts. I wonder if she'd be offended if I asked
to check if they are real? Instead of heels or those high-ass wedge shoes, she's
wearing sneakers. She looks like the fucking girl next door; the complete opposite of
the usual set of the groupie girls that hang out around Motocross.

I see Newton going in for the kill and I want to slap him and remind him how to

treat a fucking lady. Because this girl, woman, whatever screams that she is in fact a
lady. I see him talking to her, though she seems to be looking around at anything
but him. He continues to press his luck and I have to hold back my laugh as she
shuts him down politely and turns away from his lame ass. Score one for the
brunette Goddess. Of course, Newton, the ass, goes over to the groupies to make
sure he has something to warm his bed tonight.

She begins glancing around the room and our eyes meet. Her face gets this sweet

pink blush and I know then that I'm going to have her tonight. I have to fucking have
her. I want to be buried in her while she screams my fucking name over and over
again. I want to see how much of her that I can make blush. I know that if she is
here, then she knows who I am. I'm the top seat in this sport. And I remind myself, I
just won this fucking competition tonight; and I'm going to claim my much deserved
prize.

Bella's POV

"If I didn't love you so much…" My threat trails off. Seth grins from beside me. We

are walking to the tent housing the after the race 'meet and greet'.

"You know you love me, sis. I'm your only sibling." I roll my eyes at my younger

half-brother.

- 7 -

"Only because Phil was shooting blanks." I reply.

My parents divorced when I was four, my Mom remarrying soon after to a man

named Phil Dwyer. My Dad remarried four years after that to Sue Clearwater the
widow of one of his old friends. Though, I love my Mom to death, I chose to stay with
Sue and Dad after Seth was born to help them out. I was only nine at the time, but in
my head, I was going to be the best big sister and the most help they could ever get.
Now, I realize I was probably in the way, though they never made me feel that way.
Both of them giving me love and support. Now, thirteen years later I'm still trying to
be the best big sister ever. Hence, why I'm sitting at some dirty muddy track where
grown men ride weird looking motorcycles around and around and call it a sport.

It was Seth's birthday and I got him the tickets. My friend Angela's boyfriend, Ben,

is an intern at a radio station so I got him backstage passes as well. When I gave my
brother his gift, he completely lost his cool. He jumped around squealing like a
teenage girl who just saw a Jonas brother or that Bieber guy.

"Bella, oh my God, that's Emmett Cullen!" He screams when we get inside the

tent. I look to where he is pointing and see a giant man whom I have no idea how
he'd fit on one of those little bikes to race.

"He races?" I say shocked. I couldn't help it, he reminds me of a grizzly bear.

"No, jeesh, Bells, don't you know anything?" He says with all his thirteen year old

disdain for silly girls who know nothing about his current obsession. "He's like one
of the best mechanics in the sport."

"Ahh."

"I'm going to see if I can get his autograph." I nod keeping an eye on him as he

walks across the room.

"Hello, pretty lady." A smarmy blond guy, with a piercing through his eyebrow and

more tattoos than should be legal on his bare arms, says from beside me.

"Hi." I say politely, then turn my attention back to Seth.

"So, I was thinking…" He trails off and it takes all I have not to ask him if it hurts.

"Uh." I make the non-committal noise.

"I was thinking that you and I should get out of here and go back to my hotel for a

- 8 -

little post race, race." Really? First, that has to be the lamest come on ever. Second,
eww!

"No, thank you." I say politely. Sue and Charlie raised me with manners, and I'm

trying to keep my good upbringing in tack so I don't disappoint them.

"Well…" He sputters.

"I'm here with my brother. It's his birthday, so it's all about him today. I'm sure

one of those ladies would love to keep you company, though." I point to a group of
girls who look like hookers and my stomach flips when I swear I see a little drool
come out of the corner of this idiot's mouth.

"Yeah." He replies before heading towards the gaggle of skanks.

I look around trying to spot Seth. When I spot him again, he is talking the head off

of some blond guy with a massive amount of curls. My inner snarky bitch wonders if
he gets perms. Though I know I should keep my eyes on Seth, something seems to
be calling my attention; my eyes drift and collide with a sea of intense green.

Bronze hair, that's a mess, jeans and some rock band t-shit. He's hot. I won't lie,

he's getting my panties wet and it's kind of pissing me off, because he is so not my
type. I can't help the blush that crawls up my cheeks and the thought of licking that
strong jaw line he's rocking. He gets this gleam in his eyes and smirks. Cocky
bastard. I firmly turn away from the piece of hotness that knows he's hot; and I'm
sure uses it to his advantage all the time. He's probably a cocky man-whore or
something and I've learned my lesson about cocky guys. I set my mind on watching
Seth, I'm choosing to ignore this hot specimen of cocky yummy goodness. Damnit
Bella, stop it! I internally command myself.

Remember Garrett. I remind myself of the only guy I've ever dated, the asshole

who broke my heart. The cocky self-assured prick who took my virginity. The asshole
who ran off with my now ex-best friend Kate, to Vegas only a week after we had sex
for the first time all because they were having a baby together. Pricks.

A warm prickly heat is going up and down my spine. I try to ignore it, but it keeps

getting more intense. I need to find Seth and get out of here. I look to my left where
I last saw Seth and there he is. The green-eyed, bronze-haired hottie. Shoot.

"Hello." He greets politely, holding out his hand to shake mine. I automatically

respond by reaching out as well. The sparks shock me and I wonder what kind of
crap they use to clean the floor, that is till I remember it's a dirt floor and berate

- 9 -

myself for being an idiot.

"Hi." I reply.

"So, what is a pretty girl doing hiding over here all by herself?" He's getting his

cocky swagger back.

"Uhhh…" Intelligent, Bella. I'm starting to think my inner monologue hates me as

much as my failing brain.

"Babe, no need to be nervous. I promise I'll only bite if you ask me to." He uses

this sexy-ass voice and I'm torn between asking him to bite me or slapping him. I
take the road less likely to get me into trouble.

"No, thank you." I respond primly.

"Oh, princess by the end of the night, I'll have you both thanking me and thanking

God." He purrs into my ear. Damn my body for tingling.

"Umm… I need to go." I manage to say, trying to extract myself before I do

something stupid, like hump him right here.

"You don't need to go anywhere." He says in that damn velvety voice. "How about

we grab something to drink?" I shake my head in the negative.

"No, thank you." I need to stop being so polite.

"So sweet." He mummers, "what can I get you?" He ponders to himself, "how

about my autograph?" He pulls out a pen and motions towards me like he's going to
write on me or something.

I have no clue who this man is, and he's offering me his autograph? Seriously? The

arrogance is enough to bring me to my senses.

"No, but would you like my autograph?" I offer back sarcastically. Seriously, who

the heck does this guy think he is?

"Bella!" Seth comes running up to me smiling. That smile makes the hell of this

night worth it. "Holy crap, you're Edward Cullen!" He says with excitement. "Bella,
do you know who this is?" And even though my brother just said his name, I look the
asshole pretty boy in his eyes.

- 10 -

"No clue." And grab Seth's hand and begin to walk away.

"Bella, he's like the top guy in Motocross." Seth pouts. "Why couldn't we stay and

talk to him, Bella?" Seth gives a little whine.

"It's time to go, Seth, it's past ten. You need to get to bed." Thank goodness for the

time, it gives me a valid excuse, because the real reason of 'the hot guy, you clearly
have a man crush on, is doing weird things to my hooha and mind, so we need to
run,' probably isn't the best thing to say to your thirteen year old brother.

"But, Bella! That was Edward Cullen." He says it like Edward Cullen is more

important than the President or something.

"Seth, I really don't give a crap about some idiot with a death wish. It's time to go

home." I hear a disgruntled noise and look up to find pretty boy standing there.

"And I could give a fuck about a bitch with a stick so far up her ass, she can barely

walk." He retorts and storms off.

"Well, that seemed to go well." Seth says sarcastically.

"You've been hanging out with me too much." I mutter.

"Bella, I live with you, of course, I've been hanging out with you too much." He

jokes.

"Let's go home, Seth." I say, suddenly tired. He agrees and soon we are in my old

beater heading home.

"You are such a queen Jacob Black!" I shout at my six foot six best friend, who is

dancing around my living room in a ball gown. He's showing me his outfits for
competing in this year's Ms. Gay America Pageant in Memphis, Tennessee. Last
year, he placed fourth, but he swears this year he's taking home the crown and the
fifty grand.

"Soon to be the head queen." He jokes.

"I'm sure royalty all over the world is waiting with baited breath for you to join

their ranks." I joke.

- 11 -

Jake has been my best friend since we were in diapers. Though even back then,

we knew there was something special about him. He was the two year old who took
the stick glue and the shiny gold glitter and redecorated said diaper. Yep, he was
always fab-u-lous.

"So, our dear Seth tells me that you had a run in with that hottie Edward Cullen

and called him suicidal?"

"How do you know who Edward Cullen is?" I say in shock. Jake's idea of sports is

shopping clearance sales at the Ladies Big and Tall store.

"Oh, my dear sweet, head in the ground, Isabella, come follow big Momma to the

wonderful world of the internet."

Two hours later Jake and I have been surfing the many, many pages devoted to

the arrogant pretty boy. He was the new Stetson man, had a Wheaties box and
wrote some kind of book about Motocross that was a New York Times' best seller.
From what I can tell, he was really famous and worshiped like some demi-God. He is
also way hotter in person, though his picture still was able to make my underused
hooha tingle.

"Wow." I say in response to the massive amounts of info about Edward Cullen out

there.

"I know, right?" He jokes. "I may even have the hunky shirtless poster of his inside

my closet." He sighs pointing to the picture of the poster online. Edward Cullen is
shirtless in a pair of low slung jeans and some writing, I think in Chinese is placed
over his heart. A cross with the word Faith written lengthwise is on his right bicep.
Generally, I think tattoos are the tackiest things, but these I want to lick. Damn it.

"Jake, I think I can promise you that that is the only way Edward Cullen would be

in your closet." I joke trying to deflect Jake from noticing my shifting thighs.
Freaking leaky hooha.

"A girl can dream, can't she?" I roll my eyes when he says this.

"Sure, hun. Though with Paul's hunky ass as your boyfriend, I'm surprised you

could even look at Edward Cullen." Ok, Paul is hot. But he is nowhere near Edward
Cullen's level. Not that I'd admit that out loud.

"Please, girl, Paul is the one who bought me the poster." He laughs and I really

have no smart reply for that.

- 12 -

"Speaking of Paul, where is he with the pizza?" Yep, I'm changing the subject. Jake

knows me too well; he rolls his eyes and text Paul to see where he is.

Three weeks after the disastrous meeting with Edward Cullen, I had pretty much

shoved it to the back of my mind. I was at my part-time job at the restaurant, where
I picked up some extra cash to help pay my school fees. Financial aid is great, but
when you're raising a thirteen year old boy you need more than the small refund a
semester to live on.

"Seth with Jake and Paul tonight?" Angela asks.

"As usual. I think Paul just enjoys Seth coming over, so he has someone to watch

football with and Jake loves to Mother Seth. So, it works out well for all of us." I
smile.

"That's good." She smiles. "You got lucky that Jake decided to stay in Seattle,

instead of going to San Francisco." That is so true. Jake had applied to a UCSF, but
decided to stay closer to home and Paul.

"Bella, catch table twelve, will you?" Tony my manager tells me coming by. The

table is right beside my station, but actually located in Heather's. However, I notice
she has a huge group of rowdy college guys keeping her busy, so I know why I got
the extra table now. I walk over to the group of people. I counted ten of them and
sigh. I hope they tip well.

"Hi, welcome to Coral Bay, I'm Bella, can I get your drink order while you check

out the menu?" I ask while handing out the menus.

"Sure, babe, I'll have a Corona with lime." The velvet, evil voice taunts me.

Holy shit. It can't be. He's seated right beside where I'm standing. I guess that's

why I didn't notice him when I walked up. As I write down the rest of the groups'
drink orders, I try to ignore the fact that Edward Cullen is seated at this table and I
have to serve him. Of course, the thought of serving him is both heaven and hell. My
hooha says, 'oh, yes please,' while my brain says, 'hell, no'. I rush over to put their
drink order in and take a much needed deep breath. I can do this. I tell myself. It's
kinda sad though, I don't even believe me.

I return quickly with their drinks, making sure to ignore the bad-ass pretty boy,

who's button down shirt is open enough where I can see some of his chest which is

- 13 -

utterly lickable. I smell cinnamon hot balls and notice that it's coming from him. Oh
God, he smells like sex and candy. Yum. Great, now the song is stuck in my head.
Wasn't it about a wet dream? Yep, that's Cullen a walking, talking, living, breathing,
wet dream.

They are all set to order and I'm thankful for this. I'm as polite and efficient as I

can be, with damp panties and a mind that is screaming, 'get the heck out of Dodge'.
I notice the older couple keeps shooting Cullen a weird look while he's ordering.
Everyone else is straight up, they have no special quirks or needs, but of course,
Cullen is difficult and picky. I sort of want to smack him upside the head with my
tray, but that probably would a- land me in jail b- mean no tip and c- cost me my job.

"Did you get all that, sweet cheeks?" He asks condescendingly.

"Yeah, everything to the side, steak rare. You want sweet potato instead of the

standard white and broccoli instead of the corn." I repeat off my order slip.

"Good, good. Now run along, sweet cheeks, this guy is starving." Unfortunately,

I'm standing next to the asstard, who takes it upon himself to smack my ass.

"Edward Anthony..." Is all I hear of the older woman's hiss, as I leave to put in the

order and think about offering sexual favors to Sam, the cook, to slip some arsenic
into Cullen's.

"Table twelve's order. Be careful we got a picky asshole out there." Sam gives me

this weird look, because I rarely complain or swear.

"It'll be about twenty for the main, give me five and I'll have their entrées heated

up." He tells me and I salute him. I grab two things of the mini loaves of bread and
the assortment of flavored butter pats, taking them back to the table.

"Hi, these are to tide you over while you wait. Your spinach dip and mozzarella

sticks will be around ten minutes," always give a longer wait, that's what the cooks
say, because anything can happen to delay, "and about half an hour for your main
course." I smile. "Is there anything else I can get you while you wait?"

"Can I get a bottle of water?" A blond Goddess, with a face full of disdain asks.

"Of course, anything else?" They decline and I notice Cullen is quiet this time.

After the place calms down some, only three tables in my section are still going.

One of them is Cullen's. It's then that I have more time to observe who he is here

- 14 -

with. I guess, I shouldn't be surprised that the giant guy from the track and the guy
with the perm were joining Cullen. If I remember right, the big guy's last name is
Cullen too.

I go about the rest of the evening, dealing with my other tables and making sure

Edward Cullen and his people are taken care off. Tony informs me that he is a
special guest and to make sure that his table is kept happy. I guess keeping them
happy means a flow of alcoholic beverages and meat for the big guy. It's closing
time and Cullen and his people have been here for hours, laughing and eating, with
no signs of leaving. Tony said we can't close until they are ready to go. It sucks
because it's Tony and I stuck here with Sam and Embry, one of the other kitchen
guys until pretty boy decides to leave. My feet are killing me, I'm exhausted and the
tips tonight have sucked. Freaking economy.

"Bella, go check and see if they need anything else." Tony orders. Not that he's

mean about it, but being the boss it's an order. I groan a little standing up on my
aching feet and head back out to check on the people who just won't leave.

"Hi, is everything ok here? Is there anything else I can get you?" I offer in the

nicest voice I can manage, at almost one am.

"Oh, dear, we're fine." The kind older woman tells me. She then gets a startled

look on her face before looking down at her watch. "Oh my word! It's almost one in
the morning." She is shocked I guess. "Dear, doesn't the restaurant close at
midnight?" She asks me and I give a little nod.

"Yes, ma'am, but it's alright. You all seemed to be having such a great time; we

hated to break it up." She was too nice for me to give my real response of, 'My boss
worships Cullen, that's why you don't have to go'.

"Could you grab us the bill?" The older blond gentleman, who is kind of a hottie

for an old guy asks me politely and I nod. Internally I'm doing a happy dance
because this means I can go home soon.

I rush over and do the total on the bill, intending to take it back over and ask if

they want a to go box for any of the leftovers, not that the big guy really left
anything, but it's restaurant policy. I look up to find Cullen and the older gentleman
standing at the checkout register. I walk over and give them their two hundred
dollar check, with a smile. I'm handed a black credit card. Wow, it's sleek as hell,
never seen one of these before.

"If you can just sign here?" I ask the older man politely. He smiles and signs.

- 15 -

Cullen is giving me this know-it-all smirk and I'm trying my best to ignore him. My
panties were finally dry and I was damned if I was walking home damp.

"Have a good evening, dear." Older guy, who by his signature is named Carlisle

Cullen, says sincerely and I smile.

"Thank you, you as well." I reply. Cullen is still standing there when older Cullen

walks away.

"Night, Princess." He draws before following older Cullen to leave.

I take a breath and go get the bucket to bus their table, since Colin the bus boy

has already left. The sight of big Cullen's empty plate made me laugh. He had
ordered the Molten Lava cake for dessert. And I swear, the plate looks as if he licked
it clean. Though the sight of the fifty dollar bill poking out from under one of the
plates shocks me, I go to pull it out and a second fifty falls out from behind it. A
hundred dollar tip? Holy crow. I've been on shift since seven pm and this was more
than all my other tips combined. Not that I didn't deserve it between Cullen
smacking my butt and working their table for almost four hours. But, still I felt bad
that I didn't get a chance to say thank you.

"Hey, Bella, get out of here, I'll take care of this." Tony lets me know and if it

wasn't for the fact it's his fault I'm still here, I'd hug him with thanks.

"See you Tuesday, Tony." I wave and head back to the employee lounge to grab

the rest of my stuff before heading home.

The main reason I picked this restaurant to work at was its proximity to my

apartment. It only takes about ten to fifteen minutes to walk depending on people
and weather. This time of night, with it being clear, it should be ten. Thank God. My
feet are protesting to that, even. I finger my pepper spray - even though the
neighborhood is relatively safe, you can never be too careful - and begin walking.

Half way home, I could swear I've seen the same car drive by four or five times. It

could just be me and my exhaustion talking, but it made me edgy. So, I pick up the
pace and finally hit my building. I rush in and up the stairs to mine and Seth's tiny
shoebox of a two-bedroom apartment. I take a deep breath as I close and lock the
door. If I had the energy, I'd shower, but I lack that. So I shrug off the crisp white
blouse and thigh length black skirt before firing off a text to Jake to let him know I'm
home. Followed by crawling into bed in my underwear. Cotton boy-shorts are the
best invention in ladies undies ever, in my humble opinion. The light from a street
light keeps my room from being too dark and I snuggle into my soft pillow. I swear if

- 16 -

I wasn't so tired I'd be pissed at myself, for as I drifted off to sleep, all I could see
was that damn smirk and intense green eyes.

Sunday was blissfully Cullen-free. I woke up at ten, only because Seth and Paul

came in screaming about needing real food. Jake apparently went on an organic food
diet, for his complexion for the pageant. So, I ended up frying eggs and bacon. Yeah,
healthy I know. After we ate, I made them help me tidy up the apartment. It might
be small, but at least it was going to be clean. Paul left around one and Seth talked
me into playing Yahtzee with him. Being Sunday, I made sure we both had clean
clothes for school the next day. Seth and I got out books around seven and studied
while America's Funniest Home Videos played in the background.

Monday didn't go as peacefully though.

"Bella, can't I just stay home this once?" Seth, like most teenage boys is trying to

talk me out of sending him to school. I'm standing firm though.

"Seth, get in the car." I laugh and he groans. "Make it every day this week and

we'll order pizza and rent movies Friday night." I promise. He beams, because this is
a treat.

"Cool!" He rushes down the stairs in front of me and I mentally thank the Cullen

table for that nice tip, which allows me the extra money to treat Seth to pizza and
movies this weekend.

I drop Seth off at his middle school before driving to Seattle Pacific University

where I'm majoring in Early Childhood Education. Monday, Wednesday and Friday
are my busy days for class and even though I work on Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday, I still have one class on Tuesday and Thursday.

"Bella!" Angela greets as I start walking to our first class.

"Hey, Ang." I smile at her in welcome.

"So, how late did you get stuck at work Saturday?"

"At one am, I finally got out." I roll my eyes and she laughs.

"Yeah, I told Ben that Edward Cullen was at the restaurant and I swear he was so

excited I met the guy we had the best sex ever. I'm a little worried though, I mean,

- 17 -

was it the adrenaline, or does Edward Cullen turn him on?" She laughs, she might
say she's worried, but she knows Ben is hers.

"Oh, I think it was the excitement, Ang, we both know Ben loves his leggy

brunettes to have breast." We both giggle and head in to class.

After classes, I pick Seth up from his friend Riley's house. Riley's Mom lets Seth

come over for the hour after school that I'm still in class. And even though I've
offered to pay her many times, she always declines saying he'd probably be coming
over anyways since the boys are best friends.

"So, was today good?" I ask him on the way home.

"It was alright. I mean, school is school." He tells me.

"True." I hold back my laugh. Seth has finally hit that age where school is un-cool.

And even though I know he secretly loves it, he'd never admit it in a million years.

We get home and I heat us up some canned ravioli. It's filling, decent tasting and

cheap. Especially if you buy it in the big family sized store brand cans. Seth is
downing his second bowl when someone knocks at the door.

"Did Jake loose his key?" Seth mutters around his mouth full of food.

"I don't know." I reply going to the door and looking out the peephole. There is a

guy in uniform, with a box in his hand. Huh. I grab my pepper spray and put it in my
pocket before crack the door leaving the chain on. "Hi, can I help you?" I ask
suspiciously.

"Are you Isabella Swan?" I nod. "This is a delivery for you, if you could just sign

here." Seth comes to the other side of the door where the guy can't see him, his
baseball bat in hand just in case, and I open the door to sign. The delivery guy hands
me a box and leaves.

"What is it, Bella?" Seth asks excitedly after we relock up.

"A box?" I reply with sarcasm. He groans.

"Open it."

- 18 -

I have to get a knife to cut through the tape, before I can get it open. Inside there

is a note on a brightly wrapped gift that says, For the Kid. I hand Seth the package
and he rips it open. It's one of those jerseys that the Motocross guys were wearing
and the back says 04 Cullen. What the hell?

"He autographed it, Bella!" Seth is doing this hopping around jiggling his ass in

crazy ass happy dance. "This is so cool!" I look in the box and there is a note.

Princess,

My Mom informed me that I acted like a jackass and I needed to apologize. So, I'm

sorry for being a jackass.

Edward

Alrighty, then.

How the hell did he get my address? I mean, the jersey made Seth's year and the

apology was nice in its own cocky way. But still how does he know my full name and
where I live? I mean, if I'd introduced myself as Bella Swan, then I could see Google
or something helping him. But all he knew me as, was Bella. Tony. I bet he told him.
Damnit. I need that job, so if I go in there bitching I could lose it. Calm down, Bella.
What is the likelihood that Cullen is ever going to contact you again? I mean, he was
just doing what Mommy told him to do. True.

For the moment I try to push my unease away, and concentrate on how happy

Seth is. Seth is what matters, I owe it to Charlie and Sue.

Saturday, Tony let me go at eleven, but paid me till midnight. He said it was to

make up for working later last Saturday. Personally, I think it's guilt over giving out
my address. Not that I'd confront him with that.

Getting home early kind of threw off my night. Generally, I come in, shower then

crash out. Now, I'm wondering if I should go upstairs and get Seth. Yes for selfish
reasons, I'm lonely and bored. But then again he's probably sleeping and I'd feel
guilty for waking him up. The knock on the door brought a smile to my face. Jake
must have told Seth I was home, so he rushed down to hang out with me. I walk over
and open the door, trying to figure out why he didn't just use his key.

"Well, good evening, princess." Cullen is standing in front of me, looking all hot

- 19 -

and bad boy-esque. I mentally kick myself for not looking out the peep hole first.

"What are you doing here?" Rude, I know.

"Checking out the view, I'm thinking." He looks me up and down. I can't stop the

blush as I realize I'm only wearing my normal PJs of shorts and a tank top. Freaking
Cullen. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Let me think about that." I pause dramatically. "No." I say firmly.

"To bad," He walks over hefts me up over his left shoulder, shuts the door and

smacks my ass. I soon find myself plopped on the sofa.

"What the hell, Cullen?" I demand.

"Such language, princess," He snarks, "Now, sweet cheeks, how did the kid like

the jersey?"

"He loved it, thanks." I mumble out ungratefully.

"Good." He nods.

"Why are you here, Cullen?" I finally demand.

"Shit, I don't know." He runs a hand through his unruly hair. "Probably because I

couldn't fucking stay away."

"So, stalking me is your solution? Or is this breaking and entering?" I taunt him.

"You know there are so many different ways we can be utilizing that smart mouth

of yours, instead of you bitching at me." He tells me. At this he's leaning over me,
his eyes almost black. Faster than I could have avoided, at least that's what I tell
myself he crushes his lips to mine.

Oh shit.

I push him off, with great reluctance. On so many levels, this is wrong, the main

one being I don't know this guy. The other one being, he may in fact be a stalker.

"Sorry, pretty boy, I don't kiss before a second date." I use my sarcastic front to

try and scare him off.

- 20 -

"Well, then, we should probably start with a first date." He lifts his eyebrow and I

kinda wanna lick that, but that makes me feel like a perv, so I squash that thought.

"Are you asking me out, bike boy?"

"I must be losing my touch if you actually have to ask that." God, he's a cocky

bastard. "So, Princess, what are you doing tonight?" You? Bad Bella, stop it.

"Homework."

"So, I'll pick you up at say six?" I roll my eyes.

"Oh, why the hell not. If you go now, you can pick me up at six. But I have to be

home by nine thirty." I inform him.

"See you tonight, princess." He kisses the top of my head and jets out the door.

Great, now I have to explain to Jake I have a date with Cullen and talk him into

babysitting. And, I need to figure out how to get my lips to stop tingling. It was
short, but damn that boy can kiss.

AN2: So what did you think of MotocrossWard?

Due to all of your reviews, and the threats of stalking me until I expand

this, I have decided to continue it. Not the rating change to M. Lemons will
be coming. More info is on my blog, link on my profile page.

- 21 -

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

A HUGE THANKS to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing this for me.

Rachelle_MyBell even helped me with this when having a shitty day. And
TwiDi, what can I say the woman is on vacation in another country and still
beta'd this. I love you both :0) Hugs and Rob porn for you both!

This chapter is dedicated to my bestie for life Chrissy aka nktwiworld on

Twitter. Her birthday is June 26th, that's tomorrow in my time zone so I'm
giving her an early gift so she'll stop calling me asking when this is going to
update!

Please note the rating changed with turning this into a full length story,

and please no complaints about the length the chapters will be between
3500-7000 words in length, cause that's how I roll. If you want to know more
about the future of this fic, please read the an below.

BPOV

Shoot! What have I gotten myself into? I blame him. Between his stunningly

intense green eyes, his body and that attitude that he rocks; he is one hell of a hot
specimen of cocky yummy goodness, and, who clearly is able to get me to do things
that I otherwise wouldn't do. And that is why I'm now standing outside Jake's
apartment getting ready to ask him to a) baby sit Seth and b) help me figure out
what the heck to wear.

What does one wear on a date with a guy who makes his living chancing death?

An image of black leather and way too much cleavage crosses my mind; and I

shudder. No way in hell am I changing who I am just to please a guy that I'm not
even sure I want to date. See naked? Yes. Date? Maybe not so much. He scares me.
Not in the 'I think he might smack me around' type of way, but on so many other
levels, he scares me.

- 22 -

I knock on Jake's door. Yeah, I could have used my key, but I didn't think of that

till after I heard him say coming. God, I hope he meant he was coming to the door
and not that he was cumming…

Jacob comes to the door in all of his glory sporting a full length peach chiffon

negligee. He's wearing those fancy slippers that have heals; and that furry stuff on
the toe area. To top it all off, he's wearing a long red wig, in a 'Veronica Lake' hair
style. Ladies and gentleman, the tallest queen in the world. I giggle at my internal
monologue. I love him to death, but sometimes he just goes overboard and I can't
help but get a laugh out of it.

"Good morning, fair Bella." He greets with a smile.

"Good morning, Jatina. How are you today?" I say giggling.

"Wonderful, simply wonderful. Paul bought this wonderful new lube that heats…" I

cut him off with a yelp, covering is mouth.

"TMI! TMI! Oh my God, my ears are bleeding!" I screech and the jackass starts

laughing at me.

"Oh please, Bella, you're just jealous." He tells me and I roll my eyes.

"Sure, Jake, I'm jealous, that's it," and with this I see a perfect segue. "So, I was

wondering, if you'd babysit Seth for a couple of hours tonight, just from five thirty to
around ten?"

"Why? Did Tony give you some extra hours?" He asks knowing that I've been

hoping for a few more hours a week.

"No, I wish. I've kinda gotadate." I say in a rush.

"Bella Swan has a date? Bella 'The Prude' Swan? Isabella 'All Straight Men Are the

Devil' Swan, has a date?" He claps with joy. "Who?"

"Edward." I say keeping it simple. Jake arches his perfectly shaped eyebrow and

looks at me.

"Edward who?" He demands.

"Cullen." I say so low I'm not sure he hears it. That is, until his fist pumps in the

air and he squeals with delight.

- 23 -

"Oh, Honey child, Momma Jake is going to turn you into a vixen, so you'll knock

that sexy bad boy's underpants off." Jake stops his spiel and thinks. "Do you think he
even wears underwear and what kind?"

"Jake!" I say embarrassed and exasperated. Though secretly, I am now wondering

if the green-eyed, bronze-haired hottie was going commando. He seemed the type.

"Please, Bella, I can tell from the way you are turning into a tomato that you're

thinking about it too. I bet he's packing some heat as well. His feet and hands are so
nice and big." Jake gets this glazed look to his eyes.

"Earth to Jake, can you babysit?" I ask, trying to get us back on point.

"Can I? Yes. Will I? Hmm… under certain conditions." He gets this mischievous

smile.

"What conditions?" I ask, though I'm kinda scared to find out what he wants.

"I want to meet his sexiness."

"Jake, no, it's the first and probably only date. There is absolutely no reason for

you to meet him." I argue.

"What part of sexy did you miss? There is every reason for me to meet him. I want

to see if he's as yummy in person." Jake pouts. "Plus, as your big Momma Jake, I
need to greet this boy, make sure he knows he needs to treat my little girl with
respect." I cave because Jake is a Momma bear. Damn it.

"He's picking me up at six. You can come downstairs and get Seth around that

time so you have an excuse to be there. Behave, or I'm not helping you do your
makeup for the pageant." I threaten. He bounces and claps.

"What to wear, what to wear?" He ponders out loud.

"I haven't got a clue, I was thinking about my black jeans and my new green

sweatshirt. He texted me, saying it was casual."

"I was actually thinking about me, but just no. No, no, no. That will not do. Psshh,

like I'm letting my bestie go out with one of the hottest men on this planet in those
ugly ass jeans and a sweatshirt!" He tsks. "Come with me, we are going to raid your
closet."

- 24 -

Three wrestling matches, two almost fist fights, one time of me locking myself in

the bathroom later and I'm dressed in this fall pink color tunic that's belted over a
pair of darker khaki pants and a matching sweater. And to top it all off, somehow, he
got me to wear pumps. Me and pumps are not a good mix, someone is getting hurt
tonight. Too bad it won't be Jake. I glare at him one more time in the mirror where
he is curling my hair.

I really need to get smaller friends so maybe one time I can win. Oh well, at least I

don't own any thongs, or "sexy" underwear, much to Jake's disappointment. So, he
couldn't force me into them. Though, he has threatened me with Victoria Secret, I
had to remind him I couldn't afford it. Plus, I don't think it's really me. Cotton
breathes are comfy and cheap and all good things in my book.

"Put on that soft pink lip gloss and we are done." He proclaims. I grab the E.L.F

lip gloss - for a buck that stuff is pretty dang good - and slick a little across my lips.
Puckering them in the mirror blowing Jake a kiss.

"My little girl is all grown up and sexified." He whines, wiping a fake tear from his

eye.

"Shut up, ass." I laugh.

"I do have a fine ass, thank you very much." He quips.

"In your dreams, Black," I giggle as I run from the room as best I can with the

added inch and a half on my feet.

"Wow, Bells you are all dressed up, where are you going?" Seth asks from his spot

on the sofa. He's watching Terminator, again, sigh. I swear he's addicted to that old
movie.

"I kinda… sort of, have a date." I mutter. Shoot! I forgot to tell Seth.

"With Edward Cullen." Jake the traitor tells Seth in this sing song voice.

"No shit!" Seth exclaims.

"Seth Charles Swan, watch your mouth." I demand.

"Sorry, sis." He tries to act contrite, but falls short, because he can't knock the

huge smile off his face. "So, when is he getting here?" Seth is bouncing a little. He's
so excited.

- 25 -

"He said six." I tell him, before plopping on the sofa beside him.

"Wow," He says more to himself than to us.

I have to roll my eyes at the silliness of all this. I know these two. Any other guy;

and they would be demanding details and planning on scaring the crap out of him.
But no, with Edward Cullen, they are willing to offer me up to him, with makeup and
heels.

"I wonder if he's going to ride his bike here?" Seth asks out of the blue and I get

this weird vision of Edward peddling a bicycle down the road to pick me up. I have
to hold back my laugh.

"I hope the man owns a car, because there is noway I'm getting on a motorcycle,

dirt bike or anything that isn't enclosed." Self preservation, thy name is Bella.

"Pfft, ducky, if the sexy man wants to ride you around on his bike with all those

lovely vibrations and his rock hard abs, why would you say 'no'?" Jake sighs and Seth
laughs. I suddenly have flashes of Edward Cullen's abs and my tongue is tingling, I
swear, with desperate need to lick those hard abs. Damn it.

"It's six." Seth says pulling me out of my fantasy of mounting a shirtless Edward,

running my tongue down his sternum, then along his six pack. Ung.

"Oh crap, what have I gotten myself into?" I mutter, last minute nerves taking

over.

"Calm down, Bella, at least he's a hot mess you've gotten yourself into." Jake jokes

and I stick my tongue out at him.

At six forty-five, a knock comes on my door. I had been getting ready to go

change, since I had clearly been stood up. Looking out the peep hole, I confirm that
it is in fact Cullen. I nod to the boys on my sofa and Jake and Seth both groan, they
know I'm a stickler for punctuality and that this isn't going to be pretty. I swing the
door open and try not to drool over his legs encased in close fitting jeans.

"Damn, Princess, you are looking hot." He gives me this cocky grin.

"You're late," Is my response.

- 26 -

"Yeah, blame my Mom. She heard I had a date and wanted fucking details, while

giving them to her, my sister-in-law walks in, so I had to fucking start over, then my
sister walks in and the story starts once a-fucking-gain. If that hadn't happened, I
would have been here on time. I fucking swear." He explains.

"You couldn't text? Call? Let me know you were running late?" I glare, "And watch

your language." I growl a little shooting a look towards Seth. Did Cullen not have a
filter?

"Aww… hell, babe, I didn't think of it, I just rushed to get here to you." Ignoring

my command to watch his language, he does this stare into my eyes, the green is
burning and it's taking all of my will power not to cave. Or to push him against the
wall and mount him.

"Well sucks for you," Cullen clearly helps me channel my inner bitch.

"I think we could get into some mutual sucking." He leans forward and whispers

into my ear. I push his chest back, trying to act unaffected.

"Watch what you say in front of my brother." I hiss once again trying to remind

him and myself that a child is in the room. He looks me in the eyes, winks and then
turns to look at Seth and Jacob. His eyes widen taking Jake in. I hold back my
laughter.

"Hey, kid, ma'am." Oh shoot, he just scored points with the queen, if the glow in

Jake's eyes is anything to go by.

"Holy crap, you're Edward Cullen." Seth just blurts out of the blue. Poor kid.

"Yeah, and you are?" He reaches his hand out to Seth to shake it.

"Seth Charles Swan." Edward gives a kind smirk.

"Strong name you got, kid." Seth beams.

"I'm Jatina." Jacob introduces himself.

"He's Jacob, or Jake. He's not really a girl." Seth tells Edward, like he is actually

worried that Jake's wig and makeup might fool his idol.

"Seth, if Jatina wants to be a woman, who are we to tell him he isn't?" Edward

says seriously and warms my heart a little. Garrett hated Jake and ridiculed his

- 27 -

lifestyle.

"Oh, be still my beating heart. Such a gentleman." Jake flutters his fake eyelashes

and holds his hands to his falsies.

"So, Seth, I was wondering if you wanted to come down next Sunday with your

sister to the compound, Jasper and I are working out some new moves and trying
out some new release bikes. Thought it might be up your alley?" Ahh hell. Second
date. I said a kiss, didn't I? Well, he's not getting me out of here tonight, so that will
be the first date. Does it count as a date if your brother is there and the guy's
friends? Probably in Cullen's mind.

"Cool! Hell yes, I'll be there." Seth agrees.

"Seth, language." I say, for the second time this evening.

"Sweet cheeks, you ready to roll?" Say what, ass? Do you really think I'm going

out with you tonight?

"I don't think so, Cullen. You were almost an hour late, without calling, date is

off." I say firmly.

"Aww… come on, princess, forgive me?" He pouts a little with those lips, his eyes

drawing me in. I will not cave, I will not cave. My brain chants, while my hooha
goes, Give it to me, baby, uhhuh, uhhuh.

"Come on, Bella, Mom and Dad always said forgiveness was divine, and that

everyone deserves a second chance." Seth argues, throwing in the 'Charlie and Sue'
card. Shoot, he has me there. If I stay, I'm going against the parental values of
forgiveness. If I go, I'm caving to the pretty boy.

"Ok, last chance, Cullen. You have Seth to thank for this."

"I owe you, kid." He tells Seth, giving him a manly fist bump.

"Have fun, children. And, Bells, if you have too much fun, I want details!" Jake

laughs as I toss my sweater back on and follow Cullen out my door. God, please give
me the strength to listen to my mind and not my hooha. Much love, Bella.

Edward's POV

Shit, fuck, damn! I can't believe I had to resort to manipulating a fucking kid to

- 28 -

get her to go with me.

Yeah, Mom really did make me late. That was no lie.

I fucking knew I should have called, but hell! All the other girls had been eager as

hell to go out with me. I've been two hours late before and not one had any fucking
issue. But no. The princess has to have standards or some shit.

"So where are we going?" She asks primly. I just want to fuck her till that stick

falls out of her ass. God! Her ass, I can't wait to fuck her doggy style.

"Do you like Chinese?"

"Some of it." She tells me.

"Well, we are going to this Chinese restaurant, it's out of the way and not so

famous. But it makes the best fucking moo shu in the world."

"Do you have to use 'fuck' in every sentence?" She mutters.

"Hell, Princess, 'fuck' is the best word ever. It can be an adjective, a noun and a

verb. How many other words can claim that?" I joke.

"If you don't know, then clearly your teachers failed you in school." She responds

and I just want to fucking shut her up. Though, I can't decide if I want to shut her up
with my mouth, or with my dick.

We walk up to my much-loved brand new Porsche Panamera Turbo. When I can't

be on the track, I still need fucking speed and this little baby gives it to me in
spades. Power, performance and fuck! It's a sleek and sexy car.

"Porsche, I should have figured." I hear her say quietly.

"My lady," I say all gentlemanly when I open the passenger side door for her. I'm

choosing to ignore the mumbled Porsche, I'm already in enough shit, last thing I
need is to really piss her off.

"Thanks." She replies with a bit of a smile.

I rush around to the driver's side and get in. Quickly, we get settled and head out

towards Chang's. Lou Chang is the man. He can cook like no other. You've heard of
the expression 'melt in your mouth'? Yeah, they were talking about Chang's food.

- 29 -

"What is this?" She asks pointing towards my stereo system. Her brow is furrowed

and the look of revulsion on her face is almost comical.

"Korn, Freak On A Leash. Gotta love old school shit." I lament. My Ipod is

supplying us with the music, which she clearly isn't enjoying.

"'Shit' being the operative word." She says sarcastically.

"What? No love for Korn?"

"No. No love for Korn. Corn on the cob, yes, much love. Korn the music group, not

at all."

"You wound me and Jonathan Davis."

We pull up to the restaurant and I walk around to open her door, though she is

already half way out of the car by the time I make it around. I raise my eyebrow and
she just smirks at me. It's sexy as hell, fuck me, is it sexy.

"Ahh, young Mr. Cullen, here for some Mu Shu?" Mr. Chang's wife Bebe asks.

They are both nice as hell. They came over to the US from China about ten years
ago, when their oldest son had an accident over here and needed help with his wife
and young family. The son unfortunately died, however Mr. and Mrs. Chang stayed
behind in Seattle to help watch out for their grandkids and daughter in-law.

"Ahh, Bebe, you know my weakness," I give her a grin as she shows us to a booth

in the back of the dimly lit restaurant.

"Menu?" I nod.

"Please."

"Thank you." Bella says to Bebe when she hands her a menu.

"To drink?" I look to Bella who reads off the menu what the drinks are.

"The iced mango tea sounds good."

"It is. Very good, Chang's mother's recipe. Very good." Bebe informs her, smiling.

"I'll have that then." She smiles back.

- 30 -

"And, for you?" She asks me.

"I'll have a vitamin water."

"I should have known, always with the vitamin water. You not wanting to take a

walk on wild side and try something new? No, not Mr. Cullen, Mr. Cullen is sedate
and predictable." She giggles and Bella is turning red in the face trying to hold back
a fucking laugh it looks like.

"Haha, Bebe, that's me. Boring old Edward." I joke back. I know I need to fucking

watch my language, Bebe might not be nearing sixty, but she is a spry old thing. "Do
you think we can get some pot stickers and deep fried prawns?" Bebe cuts her eye
towards Bella. And shit, I should have asked her what she liked, fuck. I'm not used to
real actual dates. "Bella, anything you'd like?" I try to make it sound like I meant to
ask all along.

"Crab Meat Rangoon?"

"Sounds good, an order of the crab meat Rangoon too." Bebe gives me a patient

smile.

"Good, figure out main course, while I get your drinks." She walks off and Bella

starts giggling.

"Boring? Predictable? Does she know you at all Cullen?" I roll my eyes.

"When it comes to my belly, Bella, I eat what I know I like." Shit I think I fucking

rhymed.

"Aww… poor Cullen's tummy isn't adventurous. Does that mean you don't want

the fried squid for dinner?" I gag a little.

"Fuck no." She laughs out loud and I have to join her. Fuck, she's beautiful when

she laughs.

"Drinks." Bebe says interrupting our laughing. "Cullen, I no asking you what you

want, I know. Mu Shu pork, pork fried rice and two spring rolls. Lots of duck sauce.
Same order every time, for past five years." She turns to Bella. "Do you know what
you would like?" She inquires politely.

"Moo Goo Gai Pan Chicken, with the chicken fried rice and one egg roll, please."

- 31 -

"Very good, Chang makes excellent Moo Goo. Not so good on the fried squid."

Bebe winks at Bella before going to put in our orders.

Once our food finally came, I realized Bella actually ate. I mean, the girl ate like

fucking Emmett. Moans, groans and I think she orgasmed at one point. I was torn
between wanting to fuck her on the table, and trying to decide if it was wrong that I
wasn't disgusted by this display of massive food consumption by someone so fucking
tiny.

"So, besides Tony's, what do you do?" I ask trying to rip her away from eating that

fucking egg roll. Watching her suck on it was making my hard on fucking
unbearable.

"School. I'm in college for early childhood education." She looks up. "And what do

you do beside drive round and round in a circle on a bike for a living?" Ouch, feisty,
Edward likes.

"Not much," I really don't want to get into my diversified holdings and shit like

that. "Motocross pretty much takes up all my time. Between training, completion
and exhibitions, my free time is limited."

"Exhibitions?" She asks.

"Non competitive racing, we mainly go out and do a shit load of stunt jumping,

flips and other shit to entertain the fans." She nods.

"So, it's like Stars on Ice, but for Motocross? Where the better drivers go on tour

or something to entertain the masses, without worrying about ranking?" Smart and
sexy.

"Yeah, basically. Only, we don't wear those fucking outfits. Shit, that would be an

atomic wedge if I had to wear one of those on the bike." I joke and she giggles. It
was lame, we both know this. I also know that as we've been talking our bodies have
been shifting, leaning in closer and closer to one another.

"Edward, umm… not that I want to admit I'm enjoying myself, but it's a school

night and I need to get home. Seth is hard enough to wake up; I need to be able to
get myself up as well." I look at my watch and it's almost nine, damn the time flies.

"Yeah, let me get the check and we can go." I wonder why she has to get the kid

- 32 -

up. He mentioned Mom and Dad, where were they?

I pay the bill and get her into the car. The night has gotten a little cool so I turn

the heat on low. She shifts a little and is staring at my hands. Huh.

"So, does the kid live with you full time?" I blurt out then mentally fucking smack

myself.

"Yes." She says stiffly and if I was a smarter man, I would have left it at that, but

sadly I'm a fucking moron.

"Why?" And just like that she turns and glares at me.

"Why? Why am I raising my thirteen year old brother? You want to know why?"

She almost growls. "Because five years ago my step mother died of breast cancer
and two years after that my Dad was killed by a drunk driver. For the past three
years, it's been Seth and I, because there is no one else. That's why."

"Shit, Bella, I'm fucking sorry, baby." I say gently.

She is tearing up and fuck! This is killing me. I can't stand women crying to begin

with; and for some reason, Bella crying is wrenching my gut out. I pull over onto a
side street, it's quiet and I unbuckle her. As best I can, over the bucket seats, I pull
her into my arms and hold her while she cries. I softly stroke her hair, coconut
assaults my nose and I feel guilty for taking another whiff. She doesn't need me to
be a fucking perv right now.

"It's so hard sometimes, I don't know how to go on." She whispers. "I'm only

twenty-two, I'm supposed to be out having fun with friends, dating, calling home and
having my parents beg me to come visit. Instead I'm mother, father and sister to a
boy who keeps growing every day. I'm so scared I'm going to mess up, scared of
everything." She is speaking so low, that I have to strain to hear her. "I'm scared one
day he is going to resent me because I can't give him everything his friends' parents
can give them. I just love him so much, Edward, I don't want to fail him." She cries
some more and I shift, so I can rock her some. This is some deep shit for a first date.

"Well, not that my opinion counts for shit, but I think you're doing a bang up job.

The kid looks healthy. He seems happy and well behaved. He's thirteen and instead
of being out with a group of asstards getting into trouble, he seems to rather hang
out with you. Surely that tells you that you are doing something right, Princess?"
She gives a tiny nod. "And, Bella, you are setting him a great example. Even though
shit is rough, you are still going to school and working towards going for more. He'll

- 33 -

remember that as he gets older."

"You think so?" She looks up, hope shining in her pretty brown eyes.

"Oh, Princess, I do." I gently kiss the tip of her nose and she sighs.

"Cullen, when you're not being an ass, you can be kinda sweet." She tells me, her

plump lips forming a timid smile.

"Me sweet, oh hell, Princess, we can't have that." I smirk then lean in and kiss her.

She hesitates at first, until I run my tongue gently across her bottom lip. She

moans and sucks my top lip in. There isn't great maneuvering in the Porsche, but I
pull her all the way across and she straddles me. A tight fit, but fuck, I could feel her
heat over my cock through our jeans.

I take a handful of her ass and squeeze it, she moans and shifts. I slip my tongue

inside her mouth and like they've been friends for years, our tongues begin a mating
ritual as old as time. She grinds down on me and I buck into her eliciting something
that was a cross between a purr and a yelp. Weird, but sexy as fuck.

I begin kissing down the column of her neck, sucking slightly. She grips my hair

and whispers my first name. My right hand slides up the side of her shirt, and lightly
flicks her hard nipple, causing her ass to jut backwards. The noise of the fucking car
horn breaks us apart. Bella launches herself back into the passenger seat looking so
red in the face that it makes me worried about her blood pressure.

We sit in complete silence for a minute, before I pull myself together enough to

drive the rest of the way to her craptastic apartment building. It's in a somewhat
decent neighborhood, but the place looks like no one has done maintenance on it
since the seventies. I follow her up the stairs, my hard on begging me to try one
more time. Maybe we can continue in her apartment where we left off in the car.
She puts her key in the lock and turns to me.

"Goodnight, Edward." She says softly. I go to kiss her again and she holds me off.

"We already broke my second date rule once, let's not push it, Cullen." And there is
my feisty Bella.

"Don't lie to yourself, Princess, you loved it as fucking much as I did."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I'll never tell." She does in this weird sing-song voice that

sounds vaguely familiar. She opens the door and I see the kid along with the

- 34 -

she-man and I know this date is over.

"Sunday, Bella, date number two." I whisper into her ear. "I'm going to kiss the

ever living shit out of you, until you can no longer form a coherent thought." Her
breathing quickens with my words and I can see her eyes glaze over with want. I
give her a smirk and a wink then with that I walk away, leaving her there breathing
heavy on her door step.

I am the fucking man.

AN2: Reviews make Motocrossward talk to me which really helps me to be

able to write this. Don't believe me? Just ask him he's on Twitter
motocrossward. And they also motivate me to type.

Also if you notice a typo please feel free to pm me about it so I can fix it.

Not matter how many people read something sometimes something slips
through ;0) and I'd like to fix it up.

*reposted from my blog*Wow I can't believe the amount of people calling

for this to become a full length story. Including about 20 pms which blew my
mind. As many of you know I have a lot of open stories at the moment, and I
want to get them finished up for you.

So back to why you are really reading this... How can I deny my readers!

So I will continue To The Extreme, however until Prodigal and Homecoming
are done it will only be updated when I can get a chapter written, meaning
as of right now it is not a regularly updated story. However this doesn't
mean it won't get updated. Right now so many chapter ideas are in my head
that I can't stop writing on it

Side note some people had a problem finding my facebook, I put the direct

link on my profile. You can find me there a lot, I'm addicted to Frontierville,
Treasure Isle and Farmville.

- 35 -

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

A big thanks to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing this for me. They

are awesome, loving and supportive not only as betas but as friends. Huge
love and hugs to them both.

AN: So I had started this before my hiatus, and I pushed myself to finish it

so those who aren't aware that I am on a break could find out. I'm working
through my writing issues though, and hope to be back in top form soon.
Now enough of me, and on to Motocrossward!

Bella's POV

Jake and Seth are staring at me expectantly when I turn around after slowly

shutting the door. Slowly, because I'm half-stunned, half checking out Edward's
retreating butt. Jake raises his perfectly shaped brow knowingly and I flush with the
memory of that fact that I had dry-humped Edward Cullen. I so cannot tell Jake
about that. Not that he would think me a slut, he would just want the details, over
and over again. And he'd never let me live down backing my butt into the car horn.

Even though, Jake wouldn't think I was a slut, I still kinda feel like one right now.

Like one of those groupies that hang around Motocross races, wearing next to
nothing and will have sex with any guy who rides one of those supped up dirt bikes.
I might not know a lot about the sport, but I saw with my own eyes those skanky
girls when I took Seth to the race. I really don't want to be one of them. I'd like to
think I have more self-respect than that.

Shaking my head, I walk the rest of the way into the living room and plop down

beside Seth on the sofa. They both are smiling; and I know I'm so screwed.

"How'd it go?" Jake asks, breaking the blissful silence that had been surrounding

us all since I walked in.

"Fine." He tastes like man and cinnamon. And his penis is big enough when you

- 36 -

writhe around on his lap that you can feel it; and I mean FEEL it. And his voice is
still ringing in my ears, "I'm going to kiss the ever living shit out of you, until you
can no longer form a coherent thought."

"I forgot to say thanks for the jersey." Seth semi pouts. "I just got excited and it

slipped my mind."

"You'll see him Sunday, you can do it then." I tell him consolingly.

"So, Sunday is still a go?" Jake asks.

"Yep." And I'm worried he's going to make me forget all my morals and principles.

And that I'll be naked before the day is over. If this was an online chat, a head desk
would so follow that thought. Not face palm, no that isn't strong enough; we are
talking full on smash my head into the hard wood of a desk.

"I can't wait to tell Riley!" Seth says excitedly, breaking into my self-deprecating

thoughts.

"Not a good idea right now, Seth." I tell him gently. "I know he's your best friend,

but Edward is well…" I trail off, trying to figure out how to explain how I don't want
a lot of attention on this - whatever 'this is' with Edward. At least until I figure out
what it is. Edward is a little famous, not like 'Tom Cruise, paparazzi following you
everywhere' famous, but he is well-known. And, I really don't want the world to
know my business.

"Ok, ok." Seth says dejectedly. Then he gets this grin, and it reminds me so much

of Charlie that my heart hurts a little. It's his, I'm gonna make you a deal grin,
Charlie used it when he wanted to get me to do something I didn't want to do, like
go fishing with him. God, I wish I'd gone more often. "If Edward becomes your
boyfriend, maybe I can take Riley to a race or something to meet him, if I keep quiet
now?" Oh God.

"We'll see." Is all I promise. He winks, knowing that I always give in. Freaking

little brothers.

"Cool." He nods to himself.

"Well, my dears, I have a hot ass piece of man meat of my own waiting for me

upstairs; and I'm going to retire for the evening." Jake looks at me through his
mascara laden eyelashes. "And don't think you are getting off this easy, missy." He
makes a little hmpf noise and waltzes out with all the grace a six foot six drag queen

- 37 -

can muster up.

"Night, Jake." Seth and I say in unison, it's kinda cute, kinda pod people like.

"Night, Swans." He laughs and goes to do naughty thinks with Paul.

"You have to be the coolest big sister, Bella, you are dating Edward Cullen." Seth

sighs.

"We went out one time, Seth, that's not dating." I laugh. "And you, young man,

have ten minutes before bed time. So, I suggest, you, go do what you need to do." I
look at the clock noting that it's almost ten.

"Yeah, yeah. I can't wait till next Sunday." He does this happy dance all the way to

the bathroom.

"Don't forget to floss!" I remind him before burying my head in a throw pillow and

groaning. Edward Cullen so isn't a part of my plan, yet somehow he's worked his
way into my life. The question is, why?

Monday dawns once again; and thankfully, this time Seth doesn't pull his usual 'I

don't want to go to school today' routine. I think it's because he knows that if he
does pull that stunt, there is no going to whatever the heck Edward's compound is.
We down our semi healthy breakfast of pop tarts and orange juice, before going off
to school.

My first class goes slow. The professor's voice is monotone and he keeps going, "It

would behoove you to remember this for the exam." And from past experiences in
his classes, I know that when he says that, not to worry about remembering it,
because it's a trick he tries to play on his students. That stuff will not be on the
exam.

After my second class, I have an hour break before my next one. So, I go sit on a

bench and enjoy the relatively nice weather for late September in Seattle. El Nino or
La Nina or some kind of weather condition makes it almost seventy outside and
sunny. Prime weather for soaking up vitamin D.

As I'm reading my notes from my last class, my cell phone vibrates in my jeans

pocket startling me. I groan, wondering if it's Jake wanting to give me the Spanish
Inquisition. Taking out the phone, I see it's just a text. Opening it, I see it's from

- 38 -

Edward and I stop breathing. The words are erotic and I look around making sure
that no one can see this. He writes: I can still taste you on my lips. And I believe
him, because honestly, I still can taste him faintly on my own. But, I can't let him
know that, I can't let him know he's getting to me in any way. I hit the reply button
and text him back.

Haven't you brushed your teeth yet? ~B

Yes, twice since you last fucking saw me. What are you doing? E

Waiting for my next class. ~B

When are you done today? E

At 4, but then I have to pick up Seth, homework and dinner. ~B

Busy little bee, aren't you, princess? Don't you have any breaks today? E

No, I have science lab this afternoon. Wed. I get a 2-hour break between classes

though. ~B

So literal. E

I don't answer that one. Instead, I get up and go to class. It wasn't much of a

conversation, but for some reason, I'm pretty pleased that he thought about me
today and text me first. Even if it was something that got my panties all wet. Damn
his cocky yumminess and the affect it has on my girly bits.

"Then she looks at Riley, raises an eyebrow and says, 'Like I'd go to the dance

with a loser like you.' And walks off." Seth is telling me about the dramas of seventh
grade. The first dance of the school year is coming up; and Riley had taken it upon
himself to ask out the most popular girl in their grade. And he went down in flames.

"Are you going to the dance?" I ask him.

"Nah. I mean… I might. But dances are kinda lame, mainly for girls, right?" He is

sort of asking, sort of telling me as we reach our floor.

"Kid, I have to disagree with you. How can dances be lame, when you get to touch

the girls while dancing? Think about it." Edward is leaning up against our door with

- 39 -

two bags sitting beside him on the floor. He's got that cocky grin going; and I'm torn
between asking him what he's doing here and licking him.

"Edward!" Seth exclaims excitedly.

"Hey Kid. Hey Princess." He gives Seth this manly fist bump thing and gives me a

naughty wink. Damn him!

"I didn't think we'd see you till Sunday." Seth takes up the slack for my silence.

"Well, I was hungry and I figured after a long day of educating yourselves, the two

of you would be as well. So, here I fucking am." Edward explains.

"Language!" I sort of growl.

"Sorry, Princess." He smirks. I roll my eyes and unlock the door.

The guys follow me in and Seth automatically locks the door back up. I smile to

myself at how well-trained I have him in that respect. Cullen comes and sets one bag
on the table in our tiny eat-in-kitchen. He's smiling like he has gold in there or
something.

"Well?" I ask while motioning to his bag.

"I come baring gifts of Mexican delight. We have tacos, nachos, burritos, gorditas

and taco pizza. All the good that Taco Hell can produce." He pulls out bag, upon bag
of Taco Bell food from inside his insulated bag.

"Awesome!" Seth fist pumps, looking at the feast of heartburn before us.

"I hope the other bag has antacids in it." I groan. He laughs and goes and grabs

the other bag.

"For me lady…" He uses this fake ass British accent that is half hot, half silly as

hell. I look down and he has placed a bottle of Maalox in my hands, cherry flavored.
I giggle. I watch as he pulls a chocolate cheese cake and two movies out of the bag
as well. "Desert and meal time entertainment?" Seth looks at me and I nod giving in.
We rarely eat any place but at the table. However, Cullen's hulking frame and Seth's
pleading look lead me to believe that tonight we'd all be more comfortable in the
living room.

I grab plates out of the cabinet and before I can come back with napkins Cullen

- 40 -

and Seth already have their plates full and ready to go. I roll my eyes and fix my own
plate before following them out to the living room.

"So, what movies did you bring?" I worry a little that he's brought something

completely inappropriate for Seth to watch.

"Uh… Land of the Lost and Paul Blart: Mall Cop." He responds looking at the

DVDs. "I got Rose to toss some teen appropriate flicks in for me. I didn't think the
Hangover or Texas Chainsaw Massacre would work for the kid."

"Rose?" I ask.

"My sister-in-law." He explains. Seth's eyes are glazed over.

"Rosalie Hale picked these out?" I think drool is running down his mouth, what the

heck?

"Yeah, kid. Rosie picked them out for you." Edward laughs and shakes his head.

"Who is Rosalie Hale?" I ask confused.

"She is like the best freaking mechanic ever." Seth explains. Cullen pulls out his

wallet and brings it over to me.

"That's Rose and my brother Emmett, her husband." I look and the giant from the

tent is standing next to the blond Goddess from the restaurant.

"She's a mechanic?"

"Yep, a damn good one too." He nods.

"Every waking male's wet dream." I mumble and he laughs.

"Only on the outside." He laughs again, flipping the photo page in his wallet.

"That's my baby sister, Alice, and her husband Jasper."

"Jasper Hale, holy crap." Seth is in overly excited teenage boy overdrive at this

point.

"Wait Hale and Hale?" I ask confused.

- 41 -

"The Hale twins. Their Dad Peter used to drive for Nascar. Rose grew up around

engines and Jasper grew up craving speed. They were great additions to the fucking
team."

"But your brother and your sister married the twins?" I've pretty much given up

correcting his language, old dog and new tricks being what it is.

"Yep."

"Freaky." I answer, because it seems a little incestuous to me. "It's kinda like

Grease, where the Pink Ladies can only date T-birds and vice versa? Did they run
out of Hales for you Cullen?" I raise my eyebrow at him and he laughs a little.

"No, there's another Hale, but he's not my type." Cocky smirk that leads to

dripage inserted here. I sigh . "It works though. Perfect matches and what the fuck
ever." He says seriously. "I couldn't imagine them with anyone other than who they
are with."

"That's sweet, Cullen, who knew you had it in you." I give him a small smile.

"Don't let it get around, I'd hate for my bad ass rep to get tarnished." He gives

that sexy as heck wink that added to that damn smirk; and I have to excuse myself
to the little girls' room. Freaking useless panties!

I come back to see the guys eating, watching Kevin James riding a segway around

the mall. The only spot open is next to Cullen, since he plopped himself in the middle
of the sofa. So, I sit next to him. I pull my hair up in a ponytail before, diving into a
burrito supreme. He looks over and smirks at me, before tugging my ponytail, then
turns back to watch the movie.

I'm not sure if I want him to leave, or stay. All I know is that this is going to be a

long night.

"Bed time, mister." I tell Seth when ten pm rolls around.

"But, Bella, we have company." He kind of whines, pointing to the man who is

almost in my lap he's leaning so close to me.

"Seth." I use the tone of voice that - he knows - isn't to be reckoned with.

- 42 -

"Night, Seth." Edward says, actually using my brother's name for once.

"Night." He pouts. Half-way to his door, he turns and looks at Edward. "Umm, so

thanks for the jersey, it's cool. I forgot to say thanks before." He flushes a little.

"No problem, kid, just glad you liked it." Edward smiles genuinely at him.

"Night." Seth mumbles again, before going into his room and shutting the door.

"So, is the kid a heavy sleeper?" Edward asks - with a suggestive tone - and smiles.

"Nope, light as a feather." I lie. Seth could sleep through a rock concert.

"Ahh." He drags out disbelievingly. "So yeah, my Mom wants to know if you and

the kid have any allergies? Food wise." I look at him strangely, no idea where this
came from.

"Seth is allergic to pine nuts, but other than that, no." I respond automatically

then add, "why?"

"She wanted to make sure that Sunday dinner doesn't send either of you to the

hospital." He says like it was obvious the whole time.

"Sunday dinner?"

"You didn't think we were going to make you watch us eat, did you, Bella?" He

laughs.

"Uhhh…" I flounder. Because seriously, last I heard, Sunday we were going to a

bike compound to watch him play dare devil. "I thought we were just going to the
compound?"

"Yeah, but we'll probably get hungry and Sunday dinner is big for Mom, so food,

Mom being happy, your cute ass playing footsie with me, win, win really."

"Cullen…" I warn and he laughs.

"Swan…" he says in a mock warning tone. "Seriously, you think my Mom would

really let the two of you come to her house and not try to feed you?"

"Cullen, when did I agree to go to your house?"

- 43 -

"You said you were coming Sunday." He sounds confused and really I think we

might be talking in circles at this point.

"Yes, to the dirt bike compound."

"Bella, the compound is my house." He laughs. "We have a track out there to ride

the bikes and some big-ass garages to store them and our other little toys. However,
there are houses out there that we live in as well." He rolls his eyes. Freaking rich
people calling homes compounds.

"Why not just call it your house? Why, the 'compound'?" I even use the air quotes.

Ha.

"Because, it is more than just my house, Bella. You'll see Sunday." He assures me.

We settle into silence and he picks up the remote to flip channels, he gets this

frustrated look on his face when he only finds the basic, kind of fuzzy channels.

"I think something is wrong with your cable." He tells me seriously, like this might

be a sign of the end of times.

"Probably not, seeing as I don't have cable." I tell him and he looks at me like I'm

an alien, or someone who has three heads.

"No shit?" He half asks, half demands.

"We have internet, but no cable." Really! Why waste sixty bucks or more a month,

that I don't really have on something that half the time isn't really worth it? I mean,
seriously, when is anything actually ever on, that's worth seeing?

"Fuck, that's… Em will never believe… how do they watch sports center?" He is

saying incoherently to himself. "How the hell do you stay entertained? I mean, shit!
You come home after a rough day and want to do nothing more than veg the fuck
out in front of the TV and flip mindlessly."

"Books, Cullen, are a wonderful invention. You should try them sometime." I tell

him seriously. "Some of us are entertained by using our minds." I assure him. The
way he's going on about the cable, I'm wondering if he works for the company on
the side or something.

A loud sound gets both of our attentions. I know what it is, but Cullen's face is

priceless. It goes again and his eyes widen. The loud sound mimicking a train

- 44 -

coming from my brother's room doesn't really faze me. He's always snored like that.

"Lightsleeper?" He taunts and I giggle.

"Compound?" I taunt back.

I'm startled. Cullen moves quickly, going in for the kill. One minute sitting beside

me, the next he's pulled me down and is hovering above me. Tickling the crap out of
me. I struggle. He's hitting my weak spot, just below my rib cage. I try to get him,
but he takes on hand away and grabs both of my wrist holding them above my head.

"I'm going to pee on the couch!" I manage to get out and he stops sort of

suspended above me looking down with this contented smirk.

"Now, we wouldn't want you to fucking do that now, would we, Princess?" He says

laughing. "It wouldn't be a whole hell of a lot of fun to make out with wet jeans."

"Who said anything about making out, Cullen?" I demand.

"I seem to remember a promise I made about our second fucking date?" He taunts

again. Damn cocky sexy piece of man meat.

"I don't recall going on a second date with you yet, Cullen." He pulls me up and

points to the abandoned plates on the coffee table.

"Dinner." And he points to the DVD case on top of the TV. "Movie. Classic date

shit, Bella."

"Cullen, a date is something prearranged, where you ask me, or I ask you and the

askee consents to the asker to go on said date. Showing up unannounced at my
apartment doesn't count." I argue.

"You let me in." He says firmly, then attaches his lips to mine.

At first, I try to stay mindful of the fact my young impressionable brother is

sleeping in the same apartment and Edward and I are on the sofa, in a very public
area. This doesn't last long. Cullen soon consumes my every thought.

Suck… nibble… suck… bite. Over and over, then it becomes; suck… nibble… lick…

bite. His tongue soon invades my mouth and my last coherent thought leaves my
mind. His hand, that was holding my wrist this whole time, lets go and soon finds its
way to my breast. My, now, free hands first cling to his hair, then begin roaming

- 45 -

down his firm, muscular back. Oh God, so strong. In my lust-filled-Edward haze, I
hear the distinct sounds of heavy metal guitar riffs. Edward groans into my mouth,
before pulling away.

"Sorry, Princess, I have to take this." He looks sorry, he also looks very erect. Not

that I'm checking out the package or anything, it's just there. And I kinda want to
touch it. Just to see if it feels as big as it looks.

"Yeah… no shit… fuck… no, I'll get there… Yeah. No, I'm fucking coming." I'm

trying to focus, however as horny as I am right now, the word fuck coming from his
lips is like two dozen oysters, or maybe Spanish fly to my libido. "Bella?" He laughs
snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"Uh… yeah?" I sort of get out.

"I gotta go, Princess. I'll be here Sunday morning to pick you and the kid up, say

eleven?" I nod.

I get up to walk him to the door, I remember enough in my daze that I need to lock

it up behind him. He just has this sexy smirk on his face that I want to lick and that
bottom lip he's rocking needs to be in my mouth. Ohh, I want to see him shirtless in
person. These random horn dog thoughts keep clouding up my mind.

"Sunday." He says full of promise.

"Sunday." I whisper back in agreement.

He leans in and gives me a searing kiss. My knees go a little weak and I cling onto

those wonderfully broad shoulders. Unfortunately, he breaks the kiss all too soon;
and I kind of pout. He laughs and smacks my butt, reminding me why I shouldn't be
having these naughty thoughts about tying him to my bed post and playing the
naked cowgirl with him.

"Damn it, Cullen."

"Uh oh, Swan, sounds like I'm corrupting you." He laughs, kisses my forehead and

goes out the door, reminding me. "Sunday."

Sunday. What does one wear to a compound/house?

Holy shit! I'm meeting his freaking parents and having freaking Sunday dinner

with them. What the hell does this mean?

- 46 -

I bang my head into the door that I just finished locking up and can't help the

words that slip through my mouth next, "Fuck my life."

AN2: Hope you liked it, I know it was on the shorter side, but it is what it

is. Reviews would make my day though ;0)

- 47 -

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

A big thanks to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing this for me. They

are awesome, loving and supportive not only as betas but as friends. Huge
love and hugs to them both.

This update is a belated birthday gift to Rachelle_MyBell *

Bella's POV

Tuesday when I get to work, Tony treats me like I'm made of glass or something.

Instead of asking me to do extra work, as usual, he actually gives me extra breaks.
He then invites me into his office, then informs me that I've been given a dollar an
hour raise - retroactive two months - and hands me a check for that extra money.
While the three hundred bucks doesn't seem like much to some, it makes my day. He
informs me that he'd missed my annual review and that is why I'm getting this now.
He also offers me a few extra hours on Tuesday and Thursday, which I jump all over.
It's a wonderful Tuesday.

Cullen texts me asking when I get off work, I let him know that it will be too late

to come over since I had to work to close. He sends me back a pouty face and one
word; Sunday. I sigh and send him back 'Sunday' as well.

Walking home, I swear I see the same car from the other night drive by a few

times and I'm wondering if I need to start driving back and forth to work. I hate to
do that on days when I can walk. The money I save, on gas and maintenance by
walking, helps us get a few extras here and there.

Wednesday around twenty minutes after we get home from school, I go to answer

the door and find a pizza delivery guy. He has a large pie, large salad and bread
sticks along with a note from Cullen, saying how sorry he was cause he couldn't
make it himself today; and that he wanted me to know he was thinking of me.

What kind of guy sends food instead of flowers?

- 48 -

One who seems to actually be pretty thoughtful... I mean, this is a gift that Seth is

included in and that means the world to me.

Thursday. Tony is still treating me in a special way. Even Angela comments on the

fact that I've gotten the better station. And how Tony is treating me like I'm the
owner's kid or something - with all these breaks. I just hope he isn't going to start
hitting on me. I mean, surely he isn't buttering me up for sexual favors, right?

Friday. Seth argues with me when I go to make dinner, sure that Edward is going

to send food. I have to reason with him that Edward isn't going to do that all the
time and he shouldn't expect it. Just as I get Seth convinced, that if we sit around
waiting for Edward to send food we'll starve, someone knocks on the door. I look
through the peep hole and see a vaguely familiar blond guy. I motion to Seth who
mans the bat while I open the door.

"Hello?" I greet.

"Bella Swan?" He asks with a faint southern accent to his voice. I nod at him.

"Edward couldn't make it, he's tied up at the moment, but he sent this." He hands

me a brown bag.

"Thank you?" I look at him confused. "Oh, hold on." I go set the bag on the table

and grab a five from my wallet to tip the guy. It sucks that I have to tip him, but
being in the service industry I understand how much of your pay comes from tips.
"Here," I smile handing him the five.

"Ma'am, this isn't necessary." He assures me with a smile trying to hand back the

tip.

"No, really take it." I smile back. It's sweet, Cullen probably already tipped the

guy, but I just feel better doing it too. He looks at me again then nods, pocketing the
money with a weird look on his face.

"Holy crow," Seth mutters.

"Seth, language," I know it's not bad, but gateway cussing is frowned upon too.

"You're… " Seth is pointing to the guy like he's seen a ghost and I'm hoping the

guy isn't from like America's Most Wanted or Unsolved Mysteries. Was that why he
was familiar?

- 49 -

"Hey, kid, you must be Seth." The might-be-serial-killer blond dude reaches out

and shakes my kid brother's hand.

"Yeah," Seth sighs.

"So, anyways Edward said to tell you he'll be here at ten instead of eleven on

Sunday, something about having to drive slower because you seem like a no-shit
handler." I glare a little at blond dude, who I'm still thinking about checking out on
America's Most Wanted's website. He has a lot of scars and he seems
uncomfortable, shifty even?

"Thank you." I say trying to break Seth away from staring at the guy.

"I need to go, or I'm gonna be late." He says and waves leaving. Seth waves

enthusiastically and I'm wondering if he thinks the criminal on AMW are celebrities
because they are on TV. Do I need to have a talk with him about good TV people and
guys that need to be in the pokey?

"Food, score!" He shouts. He fist pumps the air, does his crazy-ass happy dance he

got from Charlie and runs to the bag that's on the table. "I think this is for you." He
hands me a note inside and starts pulling out these Tupperware containers.

Princess,

Mom found out I was feeding you fast food and threatened to castrate me. I

reminded her that I can only cook fried eggs and burnt toast. So, she offered to cook
you and Seth a decent meal. She can't wait to meet you on Sunday, hope you enjoy
the food. Sorry, I can't be there for a little fun on the sofa, something came up and
I'm stuck.

Edward

Huh. Cullen got his Mom to cook us dinner? Or his Mom got him to let her cook us

dinner? And sent a could-be-serial-killer to deliver it? What the heck?

"Bella, it's homemade mashed potatoes, not those instant box ones!" Seth moans,

he's opening up all the containers and looking way too happy. I feel kind of crappy
that he's so excited about homemade mashed potatoes. I can cook them; I just never
have the time or energy to do it anymore. Between work and school my energy is
pretty zapped.

"Cool." I mumble.

- 50 -

"The food note says this is oven fried chicken, so it's healthier." He tells me

looking at the blue note paper in his hand. I take it from him and tell him to get
plates and forks.

The note informs me that there is also homemade gravy, corn and peas – separate

for our vegetables - because she wasn't sure what we would like. There is also two
huge slices of chocolate cake. Like, so big, you could get four slices out of it really.
The note also says that she can't wait to meet both Seth and I on Sunday.

"I told you so." Seth mumbles to me as he walks by and I muss his hair and get

down to the business of eating. Who am I to turn it down? I mean, Cullen wouldn't
let his serial killer poison us right?

"Bella, just put it on. Stop being such a drama queen." The real drama queen tells

me.

Jake took it upon himself to go shopping for me. He decided I would just wear any

old thing to Edward's house and in Jake's opinion I couldn't do that. No, I had to
wear a skirt, or dress. Why?

"Easy access for wall-sex." Jake explains to me, as I once again ask him why he

bought me a freaking dress.

"We are going to look at dirt bikes, in the dirt. His parents will be there. No wall

sexing going on, Jake!" Ugh! I swear. "I'm not wearing heels, pumps, or anything
strappy either." I'm in full pout mode. Jake's in full
I'm-going-to-hold-you-down-and-dress-you-myself mode.

"She makes a point, Jatina my love." Paul, thank you! "Why not compromise, if she

goes out with him again, she wears that dress and you can help her pick out
something appropriate for today, babe?"

"Cullen said jeans and t-shirts are the usual for his compound." I may have

exaggerated the word.

"Blah." Jake whines. His eyes dull and he walks to my closet. "Here, here and

here." He tosses some of my nicer, newer jeans with a medium wash, a brown
turtleneck sweater that I got on sale at old navy and a pair of old navy canvas
bedazzled matching brown slip ons onto my bed. "I'm doing your damn hair." He
huffs then leaves the room so I can change. I can't help the giggle that leaves me.

- 51 -

He's such a moody queen.

I'm buying Cullen a watch.

No really, I am. The man has no concept of time. I can't believe he's late again. Is

he late to races? Do they hold them up so their king can make it? I mean, at least
this time he sent a text that said he was on his way. He did it before ten am hit, so I
can't be too mad.

The wait isn't helping Seth's level of excitement though. The anticipation has Seth

bursting at the seams. He changed clothes five times. I had to talk him out of
wearing his Cullen jersey; I was worried he'd get it messed up and regret it later.
Now, he's wearing jeans and T-shirt with a hoodie. He stopped changing when I told
him it reminded me of an outfit Cullen wore before.

The knock on the door startles me and I jump on the sofa. Seth lets out a little

squeal that was so quiet I almost miss it. He's so reminding me of one of those
fan-girls, who hyperventilate and pass out at the sight of their favorite star, right
about now. I go to answer the door and it's Cullen, who busts right through while
running his hand through his hair.

"Motherfucker!" He shouts and I look at him startled. "Fucking traffic! Where did

these people get their fucking license? Walmart?" He rages.

"Language, Cullen." I remind him then, "You know what a Walmart is?" I joke. He

looks at me green eyes blazing; damn him, he makes angry look so hot.

"They are a sponsor; and with Emmett around, we use Sam's club to shop in bulk."

He laughs then. "You ready to head out, Princess?"

"Uhhh…" Am I ready to meet his family? Why am I meeting his family? What the

heck have I gotten myself into?

"Let's go." Seth semi shouts tossing me my jacket. I roll my eyes and give Cullen a

little nod. He grins and holds the door open for us.

Locking up, we head down the stairs to the street. I look around for Cullen's little

Porsche - freaking rich people - but see it nowhere. I'm still trying to figure out how
we are all going to fit in it.

- 52 -

"This way." He motions and begins walking towards a large SUV. "It's my Mom's

car." He informs us, looking a little embarrassed.

"What is it?" Seth asks confused. I'm glad he did, because I too was curious.

"An Audi Q5, it can haul over 4000 pounds." Cullen adds with a smile. I roll my

eyes thinking boys will be boys. "Wicked." Seth says with a smile. Cullen opens the
back door for Seth, then the passenger side door for me. I thank him as I get in and
feel the comfy leather seats. I have to laugh a little internally, because in the last
two weeks I've gone from riding my ninety-two Geo Metro beater car to a Porsche
and an Audi. I feel like Cinder-freaking-ella. Note to self, don't watch Pretty Woman
so much. "Let's roll." Cullen says and Seth cheers a little in the back.

A little over two and a half hours later we are pulling into Forks. I look back at

Seth and he looks at me. What the hell are we doing here? So many memories that I
really didn't want to deal with today. And I don't even want to think about how
freaking fast Cullen drove to get us here this quickly.

"Why are we in Forks?" I demand.

"Uh… I live here?" He looks at me a little, while still keeping his eyes on the road.

"We did too." Seth says sadly from the back seat.

"No shit! Really?" Edward asks surprised. "Really." Seth almost whispers. "It's our

hometown."

"Fuck." He mutters and pulls over to the side of the road. "We can go back now.

It's not a fucking issue." His voice is full of sincerity.

"It's ok, Edward, we're here. Let's just go." I try to smile and I try not to notice the

half-full parking lot of the Thriftway where Charlie taught me how to park.

"Alright," Edward's grip on the steering wheel is tight and he zips through town

fast. If Charlie was still around, Edward would have more tickets than he'd know
what to do with.

About ten minutes outside town, Edward whips down a partially hidden road and

into the woods. We come upon this massive, I mean like twelve feet high fence, that
he tells us encloses the compound for security and safety. This way they don't have

- 53 -

to worry about kids coming in and taking the bikes out of the garages.

"I grew up in Seattle, but Grandpa Tony lived out here for years, owned a shit ton

of land and a good sized house. When he died about ten years ago he left it to me, I
was his favorite. I knew how much Mom loved the house, so I had the idea that since
there was so much land, we could turn it into a private area to practice and shit. So,
we moved out here, Mom and Dad still have a place in the city too, but this is our
main residence."

"So, you still live with Mom and Dad?" I joke. I'm trying to block out where we are

and humor seems the way to go.

"In a way - but not really. Emmett, Alice and I all had our own places built out

here. Ali went for a two story Victorian style place, Em has some cross between a
log cabin and ranch and I went with a Neo-Colonial. The main house, Mom and Dad
live in, was Georgian Colonial, but they did some work on it and there is way more
glass on it than a traditional Georgian. My Mom's hobby is architecture, so we hear
way too much about this shit." He pauses, "And of course, we have the track, pits,
garages and a bunch of other shit out here."

"Cool!" Seth exclaims.

"Hey, kid, ever drive a golf cart?"

"No." Seth laughs.

"Well, today you will." Edward promises him, "Only it's a supped up one that Rose

did. It's the easiest way to get around the property." He informs us. If Seth is
driving, then they are going five miles an hour tops, at least if Cullen wants to keep
his nuggets attached to his dick.

"Awesome, how fast does it go?" Seth inquires.

"Only around forty-five, but the horn plays the Dukes of Hazard theme song."

"The who?" Seth asks confused and I giggle.

"Shit, kid. Really? You don't know the Duke boys? No one has ever introduced you

to the wonders of Daisy Duke?"

"Daisy Duck?" Seth replies and I'm doing my best not to burst out laughing.

- 54 -

"No, Daisy Duke."

"No, I'm sorry, Edward, I don't know it, or her." Seth sounds so depressed at

disappointing his idol.

"No sweat, kid, TV on DVD was made for a reason."

A huge brick house with lots of white trim, a balcony and a perfectly manicured

lawn came into view. It was like a mini mansion or something. I could see to the
right a slate blue Victorian style house with white trim as well. To the left sat a big
log cabin style house, with a massive window in the front. The houses were spaced
out the way you would see in a normal neighborhood, where they had a small yard,
then the neighboring house. To the right of the Victorian as we came along the
curve of the driveway I saw another darker red brick home, white trim with black
shutters. All of these houses looked like they belonged in some upscale magazine
from the outside.

"The one on the end is mine." Edward points towards the one with black shutters.

"Nice," And it is, it also looks more like a family home than a bad-ass single biker

guy's house.

"Thanks, Princess." He smiles. He pulls the car to a stop in front of the biggest

house of the group. "This is Mom and Dad's place." He informs me.

"I love the balcony." I tell him honestly.

"Thanks, come on, I'm sure she is bursting at the fucking seams to get a look at

you both." Oh shit.

Edward's POV

"Hey, Mom, can you get me the number for Frank's Chicken Grill on Elm in

Seattle?" I ask my Mom down the phone line.

"Edward, why do you need that number? I don't think they deliver to Arizona,

baby boy." She laughs.

"Yeah, uh… can you still get the number?" Shit, I don't want to get into this.

Maybe, I should try getting the net to work again, fucking stupid wireless signal.

"Why, Edward?" She asks suspiciously.

- 55 -

"I want to send a delivery to a friend." It's sort of the truth. It's a friend I want to

see naked and drive my cock into over and over again.

"A friend? Do I know this friend, Edward?" Esme presses, she should have been a

fucking attorney or a cop with her bad-ass interrogation skills. Em and I never got
away with shit as kids.

"It's just Bella, Mom."

"Bella? The girl you invited over to the compound on Sunday?" She presses.

"Yeah, her kid brother is into Motocross, so you know I thought he'd like it and

shit."

"Edward, you've only ever brought one other girl home before, so don't think I'm

falling for that excuse that it's for her brother." She chastises me and then sighs.
"How old is her brother?"

"Twelve or thirteen, I would guess. The kid has it rough, they both do. Their

parents are dead and instead of letting him go to foster care, she works waitressing
and goes to school at the same time as raising the kid."

"That's admirable of her." Esme offers. "So, why are you sending her food?" She

starts again.

"Fuck, Mom, I don't know. It's like I just want to fucking do something nice for her

and she's in class all fucking day three days a week and she's so fucking tiny. I just
thought, ah fuck…" I trail off.

"Language, Edward," Mom says. "So, you feel like you need to take care of her?"

"I don't know, Mom. Shit! I was just trying to send her a damn meal. Monday, I

was in town, so I took over Taco Bell and the kid acted like it was made of fucking
gold. Like they don't eat like that often. I sent some pizza on Wednesday and I
thought chicken is healthy shit, right? Maybe that would be good for today."

"Edward, fast food every so often is fine, but constantly isn't a good thing. I'm

going to cook something and send Emmett over with it. That way they get an actual
meal."

"The kid is allergic to pine nuts." I tell her.

- 56 -

"Yes, you already informed me of that when you said they'd be joining us for

Sunday dinner." She laughs.

"Shit, sorry, Mom." Oh shit, Emmett. "Mom, send Dad or Jasper. Emmett might

scare the shit out of her."

"Alright, dear," She pauses then asks softly. "How is Faith? Doing better?"

"Yeah." And quietly, I fill my Mom in.

The past week in Arizona has been a hot-ass bitch. I'm so fucking thankful to have

my ass back in Seattle. Though unfortunately my plane landed late. I get to Mom
and Dad's Seattle house and pull Mom's Audi Q5 out of the garage and head over to
get Bella and the kid. I don't exactly want to tell her I was out of town. She's too
fucking inquisitive; and will push for details and that isn't something I want to get
into.

A fuck-head, driving way too fast in a tiny-ass car, cuts in front of me and blare the

horn. Asstard has no clue how to drive. Where do these assholes learn to drive?
Thank fucking God the ride to Forks isn't as busy as the Seattle streets; I don't think
my frayed ass nerves can take much more.

Hot damn. I see Bella's shabby ass building and pull up in front of it. And race up

the stairs to her place. I knock on the door and wait. When she pulls it open, I can't
help it, my pent up anger at that asshole unleashes.

"Motherfucker!" I shout. Bella's face looks startled. It's a cute look on her. Her big

brown eyes widen, her bottom lip drops and her nose scrunches up. "Fucking traffic!
Where did these people get their fucking license? Walmart?" I continue, though at
the last part, she goes from startled to amused - and that's an even better look on
her.

"You know what a Walmart is?" She says jokingly.

"They are a sponsor," I explain, "and with Emmett around, we use Sam's club to

shop in bulk." His big ass would eat us out of house and home if we just bought in
regular amounts. I laugh, then look at her. "You ready to head out, Princess?"

She hem haws around, but the kid is all over going. So, we load up into the car

and start heading towards home. Of course, somehow I fucked up and it turns out

- 57 -

that Bella and Seth are from Forks and if the kid and Bella's faces are anything to go
by, it's not a good fucking thing to be back here right now. I start talking asinine
things about architecture to take their minds off it and try to get to the compound
before they can look any sadder than they do right now.

I look up at my parents' house and roll my eyes when I see Alice and Mom coming

out the door to great us, what the hell is she wearing today?

Bella's POV

Two women emerge out of the big-ass brick house. One is older with hair a little

less red than Cullen's she is dressed in a pretty grey silk top and black loose fitting
trousers, she looks very classy yet comfortable and extremely beautiful. The other is
a tiny little thing with short black hair and bright yellow jeans. Is that a Finding
Nemo T-shirt? It's blue with a bright yellow that is close to color of her jeans. And
the sneakers she is wearing have all the shades from her outfit in them. She's so
bright, I feel like I need sunglasses to look at her.

"Finding Nemo!" Seth shouts like a preschooler and I roll my eyes. I worry about

him sometimes.

"Bella, Seth, welcome. I'm Esme Cullen, this is my youngest Alice Hale." She

points to the neon-yellow wonder.

"Hi, it's great to meet you both." She says with a friendly voice and kind eyes and I

feel bad about judging her outfit. "That shade of purple looks great on you, Bella."
She points to my brown turtleneck sweater.

"Umm… thanks?" Is she serious? Is she being mean? She doesn't look like she's

mean.

"Alice, it's brown." Cullen laughs. "Alice is color blind and flies by the seat of her

pants judging colors."

"Sorry, about that." She offers with a grin and I giggle.

"It's ok."

"I'm wearing a green shirt with my black hoodie and black pants." Seth tells her

seriously. "I'm sorry you can't see." He reaches out for her hand to shake it.

"Oh, I can see, I just can't judge colors." She giggles.

- 58 -

"Why don't we go in?" Esme says kindly linking her arm with mine. "Edward

speaks so highly of you." She complements me.

"Jump, you bastard!" I hear a loud booming voice as we get into the massive entry

way.

"Emmett, language!" Esme shouts. "Sorry about that, my sons curse worse than

sailors." She explains.

"Fucking shit!" The same voice booms. "Sorry, Mom!" He yells back and Esme

breaks down laughing.

We walk into a huge room, with French doors leading out to the patio. The room

looks like something from French Country Today. It's comfortable, lived in and yet
very upscale. The giant from the track is sitting on the sofa in front of a huge flat
screen mounted above the fireplace, he has a video game going and I don't think
he's winning if the language coming off of him is any indication.

"Asstard, pause it and say hey to Bella and Seth." Cullen demands, smacking the

guy upside the head. Giant pauses his game; and stands up. He's tall, like really
freaking tall. Black hair like the munchkin girl, wearing a Harvard sweatshirt, cut off
grey sweatpants as shorts and brown flip flops. I have to hold back a laugh at his
very laid back attire.

"Hey, Bella, hey Seth."

"This is…" Esme is cut off by Seth's fan-girl squeal. Sorry, but it sounded like a

tweeny bopper girl.

"Emmett Cullen!" He races forward to shake Giant Cullen's hand.

"Hey, little dude from the tent, how are ya?" Emmett seems to be happy to

recognize Seth and from the beam on my brother's face he is ecstatic that this guy
remembers him.

"I'm good, how are you?" Seth asks politely, bouncing some.

"He's adorable." The bright one whispers in my ear, as she passes by to flop on

one of the chairs in the room.

"I was good until this fucktard of a game messed up my day." Giant guy complains.

- 59 -

"Language!" I say out of habit then blush. "Sorry." I sort of whisper. Cullen is

laughing his ass off.

"Please, Princess, you'll have more fucking luck getting me to stop dropping the

f-bomb than Em. Dude came out of the womb saying 'fuck this shit'." He jokes
pulling me over to the massive sofa. I should correct Cullen on his language, but it's
like beating a dead drum, the beat isn't going to change.

"I'm going to check on the food and let your Father know our guests are here."

Esme smiles kindly. "And, Bella, feel free to try and clean up their language, I need
all the help I can get on that front." I nod shyly.

The blond Goddess and might-be-serial-killer guy come into the room and I shift a

little into Cullen, I'm slightly nervous. I'm a little shocked that the blond Goddess is
decked out in a flannel shirt and jeans, shouldn't she be swathed in silk and lace or
something more befitting her looks?

"Assward, you parked blocking the whole damn drive way." Blondie complains.

"Bella, Seth, nice to see you again." Might-be-serial-killer guy goes over, picks up

the neon munchkin and sits down, placing her on his lap. The way she kisses him,
it's obvious she isn't worried he's going to off her.

"Bella, Seth, meet Jasper and Rosalie Hale." He points to them. "I'm going to move

the car before Rose shits-a-brick. Will you be ok?" He whispers into my ear and I
nod. Seth is just staring at Rosalie.

"Hot, isn't she, shorty?" Giant Cullen asks my brother.

"Uh… yeah, but she's more than that. She's a freaking mechanical genius. The

way she tweaked Edward's Kawasaki KX 250F where it got more distance in jumps
was awesome. I mean, it was like he just freaking flew!" Seth exclaims and the blond
smiles warmly at him.

"Do you want to see the bike?" She offers, he nods enthusiastically. "Do you mind

if I take him out to the garage now, so he can see it?" She asks me kindly.

"No, that's fine." Like I was going to say 'no' to that happy face he has.

"Alright then," She stands up and motions for Seth to follow and he does like a

little puppy.

- 60 -

"Dude, you better go with them, before the kid steals your wife. He complemented

her skills over her looks and you know she is a sucker for that shit." Jasper, who I
still think I've seen on America's Most Wanted, tells Giant Cullen.

"Shit." Giant runs after them. "Rosie, I'm coming too."

"Whatever." She says loud enough that we can hear. Alice laughs so hard she falls

of Jasper's lap.

"Ali!" A little guy, who was maybe six at the most, comes barreling into the room.

He looked worried about Alice.

"I'm ok, Collin." She assures him. "Bella, meet Collin Hale, Jasper and Rosalie's

little brother."

"Hi, Collin," He smiles shyly and sticks out his hand.

"Hi, Bella, you're pretty." He tells me. I laugh lightly.

"And you are very handsome." I tell him. He honestly is adorable.

"Hey, little man, you trying to steal my woman?" Cullen comes in picking the kid

up and Collin giggles.

"Yes." He tells him seriously and Cullen laughs.

"Shit, princess, I've got competition now." Cullen pouts sitting down beside me,

Collin on his lap.

"Aww, poor Cullen, there's no competition, Collin won." I joke winking at him. My

belly is tingling at being called his woman. For some reason that Neanderthal
phrase worked for me and my girlie bits.

"Ahh, there you are." A very handsome older gentleman walks in, a clean cut outfit

of khakis and red sweater of a white button down. "Collin, you are a sneaky little
devil." He jokes, handing the little boy a teddy bear. "And you left this in my office."

"Thank you." Collin says.

"Dad, Bella, Bella my Dad."

"Bella, it's wonderful to meet you, dear." He reaches out his hand to shake mine.

- 61 -

"You too Mr. Cullen."

"Doctor." Collin says with a grin. "Uncle Carlisle is a doctor."

"Sorry, Dr. Cullen." I smile at Collin and Dr. Cullen.

"Please, just call me Carlisle. Collin is at that age where he is learning titles and

tries to make sure everyone is correct."

"He's a little smart-ass." Cullen informs me. "It comes from living with Emmett."

"Emmie funny." Collin informs me.

"Collin, why don't you come with me to go help Aunt Esme in the kitchen." Carlisle

offers his hand to the child who turns and hugs me first.

"I see you soon, Bella." He gives a little wink and I think he might be hanging out

with Cullen too much. After they leave Cullen begins to tell me about Collin.

"Peter and Charlotte Hale, Jasper and Rose's Dad and Mom are Collin's parents as

well. However, two years ago Peter died of a sudden heart-attack; Charlotte took it
hard and went a little crazy. After three suicide attempts, she was sent to a facility
for help. The outlook isn't good for her to come back out. Rose and Em adopted
Collin and he lives here with them."

"Aww, the poor baby." My heart breaking for him. "I'm sorry about your loss." I

look at Jasper, who nods.

"Dinner is ready." I hear a voice coming from above my head.

"Intercom system. It runs out to the garages, so the others know it's time to come

in." Cullen informs me. "So, Princess, can I escort you to dinner?" I laugh and nod.

"Yes." He smirks.

"You just agreed to dinner with me, you do know what the fucking means, right,

sweet cheeks?" He whispers in my ear, his lips running along my jaw line. I groan.
His hot breath on my face feels so good; and I never thought I'd enjoy anyone's
breath on me.

I'm so screwed.

- 62 -

I hope you liked it, if you did you can express that in a review (no

pressure)

AN: For those of you who are like me and love visual aids for a chapter has

a bunch this chapter, including outfits and links to Flickr where I have the
houses, including interiors set up.

Not to sound like a complete bitch but PLEASE do not send me private

messages badgering me for updates, or asking about when it is going to
happen. I updated when it's done, I don't keep a bunch of updates stockpiled
to play with your heads. I have a thread, a facebook, a twitter and a blog all
giving info about when the next update will happen or how it is going along,
the addresses are all on my profile. And I'm only ranting because I've
received about ten just in the past two days alone.

That being said thank you all for the support it means a lot to me.

Here are some stories that I HIGHLY recommend reading, I put the story

then the story id beside it, if you don't know how to insert the story id, I'm
also going to do a blog update with the full addresses so you can just click
on the link. The blog has a few more links then this too...

An Angel Closes Her Eyes 5880132

blossom 5614106

Empty Panes and Pretty Things *complete*5591160

Fade Into You 6014591

Fate & Forgotten Secrets 5331891

Fugue Forgotten 5664578

Paper CutOuts 5993984

- 63 -

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

A big thanks to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing this for me. They

are awesome, loving and supportive not only as betas but as friends. Huge
love and hugs to them both. Both also are writers, you should check out
their stories :0)

There is a dictionary of motocross terms used and some story rec's at the

bottom.

Bella's POV

After liquefying my girlie bits, Cullen stalks off to the table dragging me behind

him. He actually acts like a gentleman and pulls a chair out for me before plopping
down beside me. And that is how I've come to be seated with Cullen on one side of
me and Might-be-serial-killer dude on the other.

I will admit I'd rather have Giant Cullen beside me rather than scary MBSKD. I

still think he was on America's Most Wanted; I'm still planning on checking their
website. And jeesh he has a lot of tattoos. I look around and notice big hottie Daddy
C sitting at the head of the table, Esme on his right, little Collin seated between her
and Rosalie. Seth plopped himself down beside Blondie, much to the chagrin of
Giant Cullen who is seated beside him. The short-day-glow Cullen is on the other
side of her husband chattering away about the time she broke her arm and the bone
came through the skin. Yeah, great dinner time conversation.

The food is excellent, roast beef, roasted herbed potatoes, a broccoli casserole,

some fancy salad, glazed carrots and to top it all off, these freaking awesome
homemade biscuits that melt in your mouth. Sue was a wonderful cook, but she was
nowhere near Esme's culinary level. I'm wondering if I can sneak her home in my
purse when the very suspect Jasper moves slightly towards me.

"I've got something for you." MBSKD whispers in my ear. Oh shit, he's going to

shank me.

- 64 -

"Uhhh…" I look down and his hand is moving over my thigh, but not touching it.

I'm thinking about getting Cullen's attention, but he seems fully engrossed in eating
the tasty roast beef his mom cooked for dinner.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He whispers to me again. I feel his hand graze

my leg and I jump. His hand is already gone. When I look down, I find a five dollar
bill laying on my thigh. I let out a breath and mumble my thanks.

"Are you ok?" Cullen finally pays attention.

"Fine." He notices the five and looks at me like I have two heads.

"Shit, Bella, Mom isn't going to fucking charge you for dinner." He says a little too

loudly and I glare at him.

"What was that, dear?" Esme asks him. MBSKD is snickering beside me, so I flip

the glare on him and he hushes up.

"Nothing, Mom." Cullen uses this innocent voice and she just gives him a look.

"Behave at the table, Edward." Oh, I think I like Esme, she totally has Cullen's

number.

"Yes, Mom."

"What the heck is he doing?" I can't help but say out loud.

"Showing off." Alice tells me laughing.

I look back at Cullen who is in the middle of some flip on his bike and cringe.

Dangling from the handle bars is just asking for death as far as I am concerned.
How he's doing this on a full stomach I have no clue, I would have been hurling
chunks by now if I was stupid enough to do something like that.

After dinner and a dessert of homemade cherry cheesecake, Cullen decided he

wanted to show Seth some tricks on the bike. We got in this wild looking golf cart
that was black with red flames down the side. It looked like a product of those
people from Pimp My Ride on MTV. Yes, I've seen that show. Jake has cable and
watches MTV to reclaim his youth.

- 65 -

"Woah!" Seth exclaims beside me. "Bella, did you see that? I've never seen a whip

like that!"

"Uh huh." I mumble, no clue what a whip is.

"Wait till you see him on the whoops, he freaking flies." Alice informs me.

"Dude." Seth says. That one word is full of awe.

"Did he mess up?" I ask completely lost. It's like they have a freaking language of

their own, seriously.

"What?" Alice looks at me confused then laughs. "The whoops?" I nod. "That's a

type of bump in the road, they are about three feet high, used in generally
Supercross, but some Motocross riders like to use them as well." She explains.

"Supercross?" I ask, I'm completely positive these people have their own language

now.

"Supercross is done in stadiums, so they get have the ability to do a few more

tricks because of the controlled environment. Jasper and Edward have been trying
to perfect them on outdoor tracks." Rosalie explains coming up to us.

"Killer double!" Seth cheers on Jasper who has his bike out there as well now.

"Does Gi… uh… Emmett ride as well?" Umm, no I didn't almost call him

Giant-Cullen out loud.

"He rides, but with his bulk, he's not able to do as many of the tricks and gather as

much speed as Jasper and Edward can with their leaner forms." Rosalie informs me,
looking at her huge husband who is tinkering with a bike.

"Yeah, he is the king of endos." Alice giggles, then takes in the look on my face

and explains. "Getting thrown over the front of your bike and not on purpose."

"Shut it, gnome." Emmett grumbles.

"Gnome?" Seth asks Emmett.

"Edward and I watched a lot of Nick Jr as kids, David the Gnome rocked, fuck I

loved that little guy. Did you know the Dad from Happy Days was the voice for him?
Hell, I was shocked too." I have no idea who he is asking, so I just smile politely.

- 66 -

"Anyways, Alice came home from the hospital looking all small and gnomish, so
Edward and I put a tiny ass Santa hat we had for the dog on her, and it completed
the look. She was gnome girl. The fact that she's a dwarf just solidified it." He winks
at his sister who flips him the bird.

Cullen is in the process of jumping again, if I wasn't so pissed off at him for being

stupid and risking his life, I'd be turned on by the control he has over that bike. It's
almost like he and the bike are one unit. Bike and man facing the odds one dirt hill
at a time. My last thought has me laughing at myself.

"Shit, he's got a rut." Rose says pointing to Cullen who's bike jerks and leans to

the side, he jumps off and the bike pops up in the air before sputtering to a stop.

"Fucking shit!" Cullen screams. "What the fuck kind of knobby is on this asshole?

It hits one fucking rut and bam, no fucking control. Fuck!" He's raging. He whips his
helmet off and throws it hard to the side. "If this fucking happened in competition
we'd all be fucked, I'd loose and someone could get fucking hurt!"

"Chill your shit, Edward." Rosalie says calmly, seeming unaffected by this very

theatrical tantrum Cullen is throwing.

"Fuck this!" He yells and storms off to the big garage that we saw the bikes

housed in earlier.

"Sorry about that." Alice says calmly. "Edward gets kind of emotional when things

don't go his way out on the track. He's been working on perfecting clearing the
quads and rutting like that kind of killed his momentum, so now he's pissed."

"Quads?" Seth seeming just as calm as Cullen's family bounces excitedly. "Holy

crow, only a couple of riders have ever cleared the quad."

"Quad, or quadruple, is when a rider does four jumps in a row, most can only do

three in a row and maintain control of the bike." Rosalie, or who I should now call
my Motocross Dictionary tells me.

"Ahh."

"Jasper just hit a new high." Alice squeals. Everyone seems to have forgotten

about Cullen and is now focused on the MBSKD who is still riding. I'm feeling bad
for Cullen, so I walk off to the garage to check on him.

"Motherfucking shit!" Is the first thing I hear when coming into the massive

- 67 -

garage. It really should just be referred to as Bike Land, there are a ton of them in
various states all over. A couple pristine looking brand new, a few more you can tell
have been used and then the others are ripped up with parts laying beside them.

Loud banging draws my attention to a door. Walking towards it, I can tell this is

where Cullen is located. Either that or someone else that curses worse than Bruce
Willis did in The Last Boy Scout. With the rant he has going on now, I can only
assume he is working on trying to prove his point about 'fuck' being a noun, verb,
adjective, etc at this point.

"Cullen?" I say timidly knocking on the door. It flies open and he's standing there

in all his hot glory. He's taken the top half of his jumpsuit off, a white wife beater is
exposing the cut arms and muscled chest. His hair is wild, his eyes are blazing and I
kinda want to jump him and hump him right about now.

"One fucking thing, Bella, six months I've been fucking working at that shit and

still nothing!" He roars. "If I can fucking get it, if I can fucking do it, then I can
retire without any regrets, knowing I was the fucking best I could be."

"Cullen… Edward, sometimes things just take time to perfect. You're young, you

have plenty of time to get it." I assure him, patting his warm, hard arm. Don't drool,
Bella, this is a serious conversation.

"I'm thirty, Bella, I don't want to be that guy still chasing the glory at forty." He

looks so sad and seriously I didn't know he was that much older than me, huh. "Son
of a fucking bitch!" He pushes back and pounds a fist into the wall. Anger shouldn't
look so hot.

"Cullen, what has that wall ever done to you?" I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

When he turns to look at me, I'm thinking I should have kept quiet.

His green eyes look black, he's got this naughty smirk on his face and his whole

body is tensed up. I can hear that annoying robot screeching Danger Will Robinson
in my head mixed in a mash up with Color Me Badd's I Wanna Sex You Up. I look
around for an exit; it's best if we open a door or put some distance between us
before I give in and listen to the CMB's advice and make love till we drown. Drown
in what, I'm not sure, but I'm positive that Cullen would be awesome at it. Stop that
train of thought, Bella, and find an exit. I look around wildly again.

Only I'm too late.

He moves us so quick, that I couldn't tell you how it happened. One minute I'm

- 68 -

standing towards the middle of this office space the next I'm pressed up against the
wall Cullen was just abusing. Oh, shit what if someone walks in? His lips quickly
attach to mine, driving all coherent thoughts out of mind. I'm no longer worried that
my kid brother or his family could walk in at any moment and find us pressed up
against this wall. All I can think about is his hand that grips my thigh and pulls me
up towards something hard. And I bet, pretty damn big.

"You even fucking taste like vanilla." He mutters.

His hands make short work of getting my shirt off, his eyes taking in my plain

cotton light pink bra I bought on sale at K-mart. He seems to like it though. He cups
my breast and pushes me once again even harder into mini-Edward. Since I'm
shirtless and exposed, I figure it's only fair if that I get his off too. So, I whip his wife
beater off and try not to get caught ogling his cut abs. The whole eight-pack that is
now on display – Yes, eight. Not six, but eight - God, truly blessed Cullen and I give
him a silent thank you, as my fingers slide along those awesome abs. Yum.

I run my hands even further up the perfection that is Cullen's chest enjoying every

part of it, even the tattoos that I would normally find tacky. I don't get too much
time to enjoy the feel of him though, Edward is fired up and on a mission. He
reaches for the clasp on my bra and then I'm suddenly there, in all my bare-breasted
glory. Not that I have any time to get self-conscious because he is instantly latching
on, lapping and sucking my one nipple into his mouth, his very talented hand
kneading and manipulating the other one. My hands are both locked into his hair,
pulling and clutching. It feels so freaking good. He has a very talented tongue.

His free hand makes it down between us and unbuttons my jeans. He pushes them

down and I start kicking them off, I want them off as much as he does, I can't help it,
the bare skin he's touched is alive tingling and on fire. I want more of that fire, I'm
craving it.

"Wet, so fucking wet and warm." He groans.

His fingers are sliding around fondling me, getting a feel for the lay of my

vag-land. My clit is throbbing, begging for his touch - basically telling the rest of my
vag to back the heck up, she's going first. When he finds it, I swear that little nub is
screaming 'Halleluiah'. My excitement makes my hands slip to his shoulders, I press
kisses into the side of his neck, his taut, sexy neck that I want to lick, so I do. I lick
and suck on his neck, a vampire has nothing on me at the moment.

"This is going to be hard and fast, no where fucking near the way our first time

together should be, so stop me now. I don't have any fucking will power left." He

- 69 -

warns me, pulling me back to reality so that we are looking at each other in the
eyes. And I'm too far gone to care that this isn't going to be some Harlequin style
first time. No roses, no bed. Just primal lust. I just need, every little part of my body
craving him.

"Now, Edward." I pant. "Just fucking take me." My swearing excites him, he jerks

up, reaching both hands around my thighs lifting me. My legs wrap around his
waist, our lips never separating.

"Ah fuck, baby, that's so fucking hot." He moans into my mouth. One hand stays

supporting me and I can feel him lowering the rest of his jumpsuit. Then he's
pushing into me, filling me.

I twist a hand into his hair and pull. He jerks up and I latch my lips on to his.

Kissing Edward is delicious. It's sensuous, tender and hot all rolled into one set of
plump soft lips. He cranes my neck back and sucks on my neck this time.

He fits tight against my walls, I can tell he's big and I'm thanking God again and

his parents for his awesome genetics that led to making the wonders of his cock. It's
a major turn on that I can feel the throbbing in his cock, the pulsing inside of me -
before he starts thrusting - excites my whole body.

His hot body is pushing me up and against the cold wall. The temperature

difference seems to excite me even further. My breast are playing peek a boo every
time he thrusts into me, this seems to excite him and soon he has my nipple back
into his mouth. He has a rhythm of thrust, lick, suck. Over and over.

Oh God!

He is thrusting deep into me now, my breathing hitches, tingles shoot from my

head to my toes, my lower belly tightens and my walls constrict hard around him. I
fall apart at the seams, the world goes black and then flashes of light explode behind
my eyelids. Edward grunts then let's go inside me. The force of his orgasm gives me
a mini second orgasm and I feel wonderfully light and heavy all at once. Tired and
alive at the same time.

"So fucking perfect." He says coming out of his post orgasm silence.

He kisses my forehead, my nose, my cheeks and finally my lips. I can feel him slip

out of my body, limp and sated. He keeps me wrapped around his waist and walks
towards a door that leads into a bathroom. There, in silence, he cleans our fluids
from me, kissing my inner thighs, my knees, any part of my body he touches, he

- 70 -

kisses. It's sweet and I feel worshiped. He grabs a brush and combs it through my
hair, gently.

"I fucking love your hair. It's smells like heaven and feels like a fucking cloud. All

fucking soft and silky." He informs me in a soft voice.

"I like your hair too." I say shyly in reply. And I do, it's a silken mess of sexiness.

"I should probably apologize for attacking you like an animal." His voice is soft

and not filled with the cockiness I'm used to hearing.

"No need to, Edward, I enjoyed it." I assure him. Though vag land is a little achy

after getting its first workout in years.

"Yeah?" I smile and nod at him. "Me too."

"We should probably get dressed though, I don't really want Seth to catch us like

this." I say ruefully.

"Yeah, good idea. No need to give him a visual aid discussion on the birds and the

fucking bees." He jokes and takes my hand.

"Yeah, that wouldn't be fun." I joke back with a relaxed smile.

For some odd reason, I'm not completely freaking out. I mean, I just had really hot

sex with a guy I barely know up against a wall. You'd think I'd be freaking out, or at
least a little more worried that someone was going to find out. But no, I'm all gumby
and giddy. Sex with Garrett was never like this. I feel satisfied, not like a body that
was used for someone else's pleasure. Edward may have gone fast and hard, but he
also made sure I came. And he needs to put some clothes on before I jump his fine
ass again.

"Dude, we've been looking for the two of you." Giant Cullen runs up to greet us as

we walk back into the yard. He gets this knowing smile, but Edward just glares and
the giant just winks and continues. "Chief Daniels called Dad, there was a huge
accident up on the highway. Daniels told Dad that a log flew off the back of one
logging truck and through the windshield of another, that truck rammed into the
first one, the cars that were on the road got tangled into it and there is a huge mess
up there. Dad thinks it's going to take a while to clean up. Mom wants to invite Bella
and Seth to stay the night."

- 71 -

"School." I mutter. My body is shaking a little thinking about all those poor people.

But I'm also having flashes of another accident, one where Charlie didn't make it.

"Bella, we can leave early in the morning if you're that fucking determined to go.

But fuck, baby, there is no way I'm driving you and the kid past that." He tells me
pulling my shaking form to him.

"Fine." I give in. I don't want Seth to see that. I don't want him to be haunted by

that.

"Cool, so Seth and Collin are playing video games with Jasper and me up at the

'rents' pad." He points to the house as he talks. "We should go tell Mom you're
staying, so she'll stop worrying."

"Fuck, is she pacing?" Cullen asks his brother.

"Not yet, but she's worried. She's doing that whole 'those poor people', 'can't let

the babies see that mess' thing. You know how she gets." Cullen nods.

"Yeah." Cullen says out loud. "Come on, Princess, we need to go let Mom know

you and Seth won't be leaving tonight. She's probably having visions of the two of
you riding past a bunch of fucked up bodies and having nightmares for the rest of
your lives."

"Oh." Is my only reply.

"Mom!" Giant Cullen screams and Esme comes running into the foyer.

"Inside voice, Emmett." She chides.

"Sorry, Mom. Bella and Seth are spending the night." He tells her before walking

towards the living room.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so glad the both of you are staying. Now, my nephew Eli is about

the same size as Seth, maybe just a little bigger and I have some of his things here.
I'll just go grab them so Seth has something to sleep in and wear tomorrow." She
tells me. "I think I might have something that would fit you as well in my closet. I'm
just a little bigger around the hips than I used to be." She smiles, she's maybe two
sizes larger than my own size six.

"Mom, don't worry I'll hook Bella up." Rose comes in.

- 72 -

"Thanks." I say, though Rose is like six inches taller than me so her t-shirt could

probably be a dress on me.

"Don't worry about it. If Alice loaned it to you it would be some weird day glo color

and too tight, Esme's would be something stuffy and old. You seem more laid back
than that." She smiles kindly at me.

"True, I prefer comfort over design."

"God! Me too, girl." She laughs. "Every so often, I toss on some hooker stilettos

and make Em a happy guy, but other than that, I'd rather be comfy." We share a nod
of understanding and she excuses herself to go grab me some clothes.

"Bella!" Little Collin squeals with delight when Cullen and I walk into the living

room area.

"Hey, Collin." I smile at him and he runs to hug me. I so love this kid.

"Bella, can Seth have a sleep over in my room? I have toys!" He bounces excitedly.

"Please, Bella?" Seth asks, he's smiling fondly at the little guy. Clearly the kid has

won over my, I'm too cool now that I'm a teenager brother.

"Sure, that's fine with me." I inform them both.

"Cool! We gonna have so much fun! Emmie, will you make carama corn?" Collin

asks Giant Cullen.

"Sure, kid, caramel corn for the both of ya and root beer." Giant Cullen is acting

as excited as Collin. "Oh, I think Rose has some hidden oatmeal cream pies we can
snag too."

"Easy on the junk food, sleepover actually means you need to sleep guys." Alice

tells them from her perch on MBSKD's lap.

"Rose, Seth is sleeping over!" Collin rushes over to Rose, who has an armful of

clothing.

"That's great, honey. I bet Em will make some caramel corn for you!" She says

excitedly, her eyes warm on her kid brother.

"Yep, he already said 'yes'." Collin does a little squat bounce. "Pee pee!" He

- 73 -

screams before taking off out of the room.

"I think little dude had to go." Edward jokes.

"One would think that." I agree with him laughing.

"Here, Bella, hopefully something here will fit you." Rose says handing me the

clothes. "If not, let me know and I'll look some more."

"Thank you so much, Rose."

"No problem." She says kindly, before plopping down by her husband.

"Wanna see my house?" Cullen asks me.

"Sure." I reply. He grabs my hand and leads me back out the door.

"So wanna have a sleep over of our own?" He asks me. I look up into his green

eyes and my body is screaming Do Me, Baby. My mind is going, everybody will know
.

What's a girl to do?

AN2: *blushes* so thoughts? Love? Hate?

Thanks to Joe Gibbs Racing site for proper definitions

http:/www(dot)jgrmx(dot)com

Doubles: Riders commonly jump gaps between two jumps, which are called

double jumps or doubles.

Endo: When a rider inadvertently gets thrown over the front of the motorcycle in

a crash it's called an endo.

Knobby: The tires used in off-road competition are called knobbys.

Quadruples: Sometimes, especially in supercross, very gifted riders can clear

four jumps at once, which is called clearing the "quad."

Rut: is created by spinning rear wheels below ground level, negotiating ruts

through whoops or on the face of a triple jump can be very difficult.

- 74 -

Table Top: A jump found in both motocross and supercross that is in effect, a

double jump with the gap filled in so that there is a flat surface between the take off
and landing.

Triples: Triples are very common in Supercross. Triples are three jumps, each

about 33 feet apart. Jumping from the first jump, over the middle jump, and landing
on the far jump is called "tripling." Typically, a set of triples in supercross is 66 feet
from the take off ramp to the landing ramp.

Whips: rider flies off a jump and swings the rear end of the bike sideways whips

can be for fun, and/or to add style. sometimes the force of a whip can help keep the
bike low so the rider can get back to the ground sooner so power can be returned to
the ground as quickly as possible

Whoops: stutter bumps usually about three feet tall and each bump is about four

to six feet apart

Story Rec's *a few of you have said you like when I do this so that's why it's here*

Just add the fanfiction(dot)net to the front.

/s/6156941/1/Bad_News_Bella

/s/5651534/1/Daniel_Gale_Cumming_to_America

/s/5473838/1/The_Man_Who_Cant_Be_Moved

/s/5901030/1/Cullen_Unscripted *complete*

/s/4812429/1/Bright_Like_the_Sun

/s/5537263/1/I_Run_to_You

Anything by this author /u/1869875/SydneyAlice I highly rec Turn The Page by her

though.

- 75 -

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

AN: As usual a HUGE thanks to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing

this for me. They are the peanut butter and jelly to my plain white bread,
they make me good ;0)

This is pretty much a filler chapter, sorry if it is a little boring but it was

needed to take us where we are going on this ride. Remember this story is
VERY low angst so don't freak out...

Bella's POV

Damn Cullen and his magic lips. I mean, before I had time to completely process

his offer and say 'yay' or 'nay', Edward pressed his lips to mine. Sweet plump lips
that drive all coherent thought from my mind. Lips that know just how much
pressure needs to be used to make Bella turn from a responsible adult into a horny
Bella who can't say no. Hell, I ended up saying 'yes' a lot last night. First to sleeping
over, next to all the touches and orgasms he gave me.

One minute he's asking me if I want to sleep over, my brain starts to channel Bel

Biv Devo the next thing I know he's pounding into me on a nice, warm fluffy bed in
his house. In and out, to the left, upward thrust. God the man's hips should be
bronzed and put on the Sex History Museum walls as the most talented hips ever.
For hours over and over in positions, I didn't even know existed. I mean, I've
watched porn with Jake; Cullen teased, played and owned my body. He whispered
sexy, sweet words in my ears. He told me how unforgettable, how beautiful and how
hot I am.

Now as the morning sun pours in the window over Cullen's very naked body, that

is pressing me into the bed while he lightly snores, I've come to realize that what
I've always heard about… the morning after being when clarity comes is true. And
clearly I'm a slut. A harlot. A hussy. A jezebel. A horrible influence on my kid
brother. I just pray Seth doesn't figure out what I've been up too. I mean, he won't
notice my slight limp, will he?

- 76 -

As for Cullen, what the hell was I thinking? I mean, he looks all hot and angry and

I just open my legs and say 'do me, baby'. I haven't known him that long; and what I
do know about him…? He has no concept of personal safety. I mean, just look at his
job. His mouth would make a sailor say "LANGUAGE!" His family is all kinds of
awesome; I can't deny that. He's sexy as all hell. My girlie bits really like him and
from the way he's been since he fell asleep I'm thinking he's a cuddler.

Prior to Cullen, all I had ever participated in was standard missionary. Cullen

taught me how to play cowgirl, showed me doggy style and we've only been on one
real date. Hell, I'm not even sure I like him as a person.

"Stop." I hear his voice, deep and rough with sleep.

"Huh?" I sort of whisper; not sure if he's talking in his sleep.

"Stop over-analyzing everything." He tells me, "there is no rule book. No actual

laws that say people have to move at a certain pace. We do what is best for the both
of us; and move however fast we fucking want to." He says simply.

"Coming from the man who's probably had more pussy than I've had cans of

coke." I mutter.

Edward moves fast, pulling me down, he's caging me under him and is looking me

dead in the eyes. He grunts when my knee shifts to get comfortable, almost hitting
the peen I'm having bronzed along with the hips. His green eyes assessing me,
looking almost hurt. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"I have not had that much pussy." He mutters, "when I was eighteen and first

starting out, a guy on the circuit got slapped with three different paternity suits in
less than six months. All of them ended up being his. I knew then and there that I
wasn't going to fuck up like that. I didn't want some kid being born and not knowing
I'm his dad.

I've had sex before you, Bella, but for thirty and in my profession, a number of six

women is really low. Two of them coming from my first year on the circuit, before I
learned the lesson; and only one of them was a one-night stand. I got a call that my
grandfather died, had too much to drink and fucked the bar maid." He tells me
bluntly.

"Sorry, about your grandfather." I mentally slap myself for that, of all he just

revealed and all I can say is 'sorry about your dead grandpa?' Yeah, nice going, B.

- 77 -

"Thanks." He gives me a smirk. "I'm a flirt, Bella, I won't lie about that shit. I've

made out with more than six women, but I'm not a man-whore or whatever it's
called. Plus, look at my parents, I like to think that they showed me that fucking
random women isn't the right choice."

"Ok." I say.

"Ok." He smiles and looks at me like he's waiting for something. After a few more

seconds, he rolls his eyes. "This is the part where you tell me if I'm one of a few, or
one of many, Bella." He laughs.

"Few." I reply. "You're number two." And way better than number one, but your

big ego doesn't need me to tell you that right now.

"Ok." He uses the same tone I used before leaning to kiss me.

"Ok." I giggle before those damn lips take over my brain again.

After being at the Cullen compound, my apartment feels even smaller than usual.

Poor Seth, I think the video games and big screen TVs spoiled him. He perches on
the sofa flipping through the six clear channels we get on bunny ears, muttering
about flat screens and over five hundred channels. My kid brother was spoiled in
less than thirty-six hours.

"So, did you have fun?" I ask him.

"Yeah, it's freaking amazing there, Bella. It was kinda weird at first being back in

Forks. Then it just felt right." He tells me. "So, are you and Edward like a couple or
something now?" Ok, didn't expect that, but maybe I should have.

"Uhh… I'm not sure, Seth." Because I'm not. Cullen gave me a fantastic amount of

hot sex and orgasmic bliss, but never said when we'd see him again, or asked me to
be his girlfriend or anything like that.

A loud banging coming from the door startles me. I run over to look through the

peep hole. I try to hold back a groan as I open the door and let Jake into the house.
Or should I say Jatina, since he's wearing a mini skirt and six inch heels - which
make him seven feet tall - and a ruffle silk blouse.

"Good afternoon, my lovely Swans." He giggles then looks at me, his very made up

- 78 -

eyes bugging out of his head. "You got laid!" He squeals and claps his hands
bouncing on his heels.

"Shut up." I mutter, giving him that 'shut-the-fuck-up-before-I-cut-a-bitch' look.

"Hey, Jake." Seth greets from his spot on the sofa, he's still glaring at our old

school TV.

"Hey, Sethy." Jake titters, turning back to wink at me. "Spill." He demands in a

whisper.

"Shut up." I repeat. Once again motioning to Seth and giving him the

'I-will-cut-you' look.

"Bitch, please. I perfected the 'I-will-cut-you' look, now talk to big momma." He

pulls me into my room, telling Seth we were going to do girlie stuff. Seth just grunts
and goes back to watching old reruns of the A-Team. "Ok, Bella, I'm just going to say
this nicely once. The kid can't hear us, so you better get those lips to start talking."
He demands flopping on my bed crossing his legs and posing like he's Jackie O or
something.

"Cullen's family compound is in Forks." Jake gasps and looks at me seriously.

"Are you and Seth ok?" He knows that we haven't been there since the funeral.

"Yeah, it was a lot easier being there than I thought it would be." I assure my

demanding, lovable queen of a friend.

"Ok, and…" He draws out.

"His Mom cooked us a wonderful meal. I mean, like better than even Sue could

cook." He looks envious, poor Jake he tries but he is no Betty Crocker. "His family is
really nice, he has this giant of a brother and a mini little thing that is his sister. And
Ken and Barbie for in-laws. His Mom is all kinds of sweet and awesome, his Dad is
nice and hot for an old guy. And there is sweet little Collin, Ken and Barbie's baby
brother that lives there too."

"And?" Jake keeps going.

"And I think his brother-in-law might be a serial killer that I saw on America's

Most Wanted." I tell him seriously.

- 79 -

"What?" Jake looks at me like I have sprouted a third breast or something.

"I'm serious, I have plans to check out their website to see if I can find out

anything." I inform him.

"Ok, we'll do that later, but back to the most important part. You. Got. Laid."

"The fact that I just spent time on a remote compound with a guy that might be a

serial killer isn't the most important part?" I ask astounded that he was more
worried about sex than MBSKD.

"Bella. you clearly are alive and well; and I know you too well to think this guy is

actually a serial killer. You're insane, that's why I love you. Now, tell me about the
sex."

"Umm… his sister was wearing day glow yellow jeans and a Finding Nemo t-shirt."

I blurt out in an effort to save myself from having to tell Jake about the naughty wall
sex and the sleep over from orgasm heaven.

"Seriously?" Jake looks close to passing out. Aha. As always, fashion is his life.

"Yep, I call her day-glow Cullen, even though her last name is Hale, I think

because she's married to might–be-serial-killer-dude."

"Wait a sec, Bella, are you talking about Jasper Hale?" Jake laughs out loud.

"Yes." I say a little nervous, Jake has this knowing look in his eyes.

"Sweet, sweet paranoid, delusional Bella." He laughs even harder before walking

over to my tiny desk where my lap top is set up. He goes online and loads something
up laughing the whole time. When he gets where he wants he motions me over.
"Bella, Jasper Hale was on America's Most Wanted." He pulls up a youtube video
and presses play.

The video starts with John Walsh taking the screen doing his normal intro into a

recreation of a crime. It's about a guy who shot a ton of people in a bank and ran off
before he was caught. After the reenactment was over they interviewed a few of the
survivors. Then suddenly there he was MBSKD in all his scary, yet hot in his own
way glory. One of the victims was a friend of his; and he put up a reward to help
catch the killer. Uh oh.

"And, Bella, need we go over what happens when you assume?" I stick my tongue

- 80 -

out at him and start giggling, I can't help it. I'm relieved and embarrassed… and so
freaking glad I didn't ask anyone if Jasper was a serial killer other than Jake who I
have blackmail on. Can we say wearing a sequin bandage dress singing N'Sync
songs into a hair brush on tape?

"So, how was the sex?" Jake tries again.

"Cullen did some tricks on his bike, including flipping upside down." I answer and

Jake rolls his eyes. He stands up walks over, pushes me down on the bed then tickles
me. When I scream enough he tries again.

"How was the sex?" When I go to talk, he holds his perfectly done acrylic nails

above my rib cage and does a little fake tickle motion to warn me.

"So good." I finally tell him.

"Now, was that so hard?" Jake laughs sitting up, "I'm so proud of you, sugar,

finally letting the evil snake into your garden of Eden." I roll my eyes and push Jake
up.

"Alright already." I complain.

"Now, Prudella, when are we and Mr. Motocrossward going out again?"

"I don't know." I pout, "maybe I suck at sex or something, because he didn't

mention anything when he dropped us off today."

"Sweetheart, don't worry, give him a day or two. If he doesn't call, Big Momma

and Big Poppa will ride down and teach him some manners." I roll my eyes again.

"Ok, Big Momma Jake." I joke, but inside I'm worried that I did suck and Edward

won't call.

Tuesday, Seth and I went back to our normal routine. I think both of us were

trying to pretend that this past weekend never happened. Seth because he missed
the Cullens, me because, though I'd never admit it out loud, I missed Edward. Even
at work that evening, I kept trying to get him out of my head.

Should I text him? Call him? Would it seem desperate? Is this his way of giving me

the brush-off?

- 81 -

And these thoughts and feelings, my friends, are why I keep my legs closed and

don't date. Men suck!

Wednesday morning, we got up and again went into our normal routine. Thursday

was more of the same. I was starting to feel used and pissed off. I had dreams of
Charlie hunting Cullen down with his shot gun. Those dreams made me feel happy,
one because Charlie seemed so real in them and two because of the scared look on
Cullen's face as my Daddy chased him down for messing with me.

By Friday, I think both Seth and I were thinking we'd never see Edward again. We

got up did our thing. In school I tried not to scowl and did the mental math to see if
I'd have enough to treat Seth to some take out, I figured it would be a great
pick-me-up after this weird, crappy week. We came home deciding to order pizza
and have it delivered. Seth's usual excitement over this was diminished, but I could
tell he was still excited over the treat. However, when we came home, there was a
surprise sitting beside our door.

"Hey!" Giant Cullen pulls himself up from his sitting position beside the door.

"Hi, Em!" Seth greats him enthusiastically with a high-five, fist-bump combo.

"Hi." I try to hold back the question of 'what the heck are you doing here?' and

'how did you know where I live?'. I unlock the door, let us all in, if I thought my
apartment felt small before, the mass of Giant Cullen made it even worse.

"So, you are probably wondering why I'm here." He says as he plops down on the

sofa.

"You could say that." I reply with a smile. For some reason, you can't help but

smile back at Giant Cullen.

"So, a bunch of crappola went down, Dad and Edward had to go out of town to

help out a very important family member who is sick. They left in a rush, Edward left
his phone behind; and… it kinda… sorta happened to go into a load of laundry that
Alice washed at his house. Well, anyhoo, the phone had your number on it; and it
was the only place it was located. Jasper came by yesterday to explain, but I guess
you were at work and he didn't want to leave a note because this shit is pretty
insane. So, yeah, I'm here to explain and give you Eddie-boy's new number so that
he'll stop pulling out all his hair." He said it quickly in what seemed like all one
breath, I kind of wanted to applaud him for being able to do that.

"Ok…" Yeah, I don't remember giving Edward my number to begin with, but at

- 82 -

least I don't feel like something he used and tossed to the side as much anymore.

"Yeah, if his ass was in town, he'd be at your door getting it himself, or at least

using his source. But right now, he's kinda tied up." He hands me a sheet of paper
with Edward's cell number on it.

"Thanks." I smile.

"Alright, then." Giant Cullen stands up, "oh shit! Yeah, umm… Rose and I are

spending the weekend in town with Collin and we were wondering if we can borrow
Seth tomorrow." Seth looks at me pleadingly.

On one hand I don't know these people that well, on the other hand, there is just

something so likeable about Emmett Cullen; and the way he is with his baby
brother-in-law, lets me know that Seth will be well looked over. I can tell by the look
on Seth's face that he wants to go with them, so I guess there's no harm.

"Ok, but I'll need your cell number and he'll have to call and check in with me."

Shoot, I should ask where they are going. I suck at this parenting thing. "Oh and I'll
need to know where you are taking him to."

"Sure, not a problem. We're going to the zoo and if they still have energy, we'll be

hitting somewhere for dinner. And before you complain, Edward already warned me
that you try to pay for everything and this is completely on us. I won't take your
money." As he is talking he takes my cell and calls himself then stores the number.
"Did you really pull out money to pay Mom for dinner last week?" Damn you Edward
Cullen.

"No, Edward is delusional. It must be all those falls off that dang bike of his."

Emmett booms a laugh.

"Yeah, that's it. Seth, we'll be here around ten to get you. Bella, please call

Edward, so he'll leave the rest of us alone. Swan family, I'm outtie, I got a lady to
love on tonight." He winks and waves as he heads out the door.

"So, how about I just cook us something and I'll give you the pizza money for

spending money tomorrow?" He nods.

"That's fine, Bella. Thanks for letting me go." Seth hugs me.

"Just be careful, Seth."

- 83 -

"I will. Don't worry so much, Bells." He laughs. But I can't help it, I love the little

bugger.

After dinner, Seth goes and plays online while I do some reading for class. I'm

warring with myself over whether or not I should call Edward. I mean, he got my
number before without my help, what if this story is complete bull and he's sitting
up at his precious compound just playing some game with me? Then again, it could
be the truth and this family member being in trouble could really be messing with
him. My phone goes off interrupting my train of thought and I answer it without
checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hi, baby." The familiar voice stuns me. I really need to start checking my caller

ID.

Edward's POV

Fuck! This is so not how I expected to spend this week. I had plans to stay in

Seattle and see how many more times I could get between Bella's soft thighs. Her
fucking awesome thighs and tight wet pussy that is fucking heaven. Instead, I'm in
Phoenix again. At least this time Dad is with me and I don't have to deal with this
shit alone.

"Edward, I'm going to call your Mother and tell her we made it." Dad's soothing

voice lets me know.

"Shit! I should probably call Bella, so she doesn't think I did a pump and dump."

Dad rolls his eyes at me and mutters 'language' under his breath. Like he doesn't
drop an f-bomb here and there.

I reach in my pocket for my cell and come up empty. I walk over to my suitcase

and begin searching in there for my phone. What the fuck? I can't find my fucking
phone. I go over to Dad's room to see if maybe it's in there, though it doesn't seem
fucking likely.

"Dad, have you seen my phone?" He shakes his head.

"Sorry, Edward, did you check your luggage?" He asks me.

- 84 -

"It's not there."

"I'll let your Mother know, so she can go over to your house and overnight it

here." That sounds reasonable.

"Yeah, do me a favor, have her get Bella's number out of it for me, so I can call

her." I fucking don't want to have to deal with an irate Bella.

"Can do." He laughs, giving me a knowing look.

"I'm gonna go ahead over to the hospital to see Faith." I tell him.

"Give her my love and tell her I'll be there in a few hours." I nod.

"Can do old man."

"She has a little more color today than yesterday, I think your visit really helped

Mr. Cullen." Dr. Ward tells me as we leave Faith's room.

"I feel like shit for not being here when this all went down." I have no fucking clue

why I just laid that on the doc.

"Edward, we all can blame ourselves, but we are here now, and this time, when

she is well, we are taking her home with us." Dad puts his arm on my shoulders as
he tries to calm me down.

"If I had known sooner she could have already been there with us, then none of

this shit would have happened." I argue.

"Edward, you can't blame yourself, at this juncture it will do no good."

"Mr. Cullen, I've been briefed on the situation; and your father is right, you can't

blame yourself." Dr. Ward also tries to assure me.

"Edward, the past is just that; the past. It gives us foundations to grow on, to

change from, the past doesn't tell us who and what we are going to be now. We can
change the future, you can't change the past." I nod.

"Yeah, I guess." I feel like a kid again, running to Daddy with a fucking boo boo so

he can make everything better.

- 85 -

"Alright, we need to go. Faith needs her sleep and I have to call Esme back before

she freaks out and gets on the next plane here." I can't help the small smile that
comes to my face when I think of my sweet mother fighting Jasper and Emmett to be
able to sneak away to get on the plane, against doctor's orders.

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good."

"No, son, it wouldn't." He agrees with a laugh and we head back to the hotel.

"What do you mean you washed my cell phone?"

"I'm sorry, Edward, I was just trying to help out by washing clothes and tiding up

your place and I guess I kinda forgot to check the pockets of your pants." Alice says
quickly.

"Ali, does it load at all?"

"Sorry, Edward." She says down the line again, "it doesn't do anything, the screen

is black and when you turn it on, it stays that way. I tried switching the little
memory stick to my phone since we have the same model, but it doesn't work
either."

"Fuck, this isn't fucking good. How the fuck am I supposed to call Bella? Did any

of you happen to get the number?"

"Sorry, Edward." She says again, I can hear her sniffling and I feel like a fucking

douche bag, my kid sister was just trying to fucking be nice.

"Ali-cat, calm down, it's going to be fucking fine. Send Jasper over to Bella's place,

he's been there before, so he knows where it is. Let her know a family emergency
popped-up out of town and about the phone accident and I'll call him in an hour with
my new cell number to give her, I'm running to the Verizon store right now to get a
new phone."

"Ok!" She says with excitement, happy that a solution has come about. "I'll drive

there myself if he can't go, Edward. I just feel so bad about this."

"It's fine, Alice, I swear. I'll call you back as soon as I have the new number. And

make sure Mom is resting, Al, you know how she is."

- 86 -

"Yeah, I know, poor Mom I can't believe she was feeling so bad all day Sunday and

never let on."

"I can, Alice, she is hoping I'll marry Bella so she can see all her kids married off;

and if that meant pretending she wasn't sick that day, then she fucking would do it."

"I know, Edward, and if you want my two cents, I like Bella, she seems nice. I

didn't get to spend a lot of time with her, but if you decide she is the one, I'm sure
she and I will become friends."

"I'm glad, Ali. Listen, I got to go get this fucking phone situation worked out." We

say our goodbyes and I let Dad know I'm driving over to the Verizon store we saw on
the way back from the hospital.

When I got to the store, the teenage boy behind the counter was more than happy

to help me and also get my autograph. He was a nice kid, but damn did he ever shut
up? I got my phone set up and the new number before going back to the hotel where
I had to charge the damn thing. I used Dad's phone to call Alice back and I gave her
the number. She told me she tried to find Bella's number in the book but she was
unlisted; and Jasper promised to go over the next day to get it to her.

After the drama of the day and worrying about Faith, I crawled into bed fucking

whipped and ready to sleep. I closed my eyes and visions of Bella's breast pushing
up at me as I fuck her against the wall assault me, and of course my dick has to
respond. I guess it doesn't realize that I'm fucking tired. I groan and go get in the
shower. Might as well have some fun today.

It took them two days to find Bella and get her my new number. If I had a fucking

brain, that was functioning, I would have just called my original source for her
number and been able to contact her before now. At least she has the damn story
and doesn't think I'm a fucking prick for not calling her ass back. Her nice firm ass,
that is so fucking nice to grab and hold onto while she rides me, ugh! And those
fucking tits. Shit! Got to stop those wandering thoughts.

I know from Emmett that she got my number three and a half hours ago now. Why

the fuck hasn't she called? I mean, she doesn't think I'm an asstard, right? What if
she thinks I'm a sucky lover and this is her way of telling me to leave her alone? And
when did I turn into such a fucking girl worrying about this?

Fuck it, I'm just going to call her. Maybe that is what she is waiting for.

- 87 -

But what if she isn't? What if she doesn't want to talk to me? Shit, there I go

growing a vag again.

If she didn't want to talk to me, she wouldn't have agreed for Em to take the kid

tomorrow, right?

Right.

The phone rings twice before I hear her soft voice greet me with a timid 'hello'.

I've never heard Bella timid before, my girl is ballsy and can come back at me with
no problem.

"Bella baby, are you ok?" I'll fuck someone up if they've messed with her ass.

"Edward?" Is her only response.

"It's me." I hear rustling and what sounds like someone crying.

"Hey, Edward, it's Seth." I'm a little weirded-out to be honest, I swear I heard my

Bella crying.

"Yeah, it's me, Seth what's wrong with Bella?" I tried to hold back the fucks, so the

Kid wouldn't think I was mad at him.

"Umm… she's kinda upset, Renee called and from what I can understand Phil had

a heart attack and died. We have to go to the funeral now, and Bella is freaking out."

"Wait, who are Renee and Phil?" I'm so fucking lost.

"Renee is Bella's Mom, Phil is her step dad." He explains. I thought Bella was an

orphan.

"I thought your Mom had already died?" Shit, I didn't mean to blurt it out like that.

"She did. Bella and I have the same Dad, different biological mothers, but my

Mom raised Bella. It's a long story, Edward." The poor kid sounded like the weight
of the world was on his shoulders. There was a pause and I had no clue what to say.

"Edward, it's Jake. I've given Bella Xanax and put her to bed, she'll call you when

she gets it together. She generally doesn't freak out like this, but she hasn't heard
from Renee since Charlie died, then to get this call out of the blue, really hit her
hard." He/She explains to me.

- 88 -

"Yeah, is there anything I can do?" I feel fucking useless right now being so far

away from her.

"Just be there for her. Seth told me you were out of town on your own family

emergency or I'd tell you to get your fine ass over here and be with her. But just call
her, don't make her feel like you pity her and act normal. Bella is strong, she'll be
ok."

"Yeah, fuck if I could be there, I would, this is just I can't fucking get away." I

didn't want to tell Jake the story. "Tell her I'll call in the morning."

"I will." We say 'goodbye' and I call Emmett to tell him what is going down. He

and Rose promise to do all they can to help her. I would normally call Mom, but with
her being sick, I don't want this to get back to her just yet. She needs rest, not
running around taking care of everyone.

"Edward, the hospital just called, we need to get over there." Dad burst into my

room and my stomach drops.

Faith.

AN: I would say sorry for the cliffie, but well I've already got most of the

next chapter written so you won't be waiting to long if my motivation keeps
up. The next chapter we will find out some interesting things about Renee,
and more about Faith who may not be who you think she is.

Reviews are my crack, please be my dealers ;0)

This weeks rec's remember just put the fanfiction(dot)net in front of it

The Cube /s/6164528/1/ all human, a defiantly different, plus it's

complete!

Somewhere Between Crimson and Blue /s/5810120/1/ another all human

complete fic, I'm a strict B and E HEA girl so just trust ;0)

The Bigger They Are /s/6023650/1/ A little bit older B and E, I'm really

enjoying it. It has more real life in it than they meet they fall in love they
hump. It also has my second favorite Jake in fanficition.

Absolutely ANYTHING by 107YearOldVirgin /u/1925848/ and anything by

FL95 /u/1971788/FL95

- 89 -

PS: For those waiting on the Homecoming update it's coming soon,

hopefully by the weekend, the teaser is up on the thread and blog though.

- 90 -

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

AN: Sorry for the delay, if you follow my twitter or facebook you know my

son has been sick so writing was on the back burner.I want to thank you all
for sticking with me, and our darling Motocrossward *who has his own
twitter ;0)*.

I have read all your reviews and the make me smile so hard! Thank you all

so much. I know I suck at replies. However this time I'm going to reply to
each review that comes in for chapter 7 (with an exclusive teaser for chapter
8).

As usual a HUGE thanks to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing this

for me. The cinnamon and sugar to my white bread, together we make some
really kick ass cinnamon toast ;0)

Bella's POV

"Mom?" I ask completely shocked that she is calling me.

"Hey, baby girl, I have to tell you something, are you sitting down?" I nod, then

realize she can't see me.

"Yeah, Renee, I'm sitting down." It feels odd to call Renee 'Mom', Sue was always

the 'Mom' for me. I mean, I love Renee; she just wasn't meant to be a Mom.

"Sweetie, Phil passed."

"What?" Phil?

"Yeah, oh, baby girl, it was horrible. We were in the middle of a spiritual orgy and

his heart gave out." She sobs.

"Orgy? Heart?" What the hell?

- 91 -

"Well, you know we have certain beliefs and the Moon Goddess of Night requires

an orgy when a Harvest moon appears."

"Renee…" I just trail off not sure what to say, my mind is blank.

"Well, sweetie, the funeral is Monday afternoon, we have to have the cleansing

ceremony Sunday and Saturday is the day of mourning here. Can you make it?"

"Yeah, I'll drive down." I mutter. There goes the two hundred dollars in my savings

account.

"Good, you remember where it is, right?"

"Yes, Renee." I'm starting to feel odd.

"Ok, sweetie, I'll see you soon!" She rings off without waiting for me to say

anything, sounding way too happy for a woman whose husband just passed away.

"Bella, are you ok?" Seth asks, "You've gone all pale, I mean more than your usual

albino self." Haha, kid-brother.

"Phil had a heart attack, he died." I tell him simply.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry." He comes and gives me a sweet Seth hug and I can't help

the tears that keep flowing.

I've lost three out of four of my parents now. I know I didn't see Phil that often,

but he was still my silly crazy step-Dad who did sweet things for me when I was
little. When Renee would get lost in her own world, Phil would be the one to
remember to send me a birthday present and a Christmas gift. He would always look
hard and find unique things he knew I would like. A compilation of Austen's work,
Barbies (when I was little) that came with Victorian era clothing. My favorite was a
charm bracelet he gave me for my high school graduation, on it was a charm for
every member of my family, including Jake who was represented by pink polka dot
dress in the style of the 1950s.

Sweet, thoughtful, Phil who followed my Mom everywhere, even to the nudist

commune/cult where they are now living. He was her devoted spouse and her
keeper. Renee was going to be lost without him. And I was going to miss him a
whole hell of a lot. I might not talk to him all the time, but at least I knew he was out
there for me somewhere.

- 92 -

Through my tears, I hear Seth, mumble something about going to get Jake, and

the faint sounds of my cell phone ringing in my back pocket. Not recognizing the
number off the top of my head I answer softly, hoping it's not more bad news.

"Hello?"

"Bella baby, are you ok?"

"Edward?"

"It's me." The sound of his voice brings more tears to my eyes. Edward left after

sleeping with me, I know it's a family emergency, but still he didn't send food, or
flowers like he did before he had me. And my sensitive emotions were agitated by
the fact he was able to go without saying 'goodbye'. I start crying harder.

"Hey, Edward, it's Seth." Seth takes the phone away from me and I curl in a ball

on the sofa to cry some more. "Umm… she's kinda upset, Renee called and from
what I can understand Phil had a heart attack and died. We have to go to the funeral
now and Bella is freaking out."

"Bells?" Jake calls my name gently and I shake my head, letting him know that I'm

not really ok. He hands me a small light yellow pill and my cup of grape Kool-Aid. I
take the pill knowing it will bring sweet relief.

"Renee is Bella's mom, Phil is her step-dad." He explains. There is a pause then he

goes on to explain to Edward more about our whole parent situation. "She did. Bella
and I have the same Dad, different biological mothers, but my Mom raised Bella. It's
a long story, Edward." Jake takes pity on Seth and relieves him of the phone.

"Edward, it's Jake. I've given Bella Xanax and put her to bed, she'll call you when

she gets it together. She generally doesn't freak out like this, but she hasn't heard
from Renee since Charlie died, then to get this call out of the blue, really hit her
hard."

It's true Renee hasn't called me in years, Phil sent Christmas cards with ten bucks

each for Seth and I every year though. Jake goes on, "Just be there for her. Seth told
me you were out of town on your own family emergency, or I'd tell you to get your
fine-ass over here and be with her. But just call her; don't make her feel like you pity
her and act normal. Bella is strong; she'll be ok." My eyelids get droopy and I hear a
vague 'bye' come from Jake.

"Edward?" I reach my heavy arm out for the phone. I want Edward.

- 93 -

"Sorry, Bells, he had to go, hun." Jake says curling up on the sofa with me. I feel

more tears slip out, I can't help it I want Edward here, curled up with me.

"Bella, can I get you anything?" Seth asks and I shake my head 'no'. Because he

can't get me Edward and that's all I really want right now.

I lean my head over onto Jake's satin clad shoulder and sigh as the familiar scent

of his Channel number 5 meets my nose. Jake holds me tight to his fake breast and
rocks me, whispering sweet words until the Xanax does its work and I fall asleep.

"Are you sure he can stay with you?" I ask Jake for the millionth time.

"Bella, go. Between Paul and I, someone will be with him all the time. Sweetie,

that place really isn't kid friendly." He scrunches his very manly nose, in a very
feminine way.

"True, weird-nudist-running-around-chanting-to-the-Moon-Goddess isn't the place

I want to take my kid brother to." I sigh.

Last night had been a bitch. The call from Renee blew me away and I cried like a

baby. I mourned Phil and I know that deep in my heart I'm also mourning all the
others I had lost before him. This morning I woke up with a raging headache,
cramped up on the sofa between Seth and Jake. They had stayed with me the whole
night and even though we all woke up stiff and sore, I loved them both even more
for not leaving me in my hour of need.

"I still can't believe he went out during an orgy." Paul laughs coming into the room

with blessed coffee.

"Well, I think it's all about free love there." It's now my turn to scrunch my nose in

distaste.

We all turn to look at the door when a loud knock sounds. I look at the clock and

wonder, who the heck is knocking on my door at 9:30 Saturday morning. Sighing
again I walk over to see. Imagine my shock when I'm greeted by Barbie and Giant
Cullen, along with my second favorite member of the family.

"Bella!" Collin shouts jumping out of the Giant's arms to run and give me a hug. I

cling a little too long, but his sweet nature is warming my very cold heart right now.

- 94 -

"Hi, Collin." I greet him with a smile. He gives a sweet giggle and kisses my nose.

"That's from Edward, he said to give you a kiss from him." He kisses my nose

again. "That's from me, 'cause I'm stealwing you away from Eddie." He explains and
I laugh.

"Well, don't tell Edward, but I think you're going to win." I give him a wink and he

gives his sweet giggle again before looking behind me at Jake. Collin's eyes go huge
and he looks back at me, then to the Cullens.

"Wow, you da biggest lady I've ever seen." I don't think the little guy has a filter

yet. Jake just laughs though.

"Why, thank you, young sir. Always nice to be called a 'lady'." Jake winks, not

offended at all. Because he is the biggest lady most people have ever seen.

"Gi… Emmett, Rosalie, Collin these are my good friends and extended family Jake

and Paul." I really need to stop calling him Giant Cullen before I slip and say it out
loud one day.

After the introductions are finished, I offer them coffee and Collin gets some of my

grape Kool-Aid. It's the good stuff, where you add your own sugar, none of that
pre-made stuff. The perfect sugar to Kool-Aid ratio and Collin seems to love it as
much as Seth and I do. A voice pulls me out of my Kool-Aid internal rant.

"Bella, Edward called this morning to let us know what is going on and we are

here to help." Rosalie tells me with a warm smile. "Esme, Alice and Jasper are all
still at home and Esme wondered if you'd like to leave Seth there with them? She
wasn't sure if you were taking him or not."

"Umm… Paul and Jake are going to be keeping him. They work opposite hours on

the weekend so one of them will be there with him." I smile at their kindness. "But
thank her for me."

"Bells, if Esme wants to take Seth, why don't we let her. I mean, if Jake or I get

called in for extra hours…" Paul trails off and Jake gives him the evil eye. Shoot, I
keep forgetting they are trying to get extra money together to get a better place and
to save up for Jake's beauty pageants.

"Bella, you know he'll be safe there, we're going to leave Collin with Mom too."

Emmett tells me.

- 95 -

"I don't know…" I mean, I barely know these people.

"Pwease, Bella?" Shoot! Big puppy dog eyes. I forgot he was there.

"Are you sure?" I ask again.

"Yes, Bella." Rosalie laughs. "Esme feels so useless right now. She wants to help

so bad, but she can't fly or she'd be going with you to the funeral."

"I'm driving." I say at the same time Jake asks why Esme can't fly.

"Esme has a sinus infection and an inner ear infection. The doctor doesn't want

her in a plane because the altitude can add pressure. While this doesn't cause most
people problems, Esme already has a damaged ear drum, so the doctor doesn't want
any added pressure on it. It could possibly cause her to go deaf in that ear." Rosalie
explains.

"Is she even up to watching two kids?" Jake asks in shock. He can't stand being

sick and is the biggest drama queen over the sniffles, so an infection would have him
thinking he's at death's door.

"Yeah, plus Ali and Jazz are there." Emmett assures us all.

"Ok, I mean I'm sure Seth would love to spend time with them." I nod agreeing

that he can go, knowing how much Seth loved being on the Cullen Compound.

"Alright then, now we just need to know where we are going so we can get our

plane tickets." What did you say Giant Cullen?

"Huh?" Ok, apparently my mind is fried if that is the most I could come up with.

"Edward can't be there, so you get us instead of him." Emmett says with a huge

grin, "Rose and I are going to be your moral support."

"Bella?" Rose gets my attention and I drag my eyes over to her. "Edward can't get

here and he's freaking out. Your crying almost had him getting on a plane last night;
and well, I can't really go into details, because that is his story to tell, but the only
person capable of keeping him away is in the hospital and needing him more. So, Em
and I offered to go with you." She gives another kind smile and walks over to wrap
an arm around my shoulder. "Now, we need travel details, because I'm under strict
instructions to charge this to Edward's credit card. He said if you try to argue,
Emmett is supposed to carry you on the plane." She gives a nod to Giant Cullen who

- 96 -

is flexing his ginormous muscles and grinning like a kid in a candy store.

"Please, Bella, let them fly you. You'll get there quicker and home quicker." Jake

huffs then walks over to the table where my notebook is out and writes something
down. "Here, big boy, all the details you need to make the arrangements." Jake
hands Emmett the instructions and I glare at them both.

"Bella?" Seth comes out of the bathroom. He had just got in the shower a minute

or two before the Cullens showed up. "Hey!" He exclaims excitedly, coming over to
give Collin a high five. Emmett gives him a fist pound while Rose gives him a kiss on
the cheek.

"Guess what?" Collin bounces excitedly. "Bella, can I tell him?" I nod. I can't deny

the little bugger anything. "You get to stay with me and Aunty Esme while Bella
goes to see her Mommy." Rose gives me a look to let me know they hadn't told Collin
everything. I nod to assure her I got what she was trying to convey with her eyes.

"Really?" Seth asks me.

"If you want to." I give him a chance out of this, just in case he'd rather stay with

Jake.

"Wicked!" He fist pumps the air, then catches himself and tries to act cool. "That's

cool, I guess." I hide my laugh in a fake cough. Paul mutters "teenagers".

"Bella dear, we need to pack!" Jake squealed all of a sudden. "What should you

wear for this funeral? I mean, they will let you wear clothing right?" Oh shoot.

"What?" Rose burst out, Emmett is trying to hide his laughter. He's on the phone

with his travel agent or something making arrangements.

"So, umm… please don't judge me by Renee and her lifestyle choices." I beg

before I begin explaining, "Renee is a free spirit…" Before I can continue, Jake
interrupts.

"Renee is bat-shit crazy. Wouldn't hurt a fly and sweet as pie, but still crazy."

"I wouldn't say crazy, just different." I glare at Jake who gives the universal hand

signal for crazy. "Renee and Phil tried out a lot of different places trying to find
where they belong. After he retired from minor league baseball they found
themselves in California and met some people that lived in this commune or colony
or whatever it's called. Anyways, it's pretty much a nudist colony, but they worship

- 97 -

the Moon Goddess or something. Phil actually," I look over and see that Seth has
taken Collin in his room so it's safe to continue, "died during a group orgy or
something like that." Emmett can't help himself; he drops the phone, he's laughing
so hard.

"Dude!" He laughs out. "That's epic."

"Emmett!" Rose growls and he turns back into a semi-serious Emmett picking the

phone back up.

"Sweetie, I can't judge, I know all about having less than sane Moms." She assures

me. "But, I'm wearing clothing to that funeral; and if anyone says anything, they will
come up short a body part." Alrighty then.

"Ok, yeah, umm… yeah." I look at Jake who is staring in awe at Rosalie.

"I think I love you." He tells her.

"Rosie, I told you, you could turn a gay man straight!" Emmett yells, while still on

the phone. I worry about Giant Cullen, I think he either lacks a filter, or has ADD.

"Not that way, big boy, silly goose." Jake flirts batting his eyelashes, causing Rose

to laugh now.

"Yeah, Em, I turned him and you turned him back." She giggles. Paul just rolls his

eyes and pours more coffee. "I have to get this." Rose says looking at her ringing
phone. "Hey, Mom." I think it's Esme because I noticed the other day that is the way
she addresses her. "Sure, yeah, we'll go by there first. And Jasper is meeting us
here, right? Ok, ok, love you too. Bye now."

"Bella, do you have a license or government issued ID?" Emmett asks out of the

blue.

"Yeah." I say looking at him like he is nuts, which I think he might be.

"What is your name listed like on it? We need that info for the tickets." Ahhh ok.

"Isabella Marie Swan." He nods, going back to his call.

"Bella, Jasper is coming here to pick up the boys." I give a small nod.

"Bells, I have to get ready for work, so Paul and I are going to head out. Call me

- 98 -

when you land." I say 'goodbye' to Jake and Paul with hugs and promises to call.

After they leave, I go into my bedroom to start packing some jeans, sleep wear

and underwear. I scrounge around for a decent outfit for the funeral. Like Rose,
there is no way I'm going naked. I feel like I'm running on fumes and that any
moment I'm going to crash. For some reason, this thought has me reaching for my
cell phone. I dial his number with a sigh. Part of me is hoping he picks, the other
half is praying for voice mail.

"Hello?" Ok, that's not Edward.

"Hello?" I say back like a freaking parrot.

"Bella, is that you?"

"Umm… yeah?" And who is this?

"Hey, sweetheart, it's Carlisle. Edward is in the shower, so I answered his phone."

"Oh, hi, Carlisle," whew, for a moment I was worried that Edward had a male

hooker or maybe changed his number. Mmm… Edward in the shower. Ok, Bella, cut
that out, now is not the time.

"How are you doing, Bella? Is there anything you need?"

"I'm doing ok." Ok, I lied, but this sweet man doesn't want to hear about my

issues.

"Good, good. Hold on one second, Bella, here Edward comes." I let out another

sigh.

"Princess, you ok?" There's my Cullen.

"Thank you for sending Emmett and Rosalie and for thinking about Seth and

everything, Edward, really. Just thank you." I let out a little sniffle, I couldn't help it.
Here was this guy who I wasn't even sure whether he really wanted more than sex
from me… this sexy man who is sometimes an asshole, who flings me over his
shoulder and likes to smack my ass, yet he was thoughtful. So freaking thoughtful
and caring. And if I were honest with myself, I really wanted him here to cuddle up
to and take care of everything. I'm so tired of being the one to do everything.

"Princess, I wish I could do more, fuck I wish I could be there right now." He

- 99 -

groans, I can mentally picture him doing that hair pulling thing he does when he's
frustrated.

"You've already done so much, Edward. More than I could ever hope for." I tell

him honestly.

"Bella, baby, I want you to promise me that you will call when you land and if you

need to talk. I fucking mean it, Princess. If you need anything, call me. Even if it's
just to bitch about how fucking rank Em's gas is, call me." I giggle I can't help it. He
lets out this huge sigh. "There's my girl. God, I miss that sound." His girl? I kinda
want to kiss him for that, or hump him. Either one would work right about now.

"I know my world is seriously void of foul language without you here, Cullen." I

joke.

"You say the fucking sweetest things, Princess." He laughs.

"How is your family emergency going, Edward?" I realize I haven't asked him

before and wanted him to know this was a two way street.

"Better, she's doing a lot better." She? Who is she? "I'll tell you all the fuck about

it when I get home." He promises and I don't pry. "Are you leaving Seth with Mom?"

"I was conned into it by big hazel puppy dog eyes, but yes, I'm going to leave Seth

here." I tell him and he laughs.

"Ah, they pulled out the secret weapon."

"Yep, and he gives the best kisses on the nose I've ever had."

"Wait till you have one of my nose kisses, Princess, you'll never want one from

anyone else again."

"Ego much, Cullen?" I laugh out loud at this.

"You fucking know it, baby."

"Bella, Jasper is here we need to get going, sweetie." Rose pops her head in my

room.

"Edward, I have to go, Jasper is here and we need to get to the airport."

- 100 -

"Call me when you land."

"I will. Bye, Edward."

"Till later, Princess." We hang up and I can't wipe the silly smile off my face.

"You ready?" Rose asks, rolling her eyes, but she has a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I think I have everything."

"Good. Jasper dropped my luggage off." I follow her back into the small living

area.

"How you holding up, Bella?" Jasper, formerly known as Might Be Serial Killer

Dude, who has yet to be re-nicknamed, asks.

"I'm holding." I assure him. He gives a nod.

"Good, good. So, we'll see you when you get back, feel free to call at anytime if

you want to check in."

"Thanks and thank Esme for me too." He gives another nod. Maybe I should call

him Noddy McFadden? Nah, too lame.

"Let's get going." Emmett is bouncing a little, looking excited.

"Ok." I give him a look, wondering why anyone would be so excited to fly off to a

funeral.

"Ignore the ape, he's just excited about meeting nudist, who may actually be cult

members." Rose explains. "Honestly, other than meetings and tours where we spend
most of our time on the bikes, we don't get out much. So, for Emmett this is an
adventure."

"Ahh," I giggle, "just don't drink the Kool-Aid." I inform him. His eyes go wide and

his jaw drops.

"No Kool-Aid," he assures me. I wonder if I have to warn him about the special

brownies?

- 101 -

Thankfully, the plane ride was uneventful. Though, I have discovered that first

class is the only way to ride. The seats are comfy, the flight attendants are nicer and
the pillows are fluffier. Over all win.

We arrived at the hotel, Rose refusing to stay in the hut we would be offered on

the colony grounds. I'm over all thankful for that. We check in and are escorted up
to our suite by an overly enthusiastic bell boy by the name of Alec. He wishes Rose's
breast a pleasant stay and offers my butt a good day. Emmett just shoos him out,
telling him we have a three way planned and he's not invited. I believe I heard Alec
call Em 'the man', not sure though.

"So, Bella, what is a cleansing ceremony?" I shrug.

"I have no clue, Rose. I just have the list Renee gave me on the phone. I'm just

hoping no virgin sacrifices are going to be happening."

"Do they even have virgins in California?" Giant Cullen asks from his spot on the

big over stuffed white with gold stripes sofa. He's busy looking at the room service
menu.

"I would think they do." I reply.

"Should we call your Mom and say we are here?" Emmett asks when he sees me

pulling out my cell phone.

"I don't have a number for her. We just kind of show up." As I'm talking, I text

Edward to let him know we are here safe and sound. I would call him, but I know
from Rose that he's with family at a hospital and you're not supposed to use your cell
phone in there.

"Well, after we eat, we'll drive down there and scope it out." Emmett assures me

as he picks up the room phone and starts ordering enough food to feed Idaho. "What
do the two of you want?" He asks handing me the menu. Rose rolls her eye and puts
in an order for the steak, potato and salad. It sounds so good, so, I second that
order.

Over steak that melts like butter in your mouth, I get to know Rose and Emmett. I

also find out the reason she was so cranky that night at the restaurant. She and
Emmett were trying for a baby and the result had come back negative once again,
depressing her. I felt bad. She seemed so cold, when in reality she was just in pain.
Once again reinforcing that one adage about judging a book by its cover.

- 102 -

"Ok, let's do this!" Em cheers after he is done eating more food than I've ever seen

anyone consume. I give a fake smile and follow them to the SUV.

"Baby!" Renee cheers as she comes into the guard's station to verify that I am in

fact Bella.

"Hi, Renee," I greet, trying to ignore the fact that my Mother is nude. She reaches

in for a hug and it takes all I have to hug her back. Two pats on her back and I pull
away. "Renee these are my friends, Emmett and Rosalie Cullen. Em, Rose this is my
Mother Renee Dwyer. I hope it's ok that I brought them with me Renee?" Renee
smiles widely at them.

"Of course, honey, the more the merrier. And such a handsome couple." Rose is

trying to stare at the ceiling while Emmett just grins like a kid in a candy store
again.

"Hi, Mrs. Dwyer," Em greets her. Giant Cullen is really having way too much fun

with all of this.

"Please, Emmett, either call me Renee or by my colony name, Moonbeam." She

giggles like a teenage girl, giving the big guy a hug. Rose glares a little and I roll my
eyes.

"We're sorry for your loss." Rose grits out between her clenched teeth.

"Oh, thank you, dear." Renee hugs Rose this time and I have this feeling I'm going

to owe her big time. "My darling Starfish will be missed. Poor Puffy Cloud was
inconsolable." Starfish? Puffy Cloud?

"Renee, who is Puffy Cloud?" I assume Starfish is Phil.

"Why she was the girl Phil was inside when he passed. It was so sad. Master Aro

had just finished giving me a good one when Puffy Cloud screamed, I assumed with
the blessed orgasm that feeds the Moon Goddess, but it was with horror. I feel so
bad for her." Holy shit.

"Master Aro?" Rose looks at me and it clearly says 'What the fuck?', I look back

going, 'I have no clue'.

"He's our leader. A wonderful man, who has a direct line to our Moon Goddess of

- 103 -

the Night. He has quite the cock, it's always wonderful when he blesses you with it
during the orgy, that night I was his chosen pussy." What the hell?

"Umm…" I say as Emmett turns red in the face and Rose just is stunned

speechless.

"Moonbeam dear, it's time to get ready for the ceremonies." A tall thin man with

long black hair down his back and a huge receding hairline in the front, dressed only
in a black leather loin cloth comes informs Renee.

"Yes, Master Aro." She giggles, flushing red.

"Ahh… you must be Isabella." He purrs and Emmett steps forward a bit.

"Yes, and these are Emmett and Rosalie." I point to them.

"Welcome, welcome," he claps while greeting us, looking way too happy. "Shall we

begin?" We follow him out of the guard room and towards a large gathering of naked
people. They are dancing and flopping their bits and pieces all over the place while
chanting. I won't lie, I'm terrified.

"I need a long hot shower." Rose whispers in my ear. "And a taser." I nod in

complete agreement.

"I'm so glad Seth didn't come." I tell her.

"I know one child is enough to take care of, here." She points to Emmett, who

seems to be having a blast.

"Should we warn him not to eat the food?"

"Oh, hell, I didn't even think of that!" She exclaims before running after Emmett

who is chatting with Aro.

It's going to be a long weekend.

AN2: Before you kill me please know I already have over 2000 words

written for the next chapter and you find out who Faith is in that, I've
already written that part ;0).

Don't forget reviews get a teaser for the next chapter, and feed my

addiction.

- 104 -

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

A big thanks to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing this for me. Love

ya both!

AN: If you haven't read my blog or profile then you are unaware that I am

dealing with a lot of real life issues so updates are slow in coming, but when
I get one done I will post it I promise.

Ok as promised the reveal is in this chapter, I'm aware I will loose a couple

readers over this but this is who and what Faith has always been. For those
who stay THANK YOU!

Bella's POV

The naked people are spread out in a haphazard circle. They seem to be bouncing

and dancing, maybe dauncing? They are also chanting something that I don't think
is in English; and I'm really hoping it isn't about sacrificing the clothed people to
their nudist Goddess. Two women who are clearly on the plus side of a size
twenty-four were jiggling their money makers on the side lines while tapping on
tambourines. One intense looking dude keeps jerking his hair and then his dick
screaming in pain, Rose mumbles something about Prozac that I didn't catch all of.

I keep looking around expecting Charles Mason to come out of somewhere. This

has to be the stuff of a hippy seventies acid flashback. A sweet-faced blonde around
my age who tells us her slave name is 'Lucy' given to her by her oppressive parents;
and her Moon name is 'Young Star Pus' offers us refreshments. We politely decline.

"I think we are all going to need therapy after this." I mumble and Rose just nods

in agreement while slapping the back of Emmett's head. He was getting a little too
into the dauncing and was trying to mimic their movements.

"I have to join the circle, baby, we are celebrating the release of Phil's soul. After

that, we will have the cleaning ritual. Feel free to join in." Renee kisses my cheek

- 105 -

then runs her naked butt off to join the other dauncers.

"Maybe we should have hit the bar or grabbed some of those mini bottles from the

fridge before we came here." Emmett says and I nod in agreement, knowing I'm
going to need a strong drink after this.

"Oh, we are so fucking hitting the bar after we get out of here." Rose tells him and

I nod even harder in agreement, while trying to hold back the nausea as one of the
dauncers tries to drop it like it's hot. Kill me now.

Four hours of dauncing; and I worry that the image of these naked people has

been irreversibly burnt into my brain. My Mother looks more like a naked club girl
dancing with these people than a grieving widow. I'm horrified, yet I can't look
away.

The dauncing suddenly stops and Aro walks to the center of their circle. There is a

little tiny stage, maybe two-feet high and he gets up on it. He screams Phil's name
out and the dauncers drop. It's like they're all bipolar going from extreme happiness
to extreme pain and depression at the drop of a hat, or a scream from the guy
wearing a leather loin cloth.

Renee walks to the center and gets on the mini stage with Aro. Aro hugs her and

whispers something gently in her ear. She turns and faces the crowd. Aro backs up
slightly then speaks.

"Our brother Starfish has left us. The Goddess has called him to her bosom and

left our beautiful perky breasted sister Moonbeam here for us to care for. Today we
cleanse the path for Starfish to find his way home to the Goddess. We want him to
know there is nothing to worry about, that his beloved Moonbeam will be cared for
and will not lack for love and orgasms." What the fuck?

Aro suddenly whips off his loin cloth, grabs Renee by the hair, positions her on her

knees then squats down behind her and holy shit he's in her! Like doggy-style, right
there in front of us all. Emmett falls over, I think he passed out, I'm not sure. Rose is
gagging while I'm mentally making an appointment at the free mental health clinic
for when we get back to Seattle. The sounds of Renee squealing sets off the
dauncers; and they are circling and chanting again.

"I am Caius." An albino man with white-blond hair says from beside me. "I am

Master Aro's second in command. You are Starfish's daughter?"

- 106 -

"Step-daughter." I reply, trying to ignore the teeny tiny penis that is fully erect on

the guy. Think one of those mini carrots you can get in the store.

"Come, we shall join the ceremony, you will be my chosen one for the night." He

goes to grab my hand and Emmett jumps between us.

"No fucking way, dude." Giant Cullen says in a calm, yet deadly voice. Somehow

the albino goes even paler.

"The only way for us to make sure his path is fully open is by making sure that his

whole family is being pleasured, so he can see that they are being taken care of, she
must join in." He argues.

"No. Fucking. Way." Emmett enunciates each word.

"If he is trapped here, you will all be cursed for denying his release." He huffs and

storms off.

"I think it's time to go." Rose says, grabbing Emmett's arm, trying to calm him

down.

"I agree." I say trying to ignore my Mother's yells coming from the stage.

We make our way back up to the gate, and after fighting with security, we make

our way back to the hotel. There is a bar just a block up the street; and after we all
take showers, we head there to get our drink on.

"I'm not sure I can go back for the funeral tomorrow; that was just too much." I

inform them after my second shot of tequila.

"Hell no, we are not going back." Rose states, she's three shots ahead of me and

told the bartender to leave the fucking bottle.

"Dude." Is all Emmett is able to work out.

"Yeah." I reply, taking another shot. I really wish Cullen was here, like more than I

care to admit I wish he was here. Damn it.

Edward's POV

- 107 -

"Yeah?" I bark into my brand fucking new cell phone that I just pulled off the hotel

nightstand. This fucker woke me up, it better be important.

"Ed, you awake?" Em's voice comes down the line.

"I am now, fucker." I grumble looking at the 3:30 am flashing on the clock.

"Dude, Bella and Rose are wasted, I mean drunk off their asses. I had to carry

them out of the bar." He laughs.

"What the fuck, Em?" I'm not sure whether I'm mad that he called me about

drinking women, or that he let them get drunk.

"So, we go to Bella's bio Mom's nudist commune cult place, and I mean, her Mom

greets us butt ass naked. Then, we meet this guy with a monster cock, wearing a
leather loin cloth. All these people were chanting and dancing naked. It was wild.
They tried to get us to get naked, but we declined. Well, any fucking way…" I
interrupt his ass.

"You fucking let them stay there? What the fuck, Emmett? You should have loaded

them back into the fucking car and gone back to fucking Seattle!" I yell.

"Dude, chill. That was yesterday, we lived, ok?" I grumble and he laughs, "so, any

fucking way, we couldn't eat the food because of ganja in it or something. So, after
four hours of hearing them chant and moan, loin-cloth-dude stands in the center of
the circle they've formed and screams Phil's name like so fucking loud. The follower
type people all drop to their knees and then Bella's naked Mom walks to the center
and loin-cloth-dude hugs her, turns her to face the crowd and shit... you just... I
mean, dude…" He rambles off.

"What?"

"Ed, man, you might need something strong to drink for this tale, dude."

After Em finished relating the fucked up tale of Phil's funeral, I knew I had to get

to Bella. Shit. She's probably completely freaked out, on top of her depression. My
poor girl… I fucking hate that she had to go through this. She'd suffered enough. I
mean, fuck, she's already buried her Dad and Step-Mom, she's raising her kid
brother and now this fuckery?

- 108 -

"Dad!" I bellow coming out of my room. As expected, Carlisle's years of training as

a doctor and a Father have him running out of his room less than a minute later.

"Edward, is everything ok? Is it Faith?" He looks panicked and I immediately feel

like shit.

"Faith is fine. Em just called; and fuck, I need to get to Bella. You wouldn't believe

what is going on there." I tell my Dad a little bit of what Em told me and Carlisle's
face is priceless.

"Holy fuck!" Dude! Dad just dropped the f-bomb!

"Yeah." Is all I say in response.

"Let's see what we can do here. Faith has been doing so much better, maybe we

can leave early or something." He runs his hand through his hair while pacing. It
hits me that I picked that same trait up from him over the years. I wonder how many
other things, habits, etc that I've learned from my parents. Clearly I need more
fucking sleep since my mind has drifted there.

"The doctor should be here, in a few hours, I'm going to try and get some sleep." I

tell Dad who just nods and waves me off. I think what happened at Phil's funeral has
completely blown his poor mind. Shit, I know it's blown mine.

Bella's POV

I was finishing my packing when a knock sounded on the door. Thinking it was

Emmett or Rose, I yelled 'come in'. I didn't look. I just kept packing, sure that they
would let me know why they knocked. A weird feeling ran up my spine, it almost
tickled. I turned to look and my jaw dropped.

"Edward?" He was leaning against the door, his arms crossed, one knee slightly

bent and a sexy-ass smirk on his face.

"Wondered when you were going to look up." He laughs and starts walking

towards me. Being the silly girl I am, I run to him and latch my lips to his. Edward,
being the perv he is, attaches one hand to my right boob to cop a feel.

"What are you doing here?" I say once I get his tongue away from its exploration

of my tonsils.

- 109 -

"We were able to leave early, so I booked the next flight here, so we could fly

home together. I figured it was my best shot at joining the fucking mile high club."
He gives me a wink and I glare at him.

"Perv." I say sticking out my tongue. He takes a finger and taps it.

"Now now, Princess, you know there are better things for that tongue to be

doing." He laughs at my indignant face. "Finish packing so we can roll. I have
someone I want you to meet." He turns me back towards my suitcase and slaps my
ass. It leaves me wondering why I missed him so much, till I turn my head to find
him staring at me with a sexy smile and those green eyes that are just plain
delicious to look at. I look a little lower at the problem pushing at his jeans and
giggle to myself.

"I'm ready." I say after Edward finishes helping me pack. Or should I say - after

Edward stopped playing with my cotton undies long enough for me to pack them so I
could be done?

"Let's roll then." Emmett and Rose were in the common area of the suite making

out like two teenagers. Cullen gives a loud wolf whistle; and the pair break apart,
neither of them blushing or looking uncomfortable like I would have been if I were
caught in that position. "Let's go, we're cutting it close."

We load our suitcases into the rental car and Edward takes over the keys so he

can drive. He places me in the passenger seat and we are waiting till Em and Rose
are settled so we can head out. While Em tips the bell hop, Rose gets in the car and
Edward hands me his Ipod to hook up to the radio, he claims it's the only way we'll
get any decent music.

"Ok, I'm in, let's go." Em says when he plops down beside Rose in the back.

Looking at him, I hold back another giggle. He looks like a sardine stuffed in a small
can. It's a good thing we got the SUV and not the sedan.

"Is Dad at the airport or did they go ahead and fly home?" Rose asks Edward.

"They went for lunch and are going to wait at the airport for us. She needed a

fucking break anyways, flying straight through would have been too long for her."
She?

"I can't wait to see her." Rose says with a dreamy tone.

"Yeah, man, I can't fucking wait either." Em tells Edward.

- 110 -

"Who is she?" I ask softly.

"Remember I told you I had to go handle a family emergency?" I nod, then realize

he is driving, so I say 'yes' out loud. "She was the emergency."

"Oh." Really, way to fill me in there, Edward. My inner sarcastic bitch is glaring at

him for not expanding on who she is. "What's her name?" I push.

"Faith." He says simply.

"Pretty." I reply, not sure what else to say.

"Yeah, she is." He says with a gentle smile. I swear I see little green men jumping

around in my head as the jealousy builds.

I'm quiet for the rest of the ride, not really paying attention to the Cullens, they

are talking about some exhibition that Jasper and Edward are going to be riding in.
My mind was focused on this Faith. This pretty Faith. This Faith who was the
important emergency that Edward had to drop everything for. The same one Rose
said is the only person able to keep Edward away when I needed him at my
Step-Dad's funeral. Don't think about the funeral, Bella. I mentally cringe.

"Princess, we're here." Edward pulls me out of my daze and back into the real

world.

I get out of the car and go to grab my suitcase that Cullen is now carrying, he

gives me a look and I stop trying to take it. With his free hand, he takes one of mine
and we walk into the airport. My inner green men are doing the dance of joy over
the fact that Edward is holding my hand in public and will be holding it when Pretty
Faith sees us.

"There they are." Emmett points out as we walk into the VIP lounge for first-class

passengers.

I look to where he was pointing and see the top of Big Daddy C's head. Sitting

beside him there is a statuesque redhead engaging him in conversation. Carlisle is
smiling and using his hand to talk, the way I've seen Edward do so many times. So,
this beauty is Faith. My heart sinks a little, knowing look-wise, I'd never be able to
compete with her. And those clothes scream expensive, so I know financially, I won't
be able to compete.

"Kids!" Carlisle greets us with a smile.

- 111 -

"Hey, old man." Emmett says as he plops into a chair across from Carlisle. Rose

nods and smiles, giving a glare towards the redhead. Huh?

"How is she holding up?" Cullen asks pulling me into a chair beside him. I give

him a look wondering why he doesn't just ask her himself.

"She finally ate and just fell asleep a few minutes ago." I look at the redhead then

to Carlisle, then to Edward confused. I turn back to Carlisle and that's when I notice
something sitting in the chair beside him.

"Is that a baby?" Slips from my mouth. I was stunned stupid by the site of a baby

car seat carrier thing-a-ma-bobby.

"Sort of." Cullen laughs, "she's seven months old."

"Who is she?" I ask looking at the seat, willing the blanket covering the baby to

slip, so I can see what she looks like.

"Faith." He almost whispers. I look at him in the eyes.

"Who's is she?"

"Mine." He says simply, his eyes meeting mine then slipping to the baby carrier.

My eyes then slide to the redhead who's smile looks way too smug.

"How?" I demand, though I'm not sure I have the right to.

"The condom broke." He says sarcastically. I turn and glare at him before standing

up and walking away.

The asshole. I can't believe this. Who the hell is the red head? Where did the baby

come from and how dare he use that tone with me? My head is demanding as I walk
out into the general population part of the airport. I look at my ticket, which
thankfully I kept with me so I could find the gate number. I'd fly home with him, pull
the money from my savings account to pay him back for the trip and tell him to go
jump in a lake or something. If he already has a family, a girl and a baby; how dare
he play with me like this?

"Bella, fucking stop!" He comes running up behind me and I turn and glare at him.

"Why? So you can tell me that the pill failed too?" I ask sarcastically.

- 112 -

"Shit, Princess, I… listen this is a fucked up situation. I reacted stupidly instead of

just filling you the fuck in." I lift an eyebrow and give him what Sue always called my
"bitch brow".

"Ya think, Assward?" He has the nerve to laugh at that and I turn to walk away.

He grabs my arm and pulls me to the side where it's not as busy.

"Just listen to me, ok? Just give me a minute to explain." I hold up a finger

indicating he had just that, a minute to explain. "First, I didn't lie about my numbers,
you need to know that. It was six. Number four is Faith's Mom. We had a
semi-serious relationship, if you call exclusive sex and me taking her out when I felt
like it, serious. She decided she wanted more and dumped my ass. I heard she got
married and I was fucking happy for her. She found the something more she wanted.
Eight months later, I'm on the circuit in Arizona and run into her at a restaurant
where she was working as the hostess. We got to talking and she told me she and
the husband split up. I was lonely and I knew her, I thought she was safe so we went
back to my hotel and spent a week fucking our brains out. Remember that story
about the guy on the circuit who got slapped with all those damn paternity suits and
I told you I never wanted to have a kid that I didn't know about?"

"Yeah." I reply quietly.

"She knew that shit too." He tells me then groans. "She fucking used me. The

husband was still in the picture, but couldn't have kids. He had a record so they
couldn't adopt. His grandpa left some will saying he had to have an heir before he
inherited any money so Lauren thought it would be a good fucking idea to get
herself knocked up by someone else. The husband was all the fuck for this. I was one
of three others before she found herself pregnant."

"Are you sure she's yours?" I ask automatically.

"Yeah, the DNA test confirms it." He smiles, "plus she looks like Esme, she's a

clone of my mother as a baby." He laughs.

"Oh." Is all I can think to say.

"Yeah. So, anyways about the time I met you, I got a call that Lauren had been in a

car accident and she was asking for me. I flew down to see her, I didn't know about
all this bullshit then. She told me about Faith and I called my Mom. Dad got on the
other fucking line and told me to get a DNA test. He called his lawyer and made sure
it was court ordered so no one could pull any shit. The results came back positive
and the lawyer started to see what he could do to get me some kind of rights.

- 113 -

Lauren had the husband listed as Faith's father on the birth certificate. Plus, Lauren
was still alive, so I had no rights until we went to court. The fucking system is so
packed up that we weren't scheduled until November to see a judge."

"Seriously?" I say in shock. "That long?"

"Yeah, that fucking long. So, my lawyer told me to fly back home and start getting

things in order at home. Get a room set up and shit. So, I came home, we had our
night and I got a fucking call saying Faith was in the hospital, so I rushed to her.
Lauren's husband's family found out that Faith wasn't his, so his inheritance was
pulled. He went in to a rage and shot Lauren, then put Faith outside the house
before locking the place up and burning it to the ground. She was left in the back
yard and had smoke inhalation amongst some bruises, otherwise she came out a lot
better than she could have. He wanted her dead. And I'm so fucking thankful he
didn't leave her in the house."

"Oh, my God!" I exclaim in horror, that poor baby.

"Yeah, so he's in jail awaiting trial and my lawyer got me temporary custody, until

something permanent can be decided in court. He said it's just a formality." Edward
rolls his eyes like what the hell ever. "That fucker better hope he doesn't get out of
jail." Edward growls and I try to stay serious and not find it sexy as hell. 'Try' being
the operative word. I pull him into a hug and he sighs into my shoulder.

"Come on, let's go back before Emmett gets hungry and tries to take one of the

baby's bottles or something." I tell him holding my hand out. He takes it and smiles
at me.

"The asshole would try it too." I nod laughing. After seeing Emmett eat this

weekend I believe it.

"Um… Edward?" I stop and look at him, something hits me and I need to know the

truth.

"Yeah?"

"Your tattoo says Faith, if you didn't know she was yours why is her name tattooed

on your arm?" It came out more demanding than I meant it to, but oh well.

"I've had the tattoo since I was nineteen, name and all. Lauren was always

fascinated with it, I can only assume she fucking took Faith's name from the tat, to
give her a piece of me or some shit."

- 114 -

"Oh, sorry, it's just…" He waves a hand.

"I get it, Princess, I kept secrets, but I didn't fucking know where we were going

then."

"And you do now?" I'd really like to know.

"Last check you're my girlfriend and shit like that."

"It's always nice to be told you are a man's girlfriend and shit like that." I laugh

smacking him on the shoulder.

We banter back and forth on the way back to the VIP lounge. When we get in

there Rose raises an eyebrow and I'm guessing she's asking if things are cool, I
smile and she smiles back at me. I'm starting to think Rose and I have this whole
silent communication thing down.

"Hey, Bells, come meet Faith, she's awake." Emmett calls, the baby sitting on his

knee as Giant Cullen bounces her gently. Aww! Gentle Giant Cullen.

I look at the baby, soft downy auburn hair on the top of her head not very long yet,

but growing. She turns and looks up at me with startling green eyes, just like
Edward's. She gives a toothless baby grin and reaches towards us, pulling Emmett's
arms with her. Edward walks over and she coos, her smile expanding. He picks her
up and carries her towards me.

"Faith, meet Bella. Bella, meet Faith."

"Hi, Faith." I say softly, she scrunches up her nose and looks at me before looking

back at Edward. She turns to me again, looks me dead in the eyes and breaks out
crying. I jump back, not expecting the baby to hate me on sight.

"Oh, Faith, come here sweetheart." Red stands up and takes the baby from

Edward's arms. She calms almost immediately. Edward pulls me into a comforting
hug, trying to hide his laughter, Emmett is rolling on the floor laughing, the rich
people are glaring at the spectacle he is making of himself.

"She hates me, Edward." I pout.

"Nah, Princess, she's been through a lot. Plus, she is tired and cranky, you were

probably new face one too many on her poor baby brain for today." He consoles me.

- 115 -

"Well, why isn't she crying for Red?" I demand. Red smirks and looks at me.

"Oh, shit, we didn't introduce you two yet." Edward smacks himself in the head

and I'm thinking he needs a nap too.

"Hi," Red reaches a slim white hand towards me, "I'm Tanya, the nanny."

Oh. Hell. No!

AN2: Reviews are like candy, and I'm a sugar addict please feed the

addiction, you'll get an exclusive teaser of chapter 9 if you do.

A couple of rec's just add the fanfiction (dot) net ahead of the rest of the

url:

Roman Candle: Trust me once you make it to chapter 6 you won't be able

to stop reading! /s/5884459/1

Sweet Treats and Deadbeats: /s/5797193/10/

And an author sport light /u/1778830/Sdfreeze , I've read the majority of

her stories and loved everyone I've read. The Cube is her most well known
piece, but Mountain Man is my favorite, go give her a try ;0)

- 116 -

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

A big thanks to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing this for me. You

both rock hard!

AN: Sorry I didn't get to send out the teaser review replies, between rl,

computer issues and ffnet being a bitch it didn't happen. But thank you for
your kind words.

*Author Rant sorry ahead of time* I'd just like to take a moment and say if

you don't like the story hit the x at the top and close it out. I'm dealing with
enough in my real life I don't need asshole reviews ruining the place I go for
fun. I'm not saying you can't say I didn't like this or that in the story, I can
handle that not everyone is going to like everything about my writing.
However sending me nasty reviews about how this story is complete shit and
that I'm a horrible writer, or how I've completely ruined this story and you
are taking all of my other stories off of alert because I'm a shit writer, yea
that kinda hurts. I'll be honest I almost flounced...but I didn't I just had a
major writer's block on this story. People I do this for free in my spare time
as my hobby. I'm not a professional writer, nor do I aspire to be so I don't
expect to be held up to the standards you would have for one of those of you
who reviewed and said nice things (and that includes those of you who didn't
like/ were kinda uhh about the Faith twist lol) thank you for your support
and reviews. *End rant*

*Warning* This chapter is as angsty is this story will get. While this story

is like 95 percent fluff and fun, I had to throw a little angst to keep it real
;0) Plus most of you wanted to know how she could let him get away with not
telling her he had a kid so easy. Sometimes it takes a minute for something
to kick in.

Edward's POV

"Son?" I look up from the book I'm reading to Faith.

- 117 -

"Yeah?"

"We got the 'ok' for the early discharge. I've called in for help, though, for the

plane ride home." He smiles at the bouncing baby, who seems excited to see him.
"Tanya has agreed to fly with us."

"That's good," I smile and then groan, "did you warn Rose? You know those two

have issues."

"Edward, they are two grown women; I think they can handle being on the same

plane together." I cock my right brow at him and he rolls his eyes. "I'll call Em to
give him heads up."

"Good idea, Dad." I look back at my daughter. Fuck, it's weird to think about

having a kid, let alone being face to face with one. "See I told you Grandpa is smart."
She kicks her little legs at my tone and gives a baby giggle. Shit, this kid already has
me wrapped around her pinkie. I just hope Bella doesn't castrate me when she finds
out.

A waft of Clinique's Happy slips up my nose and I turn quickly knowing who is

there. She's been wearing the same damn perfume since it came out.

"Tanya," I greet with a smile.

"Daddy-ward?" She laughs taking in Faith, who I'm bottle-feeding right now.

"Laugh it up, Tan. My kid's cute, yours is probably going to come out looking like

the monkey-faced man you married."

"Fuck you, Edward, Nathan isn't monkey-faced, he's strong boned and

strong-featured." She glares at me.

"Right, cuz, keep telling yourself that." She rolls her eyes.

"Fine, he might not be the most attractive man in the world, but he's hung like a

horse." She informs me.

"Fuck, Tan, not in front of the fucking kid."

"He says, as he says 'fuck' not once, but twice in front of the kid." She laughs and

- 118 -

it's my turn to roll my eyes. "So, I hear you have a girlfriend." She says in a sing
song voice.

"Yeah, at least I think I do, she might fucking kill me when she finds out about

Faith."

"Eddie, if she doesn't understand, maybe she isn't worth it."

"She's worth it, Tanya. She's so fucking worth it."

"Then, it's about damn time. All those old girlies of yours weren't worth shit.

Skanks - every last one of them." She decrees.

"Some of them were very nice women, Tan," I argue.

"Uh huh, like the stellar specimen that is your baby Momma?" She raises a

perfectly plucked eyebrow, as if challenging me.

"You shouldn't talk ill of the dead." Is the only argument I can come back with;

and she laughs.

"Oh, Edward, I can't wait to see if this one is worth my favorite cousin." I roll my

eyes and she laughs harder. Fucking know-it-all cousins. I wonder what the fuck she
has up her sleeve, I know her to fucking well to think she is just going to smile and
shake Bella's hand. There is a reason Rose wants to pull out all Tanya's hair.

"Behave, Tan." I warn.

"Sure, baby cuz. Scouts' honor,"

"You were never a fucking scout, Tan,"

"Nope, but a former Eagle Scout popped my cherry, so I'm sure I have some kind

of honorary membership." Before I can respond, Faith decides she has been ignored
long enough and fucking pukes all over me.

Fuck.

Faith took to flying better than I had hoped. Though, one fuckhead had the nerve

to groan and glare at my kid when he saw a baby being settled into the plane. I gave

- 119 -

him a look and I swear the fucker pissed himself. Yeah, that's right, buddy, don't
fuck with me and what's mine.

"So, how are you going to explain Faith to Bella?" Dad asks settling in beside

Tanya across from Faith and myself.

"The truth, I didn't know about her when we met, when I found out there was the

whole DNA shit which we had to go through; and once it was confirmed, Lauren's
psycho pulled his shit before I got a chance to explain everything. Fuck, Dad, she
might castrate me." I groan.

"Bella is a very sweet young woman, son. At the most, she'll just yell or smack you.

I don't think she is going to go all the way for castration." He laughs. That's right,
laugh it up old man.

"I'm just hoping that this isn't too fucking much on top of the craziness which she

has been dealing with this weekend - with her Mom and the loony bin of nudists."

"What?" Tanya says half in horror, half in amusement.

"Long story, dear," Dad says, clearly not wanting our fellow passengers to hear

the ass-hattary that was Bella's step Dad's funeral.

"For one, Em would kill us for not letting him tell you about it." I add.

"Emmett?"

"Oh, did we forget to tell you that Emmett and Rosalie were with Bella?" Dad asks

innocently.

"Rose is there? Huh! This ought to be interesting." She gives a laugh.

Oh fucking joy, here we go.

Bella's POV

*Last chapter*

I look at the baby, soft downy auburn hair on the top of her head not very long yet,

- 120 -

up and carries her towards me.

"Faith, meet Bella. Bella, meet Faith."

"Hi, Faith," I say softly, she scrunches up her nose and looks at me before looking

back at Edward. She turns to me again, looks me dead in the eyes and breaks out
crying. I jump back, not expecting the baby to hate me on sight.

"Oh, Faith, come here, sweetheart." Red stands up and takes the baby from

"She hates me, Edward." I pout.

"Nah, Princess, she's been through a lot. Plus, she is tired and cranky, you were

probably new face one too many on her poor baby brain for today." He consoles me.

"Well, why isn't she crying for Red?" I demand. Red smirks and looks at me.

"Oh, shit, we didn't introduce you two yet." Edward smacks himself in the head

and I'm thinking he needs a nap too.

"Hi," Red reaches a slim white hand towards me, "I'm Tanya, the nanny."

Oh. Hell. No!

*And now*

"Oh, hell no!" I repeat out loud. There is no way this woman was going to be my

boyfriend's baby's nanny. No freaking way!

"Just no," I reiterate. Rose snorts, Carlisle looks shocked, Emmett is giggling and

Cullen looks at me like I have two heads. Then the asshole laughs. Red lifts her right
eyebrow and smirks at me.

"Don't tell me I'm fired already, after I've traveled all this way." She pouts. Then

laughs. Well, that's not very professional.

"Well, we're still in the airport, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to go back to

where you came from." I state coldly. This woman is ticking me off.

- 121 -

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" Red laughs and Edward places a hand on my

shoulder.

"Tanya…" Edward's tone is a clear warning for Red to shut up. Eat that, Red.

"Bella, meet my cousin Tanya, my Mother's sister's daughter - who also happens to
be a certified pediatric nurse. She was joking about the nanny thing. She
volunteered to help us get Faith home, giving Dad some back up just as a
precaution."

"Oh," is all I say.

"Flight 234 to Seattle is loading first class passengers now."

The intercom breaks into my thoughts. I'm not happy right now, at all. I'm still

trying to get over the whole boyfriend has a baby he never told me about and then
Tanya. Please, she and I both know she was implying that she was going after or had
been with Edward. Bitch. Rose grabs my arm and loops hers through mine.

"Ignore Tanya, she has some weird sense of humor and she is always trying to test

her cousins' girlfriends." She whispers in my ear.

"Does she have a thing for them or something?" I ask back in the same hushed

tone.

"No, in fact, she is happily married, just crazy in the head. Her Father's brother

has a son too; and she is just as crazy with his girlfriends. Poor Stefan, she showed
up at his house walking around in lingerie to freak his girlfriend out. Of course, we
found out that his girlfriend was really a boyfriend named Vlad, but still, it was all
kinds of fucked up."

"Did she uhh… you know…?" I trail off, getting ready to ask her what Tanya did to

her. Also, I'm trying to control myself because my level of pissed off goes up
knowing that Cullen knows his cousin's MO and he didn't warn me.

"To me?" I nod when she guesses right. "Ahh… Tanya and I have known each

other forever, so she would have a hard time pulling that with me, seeing as I know
who she is. Instead, the bitch hired two hookers to be in Emmett's room the morning
after his bachelor party. When I went to wake his ass up, two half naked women
were on either side of him in bed."

"Holy crow! How do you people put up with her?"

- 122 -

"I don't. I hate her ass. I even pulled her extensions out during a fight we got into

one Christmas. Everyone else sees her as the sweet overprotective, overindulged by
her parents, Tanya who has a very odd sense of humor."

"Umm… wouldn't a better test be to like offer a check and try to buy the girlfriend

off?" I'm still all freaked out that this woman sees it necessary to scare off, or "test"
her cousins' girlfriends in a sexual way from what I'm gathering from Rose.

"Yeah, that is what a normal person would do. Tanya… well, she is spoiled and

used to getting away with shit. She was sick as a child and sometimes they just put
off her odd behavior on that. I mean, Esme tries to reign her in; and we don't see
Tanya that often, so she is just a small flaw in the otherwise lovely Masen/Cullen
family tree."

"And Edward couldn't warn me about his psycho cousin?" I sort of demand.

"Girl, if I knew psycho was here, I would have warned you. Unfortunately, my

husband who was warned - and knows I hate that bitch - didn't feel the need to
share that info with me. He's sleeping in the guest room for the next week." She
states and I hold back a giggle at the determined look on her face when she says
that. "I've learned that with men you have to train them sometimes. With Emmett,
sex and food are the best tools. If I didn't do that he'd still be leaving his dirty
clothes all over the house and think it was fine to drink out of the milk jug." She
snorts.

"Do you think he knows?" I ask on another giggle.

"No, I think he's blissfully clueless. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to change

who he is. I love him and he's my other half. I just don't feel like picking up after his
ass whenever he changes his damn clothes."

"Bella?" Ahh, the sweet voice of my tattooed hottie boyfriend/stalker.

"Cullen?"

"Can we talk?" He looks at Rose who has taken the seat beside me on the plane at

this point. Emmett and Edward are seated across from us, Carlisle and Red beside
us with baby faith in a car seat beside Carlisle and Red sitting across from them.

"Ok," I agree biting my lip in frustration. Rose gives me a pat on the leg before

switching seats to sit beside her pouting husband.

- 123 -

"I fucked up?" He says it, but it sounds more like a question, so I take it as such.

"Yep." I agree nodding.

"Yeah, so we are on the same page can you fucking clue me in. Cause, Princess,

I'm lost as to what I fucking did." He doesn't say this in anger; his voice is full of
frustration though. His tugging on his lovely sex hair also points towards complete
frustration. I honestly believe he has no clue as to what he's done.

"Let's see, besides the whole 'oops, I forgot to tell you I have a baby?'" Yep, that is

still bugging me, I understand, but at the same time I don't. Gahhh! "There's the
whole, crazy cousin who you didn't bother to warn me about. You could have easily
said in the car on the way to the airport, 'By the way, Bella, my cousin Tanya is here
and she isn't exactly known for being normal and often likes to make her cousins'
girlfriends feel uncomfortable.'" My voice rises with each word that comes out of my
mouth. I can hear Red giggling and I shoot her a look that says, 'I will cut you,
bitch'. She just waves and settles in reading whatever it is
crazy-people-obsessed-with-their-male-cousins read.

"Fuck." Is all he says. Emmett nods in agreement.

"Dude, that was wrong not telling her Tan was going to be with us." Emmett backs

me up and Rose rolls her eyes.

"Speaks the one who knew better. Don't make me make it two weeks, Emmett."

"Sorry, babe." He grunts and slouches. "Wonder when the beverage cart is going

to roll around, because my ass needs a fucking drink. But no Kool aid." He tells me
with a wink.

"No Kool aid." Rose and I agree in unison.

"A week?" Edward whispers into my ear and I try to ignore the shivers it sends

through my body. Damn his sexy powers of evil that feels so freaking good.

"Em is spending the next week in the guest room, nookie free." I inform him.

"No wonder he needs a fucking drink." Edward laughs at his brother's expense.

"I can't wait to see Auntie Esme's face when she sees Faith." Tanya says all of a

sudden. "I know she's wanted a grand-baby for awhile now, but Alice refuses to have
one until Jasper retires, Rose's eggs are probably all dried up from all that bleach

- 124 -

she puts on her hair and well, I guess Edward had to go and do it out of wedlock."
Umm… what you say, crazy lady?

"I will kill her." Rose seethes.

"Babe, ignore the crazy, I don't want to have to bail you out of jail. Again."

"Tanya, I'm sure Rose's ovaries are just fine. And you are right, Esme is delighted

to have this little bundle joining our family." Carlisle says patiently, I'm thinking he
popped a xanax, or knowing he'd have to put up with her brand of crazy.

"Drinks?" A saint of a steward asks us.

"Yes!" Everyone but Tanya and Baby Faith shouts.

It's gonna be a long flight.

"Bella!" I look to see my sweet bestie for life in all his drag queen glory running

across the airport in what looked to be six inch heels to greet me. "Oh, Prudella, I've
missed you bunches." He coos, pulling me into his silk covered falsie bosom. I swear
he is more dressed up than Esme who is standing beside him looking very
fashionable with a smiling Seth beside her.

"Bella!" Seth greets me when I pull away from Jake. I hug my baby brother for

dear life and he even groans I'm squeezing him so hard.

"I've missed you. Both." I smile at Jake.

"Bella dear, welcome back." Esme says from her spot in Carlisle's arms. "I've

cooked us all up a nice meal at our place here in town. It's too late in the day to
travel back to Forks this evening. I hope that all of you will join us."

"Esme, thank you for the offer…" I'm cut off by the cries of Faith, who has finally

woken up. She slept through the whole flight much to the delight of the other
passengers and myself.

"Is that a baby?" Jake squeals in horror. Yeah, Momma Bear isn't big on wee

babies. He's terrified of the puke and poop that comes with them.

"A baby?" Seth looks curious and mildly shocked.

- 125 -

"Tell me you didn't have a baby Bella?" Jake gasps, holding a hand to his fake

breast.

"Yeah, Jake, I had a magic pregnancy where I popped out a baby and lost all the

weight all in three days."

"Silly, Jake," Esme laughs patting him on the shoulder, as she rushes over to see

her Granddaughter.

"Jake, did you drive here?" I whisper into his ear and he nods. "We need to go, I

just… I'll explain later. Just get me out of here." He nods again gently.

"Ms. Esme, as much as we'd love to join all of you for dinner, I have work and my

Swans have school tomorrow. So, we'll have to bow out this time. Homework, house
work and all of that. Plus, my darling love muffin, Paul, has a surprise for us all."
Seth looks disappointed. Poor kid, I think if he could, he'd leave us and move in with
the Cullens.

"Another time?" I ask with a forced smile.

"Of course, dear." She gives me a knowing look and cuts her eyes towards Tanya. I

give her a little wink and I'm thinking Esme and I have the silent communication
thing down pat now too.

"You're leaving?" Cullen asks coming up behind me. He finally got Faith calmed

down and into Rose's awaiting arms.

"Yeah, real life calls. With all the drama of Phil's passing, I'm behind on school

work and I need to call into work to let Tony know I'm back." He pulls me into his
arms and I keep reminding myself not to cave over to his smell, strength and all
around Edwardness of him.

"Are we ok?" He asks softly into my ear.

"I need to think, Edward. I just, can I have a day or two to regroup. It's just a lot

has been thrown at me… not just with the surprise of a baby and a crazy cousin from
hell that you all really need to give a reality check to. But also I lost Phil and my
Mom is having sex with cult leaders in front of me. I'm spent and not in the good
way." He squeezes me tighter.

"I fucked up, Princess." He leans his forehead against mine. "Just… fuck, baby, let

me know that we can get past this. That I haven't fucking lost you before I really had

- 126 -

you as mine." At his husky, pleading tone I almost give in. Ok, I almost screw his
brains out in front of a ton of people in the airport. Only Tanya's talking in the
background keeps me grounded. And pissed off.

"Cul… Edward, I'm mad. I won't say I'm not. I'm also not saying we are over. What

I'm saying is I need a couple of days to regroup. You can text me, or e-mail me. I'm
not cutting off contact. Emmett is spending the week in a guest room just for
withholding info about Tanya. I'm asking for a couple of days to calm down, after
finding out about a baby you have with a dead woman. And Tanya."

"Can I call?" I give a small nod.

"Yes. But I reserve the right to let it go to voice-mail even if I'm sitting next to the

phone." I giggle at his groan.

"Bells, you ready?" Jake calls.

"Yeah, coming." I mentally thank him, because my resolve was wearing thin every

moment that I'm spending in Edward's arms with his green eyes blazing into mine.
"I've got to go." I give him a peck on the lips that he has to turn into something
PG-13 by grabbing me closer and adding in his fantastically talented tongue.

"I'll fucking miss you, Princess." He says as Jake pulls me off of him.

"She'll miss you too, Pretty boy, but we gotta go before I become an Auntie in an

airport."

"Bye." Seth waves and I do too, trying to hold back my tears. I wave too and look

at Rose who nods, letting me know that she thinks I am doing the right thing. I don't
want to be some whiny thing who complains about everything, but I think I'm in the
right - this one time - to ask for some space. To think of a way to tell him that if he
wants to be in a relationship with me that he needs to think about how things will
affect both of us, not just himself. I just hope when I'm ready to call him, he'll pick
up.

AN2: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm going on vacation from work till

the first of the year starting Saturday so I hope to get some more writing
done. I do have family obligations and some holiday stuff to deal with but
I'm thinking we should have another new chapter by New Years, and also a
Homecoming update as well.

- 127 -

Fic Recs: Just a heads up some of these reading their summary I didn't

think it would be something I'd like, but once I got into them they were
soooooo goood.

Amongst The Living /s/6053318/20/

The Dating Game *complete* /s/6513753/1/

The Cullen Sutras *complete* /s/5983581/1/

Need You Now *complete* /s/6015142/1/

Two Makes Three /s/5676595/1/

- 128 -

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

A big thanks to TwiDi for beta'ing this for me. And please send some

positive thoughts out to my other beta Rachelle_MyBell who unfortunatly
couldn't join us for this chapter because of some sadness in her real life. I
love ya baby!

AN: Umm *waves sheepishly* I know I know it's so late and I hope some of

you are still with me here. This chapter had 5 rewrites before this
incarnation. So I hope you enjoy it, and know that I actually have a good bit
of the next chapter written, and I like where it's going *citrus may be
involved just saying* so the update shouldn't take nearly as long.

Edward's POV (the night they get back)

I fucked up.

It was plain and simple.

I. Fucked. Up.

And more than once. I should have told Bella sooner about Faith, and warned her

about my psycho-cousin. Not that I really think about warning anyone about Tanya,
to be honest I had forgotten her propensity to pull that shit. I was kind of fucking
overwhelmed with the baby and telling Bella.

Fuck my life.

And I guess, like all men who fuck up, I need the advice of the one person who

always knows how to make things right.

"Hey, Mom?" Mom looks up from my daughter, whom she has yet to put down

since she got here.

- 129 -

"Oh, Edward, she is so beautiful," Esme coos. Faith wraps that tiny hand of hers

around Mom's finger and giggles. I think they've bonded.

"That she fucking is," I agree.

"Edward, language! In a few months this one is going to be talking more and more

and I swear if one of the first words out of her mouth is 'fuck', or 'shit' I will hunt
both you and your brother down and spank your asses raw." Gotta love Ma, she
chews us out about language by cussing at us.

"Got it." I laugh. Faith's eyes dart towards me and she drops Mom's finger to

reach towards me. Ah fuck, she's got me wrapped around her little finger. I take her
out of a protesting Esme's arms and hold her. She grips my nose and does a baby
coo of her own. "Ok, kid, your old man needs help. Wanna see if Grandma can give
us a hand getting Bella to forgive me?" Faith giggles some more and Mom just rolls
her eyes.

"Alright, Edward, tell Momma everything," she demands, her tone slightly

sarcastic. God, I love my Mom.

"So, it all fucking started…"

Bella's POV (starts the next morning)

I wake up to the blaring of my alarm in my ear, still tired from getting home so

late. The late hour is what saved me from having to fill Jake and Paul in on
everything that had happened this past weekend. And thankfully all Seth did is pout
because he was denied one of Esme's suppers.

"Seth, get up we have school!" I yell outside his bedroom door.

"'K." is the only response I get. I know I might have to come back in a minute and

drag his bum out of bed. I swear, getting him up takes more time the older her gets.

I go get the coffee pot going, knowing I'm going to need a fix today, and also

knowing there was no way I was going to spring for a five dollar cup on the way to
school. Seriously what the heck is in that coffee to make it cost so much? I can buy a
big can and filters, then add my generic equal and my one splurge of the named
brand French vanilla creamer I adore and I have two weeks' worth of coffee for what
people pay for one or two cups.

Next, I pull out the premade pancakes from the freezer and put them on a plate in

- 130 -

the microwave to heat up. Another thing I can't believe people pay so much for,
premade pancakes. For what one of those boxes cost I can get two boxes of regular
pancake mix, which last a heck of a lot long. With just one box, I can mix up a big
batch, generally on a Saturday morning, put them in freezer bags and we eat them
for breakfast for a few days. Even after the large batch we still have more mix in the
box, to make another large batch. So, it's not only cost effective, but time effective
as well.

"Seth, food!" I yell knowing his weakness. Less than a minute later he walks in,

grumbles 'hello' and starts scarfing down the pancakes.

Around forty-five minutes later, we are crawling into Rusty, my beloved GEO

Metro that I inherited when Sue passed on. Luckily, it still had three-fourths of a
tank, so we didn't need to stop for gas this morning.

"Bells, are you working today?" Seth asks around his travel mug of milk.

"Yep, gotta pay the gas bill this month," I say jokingly, but it's the truth. With the

weather turning, the gas bill is going up and up in the house.

"I hate that you have to work so much, Bella," Seth says seriously, "someday I'm

going to take care of you so you don't have to work so much," his sweet voice says
earnestly.

"Seth, I don't mind. I love ya to bits and pieces, so taking care of you is important

to me. So don't worry about it. Plus, in May I graduate and maybe I can get a job
where I don't have to wear an apron." I laugh and he joins in. He gets a serious look
on his face.

"You know, if you married Edward we could move back to Forks and you wouldn't

have to work. He could take care of us."

"Seth…" I wonder how to proceed. "Edward and I…" Great how do I explain this?

"You and Edward?" He prompts.

"We haven't been together that long, Seth. And right now, Edward has a new baby

that he has to think about. And well, things have happened and I'm trying to figure
out whether or not there is even going to be an 'Edward and I'."

- 131 -

"But, Bella, it's perfect. You have me, who you have to take care of, and he has a

kid to take care of. And it all evens out so you have equal baggage." He states.

"Baggage?" I'm shocked at the term.

"That's what Mr. Graham at school said to Mr. Peters when they were talking

about Ms. Jane. That she had too much baggage with a kid and that's why he
wouldn't date her."

"Seth, first off, you are not 'baggage'. A child is a gift from God, and I can assure

you that Jane doesn't see her son as baggage either. Seth, if I didn't want you, if I
didn't love you, I wouldn't work so hard to keep us together. You are not baggage.
And I don't see Edward's daughter as baggage either." I tell him, knowing that I
mean it. I have no problem with him having a child. It's the fact that he didn't tell me
he had one that has gotten to me. "Second, where the heck did you hear your
teachers talking like that?"

"I was running an errand for Ms. French to the office, and Mr. Peters – who is our

vice principle – was talking to Mr. Graham – my gym teacher – in Peters' office with
the door open. I kinda eavesdropped," he tells me shyly.

"Well, it's rude to eavesdrop and they should have had that door shut. Ugh! Seth,

just remember, adults don't always think before they speak, and sometimes
grownups are idiots. Know that you are wanted and loved, and I would never, ever
be with someone who saw you as baggage." I hope he can hear the sincerity in my
voice as I tell him this.

"I love you too, Bells. It's like Jake told his Dad about himself and Paul, 'we are a

package deal, if you want one, you get both'." I nod in full agreement.

"True, kiddo, so true."

By the time we make it home that day, I'm exhausted. Generally, Tuesdays I just

have the one class, but I had a professor that has two sections of one of my classes,
so he let me sit in his Tuesday class so I could make up my absence. On top of that I
ran around to all my other profs getting the work I missed. Then I spent two hours
in the library to work on my midterm research paper. So, like I said, I'm exhausted,
but I still have to work this afternoon.

Seth and I made it up the stairs and the door to our apartment was slightly open. I

- 132 -

pushed him behind me and pulled out my cell to call Jake. I should have called 9-1-1,
but I knew we'd need a place to hide out if there is a robber in our apartment. I
almost jumped a mile when I heard ringing coming from our apartment.

"Hello, sexy biotch number uno speaking." He quips upon answering the phone. I

jump when I see him standing in the open doorway, while hanging up his phone and
grinning. "Hey, doll, sorry bout that." I try to smile, but really I kinda want to hit him
with the baseball bat for scaring the living daylights out of me.

"Uh… hey," is my brilliant reply. Seth laughs and pushes past me to go into the

apartment. "You're early." I pout slightly.

"Well, babes, Momma bear wants all the deats on what sexy bike boy did to piss

you off and it's just been easier to wait here instead of having to keep running up
and down the stairs in my heels for… Oh hell, just come in here and look." He grabs
my arms and pulls me inside.

I look around, and my apartment looks like it has vomited a purple flower shop.

There are about six different arrangements of flowers, all in various shades of
purple, some have a few other colors but purple is definitely the predominant color
here.

"Holy crap," I mutter.

"Tell me about it." Paul comes out of the kitchen carrying a large bouquet. Once

again the main color is purple. "There are two more upstairs that Jatina thought fit
our apartment better than yours, just so you know." He looks at Jake and winks.

"Well, you can visit them if you like," Jake jokes.

"Uhh… I think I'm good with all of these. This is a lot of purple."

"Bella, I think if you take a closer look, other than purple, all of these

arrangements only have one other thing in common." Paul points out, so I began
looking at them. Trying to remember flower names from Sue's garden.

"They all have Hyacinth." Jake of course has no patience and blurts it out. "And,

oh my God, girlie, I googled that. Purple Hyacinth means 'I'm sorry', or more
literally a deep regret and longing for forgiveness!" he squeals bouncing slightly,
while clapping his hands together. "Well, that, and they are all from, Edward." Jake
adds as an afterthought.

- 133 -

"Apparently he gave the instructions that if you weren't here that the delivery guy

should go up to our apartment and so we could sign for you or something." Paul tells
me while sitting the vase down.

"Well, technically, he's not breaking the rules," I say aloud, then cover my mouth

quickly.

"Rules?" Seth asks.

"The do-not-come-around rule. I asked him to give me a couple of days to think." I

go on and explain to them what happened, leaving out the whole naked Mom getting
rammed into by a cult leader thing. Poor Seth wasn't old enough for that.

"Uhh… I'm gonna go do my homework now." Seth grumbles when I'm done. I

know he needs to go think. Poor little guy, maybe I shouldn't have said anything in
front of him. I suck at this whole responsible adult guardian thing at times.

"Ok, I gotta head to work soon, Seth, I'll say 'bye' before I go."

"'K, sis."

After he leaves the room and I turn to the pair that remain and begin in hushed

tones filling them in on the cult. The weirdness and everything else I edited while
Seth sat in the room. They both sit in stunned silence when I tell them about Renee
and her "friends". And Jake offers to go give Tanya a mohawk, he refused to
completely make her bald, something about a racist stereotype and scalping, Paul
just rolls his eyes, so I mainly ignore it.

"So, you don't think I'm a bitch for needing a couple of days to think?" I ask Jake

and Paul.

"Absolutely not, sweetie. Bike boy should have told you about his cousin if nothing

else. I can kind of understand the whole baby thing, wanting to tell you in person.
He probably figured that her sweet face would melt your heart and keep his junk
intact. Though I'm still pissed he didn't tell you about it. Grrr, men!" Jake exclaims
tossing his arms in the air dramatically while Paul just looks at him adoringly.

"Bella, my advice is to let the man stew. He's probably used to getting away with

anything and not being accountable to anyone. He claims he's your boyfriend.
Boyfriends share their lives, problems, issues and family craziness with their
significant others. Edward didn't. So, make him sweat it out. If he really wants to be
your boyfriend, he'll still be there and will learn a lesson that will make him a better

- 134 -

boyfriend in the long run," Paul tells me. Probably saying more than I've ever heard
him say at one time that didn't include something about Jake in it.

"Bella, take a couple days, babes, if nothing else, it will make him think. If he

really wants to be with you, he'll be there when you are ready. If he doesn't wait
then, he isn't worth it." Jake says with finality.

"Ugh! Fine," I say half-exasperated, half-giggling at how crazy this all was.

"Now, my child, get your sweet behind to work. We've got everything here." I kiss

both their cheeks and then check in to say goodnight to Seth before heading to the
restaurant.

It was odd being back at work, after a weekend from Twilight Zone that I had just

lived through. Everything was so normal and routine here. And everyone was
clothed, which was a big plus. Tony offered to give me another day or two off to
recover, but I needed the routine that came with being at work and with it I needed
that sense of normalcy that had been lacking lately in my life. Between Edward
crashing through my walls to make himself a part of my life, to Phil's death and my
Mom's utter crazy life, I just needed something that reminded me of being me. And I
really need the money.

"Hey, Bella!" Angela greets with a wave as she ties her apron around her waist.

"Hey, Angie, how are things?"

"Good, Ben just got a promotion at work, so I'm thinking about cutting back a few

hours a week here. I could really use the extra time for school work."

"I hear you, girl. If we didn't have Charlie's social security cheque coming in for

Seth every month to cover the rent, I'd probably have to drop out completely." That
eight hundred dollar cheque on the first of every month paid the absorbent rent on
our apartment.

"Just think Bells, in a couple of years, we'll be employed in a nine-to-five that

doesn't consist of soaking our achy feet at the end of our shift." She sighed like it
was the best thought ever and it kinda was. A job that I wasn't on my feed
ninety-nine percent of the time sounded divine.

"So true, girlie, so true."

After that we really didn't get much time to talk for the rest of the evening. The

- 135 -

place was packed and our breaks didn't correspond with being able to take time to
chat. I made a respectable eight dollars in tips. Eight dollars that will come in handy
getting Seth a new winter coat that he's going to need. He had grown like a weed
over the summer and was way too big for last year's coat.

I started walking home, complaining to myself about the fact that I didn't drive to

work. Sometimes, I'm just too cheap. And as tired as I am after my shifts, I deserved
the nice ride home. My cheap side was yelling at my tired side, telling it to use the
quiet to think things over about Edward. My tired side flipped it the bird.

Out of the corner of my eye I see something moving. A slow moving car is driving

past me. A very familiar slow moving car. I start to feel nervous and open my cell to
make it look like I'm talking to someone. I make a promise to myself to drive to and
from work at least till spring. Seeing this same car so many times can't be a
coincidence. I make it to my building and rush up the stairs.

Inside, I find a note letting me know that they'd gone upstairs and that they'd have

Seth downstairs first thing in the morning. Jake added that they wanted to watch
TV, and since mine was fairly small and didn't have cable, their apartment won. I
laugh, used to this.

I double check the locks and send a text off to Jake to let him know that I'm home.

I notice that I have a new text message, so I open it to see who it's from. Edward. I
fight the urge to open it right away. Instead, I go and fill our tiny tub with warm
water and some of my special bubbles. I don't use them often, a small treat when I'm
feeling down, but gah… they smell so good.

Before getting into the tub I grab the baseball bat and bring it in the bathroom

with me. I'm still a little rattled from that car following me around. I set it beside the
tub and sit my cell phone on the toilet lid. I slip my clothes off and slide into the
water. The heat reaches my aching muscles and I swear I hear them sigh with
pleasure. The water laps up over my breasts. The bubble mix leaves the water
feeling like warm silk sliding sensuously over my skin. When I shift the cold air hits
my nipples and they bud up.

I love it when this happens. Every time the warm water soothes them, then I let

the cold air hit them. They tighten and I can't help but touch them. But my touch
didn't satisfy my craving. It only reminded me of how it felt when Edward touched
my nipples, when he licked them, how he gently sucked them between his lips and
rolled them with his tongue. Groaning, I submerge completely under the water.

Edward.

- 136 -

The biggest pain in my butt, yet I can't help but want him. But the biggest

question, can I trust him? Can I allow him into both mine and Seth's lives? Because
no matter how much I want him, Seth has to be my first priority. Groaning again I
reach for my cell to read his message.

Trying to give you space, please let me know you got home from work. E

Ding dang it! Why does he have to be so thoughtful? The pretty flowers. Worrying

about me getting home from work… To text him or not to text him?

Home safe, going to bed. Thx for the flowers. B

Before I could talk myself out of it I hit send. I try and rationalize with myself that

he asked so little just wanting to know I'm safe. It would have been rude not to say I
am. It's not like he asked if he could call, or wanted to know what color panties I
was wearing.

Pulling myself out of the tub, I drag myself off to bed and hope that the next day

would bring more clarity on how I should handle this situation.

The week passed by at a slow pace. I called Edward on Wednesday morning, only

to get his voicemail. I let him know I needed a little bit more time, trying to explain
that I had to worry about Seth as well as myself, and that I was having a hard time. I
promised that I wouldn't be any longer than necessary. He sent me a text back
saying that he understood. And we haven't talked since, though my resolve is quickly
weakening and all I want to do is call him. No that's a lie, I'd also like to lick him and
a little humpage wouldn't go amiss either.

"Can we stop homework time and do videogame time now? Come on, Bells, it's

Saturday, not Sunday." Seth pouts from his spot at the coffee table. Since we were
both so far behind I added an extra homework block into our schedule. Seth was
protesting it with everything he has.

"How much did you get done?" I demand. To be honest I'm getting testy and

grumpy myself with having to do this extra homework, but I know it has to be done.

"I finished my social studies and English homework. I just have math and that one

science worksheet about plant reproduction."

"Do the science and then you can save the math for tomorrow night."

- 137 -

"But, Bella…" he whines.

"But Bella nothing, I could make you do it all." He rolls his eyes, pouts some more

then pulls out his worksheet. I go back to trying to get through Heart of Darkness.
Oh the joy of English lit.

Twenty minutes, two hundred grunts and I don't know how many grumbles under

his breath later, Seth declares himself done. I look it over and proclaim that he can
go get on the laptop to play video games online. He's allowed to use Pogo, but the
chat has to be turned off. I'm vigilant in trying to protect Seth from predators.

Deciding that I need a break too, I get up and go and pop the pair of us some pop

corn. I pull out the old air popper that Dad bought years ago and pour the cornels in.
This is another thing that's just so much cheaper to do it the old fashioned way.
Microwave popcorn keeps going up in price, while the bag popcorn stays about the
same.

Knock, knock.

The sound pulls me out of my internal rant about the prices of things, and how

expensive it is just to buy basic things. Seth stands up from out little "office" which
consists of two old TV trays, something else we inherited from Charlie and an old
kitchen chair. Where we have the laptop and printer hooked up. I motion for him to
grab the bat and he nods. I walk to the door.

"Who's there?" I ask with a firm voice. I hope it is intimidating.

"Esme Cullen, dear." My jaw drops in shock and Seth laughs at my stunned face. I

open the door and it is in fact Esme Cullen. I take the chain off and let her in.

"Hi, Esme," Seth, who apparently has better manners than me, greets her.

"Hello, Seth. I've missed you, my darling boy." She smiles then embraces him. She

just seems so warm and it makes me miss Sue so much.

"I've missed you too, Esme." Seth squeezes her tightly and giggles like a teenage

girl. He is such a little ham.

"Hi," I say, my voice a little nervous. I can't help but wonder why she is here. And

looking way too perfect with her perfect hair and makeup in a pretty dusty rose
cashmere coat and heels.

- 138 -

"Bella, dear." She hugs me as well. "I've come to kidnap you. I've brought a

babysitter for Seth so you have no excuse. Go change out of those jammies, I'm
taking you to tea."

Fuck.

AN2: Visual aids are going up on the blog. I estimate that the next update

will be within the next 3 weeks *fingers crossed*

Story Recs:

Royal Rebellions /s/6683803/1/(I will be honest the first chapter didn't grab me,

but by the time I hit the end of the 2nd chapter I couldn't stop reading it.)

Quiet Storm /s/6575026/1/ (Bella and Edward mobward story that is so different

from the others out there. I mean you have Ghetto welfare fraud Alice, crack dealer
Jasper, Carlisle who is a major perv, Esme who just wants to give Carlisle a blowjob,
former stripper Rose who's married to Emmett the plumber. Its drama and humor
and romance galore!)

Dear Mr Masen /s/6483877/1/ This is a wonderfully delightful gem that I just

can't stop reading! Edward and Bella are both pretty awkward, yet adorably lovable.

- 139 -

Chapter 11

A big thanks to Rachelle_MyBell and TwiDi for beta'ing this for me and

PaigelovesRob for being my pre-reader.

Sorry it's a little late but I hope you like this chapter, if you stick with it

till the end I think you will. Visuals are going up on the blog dontrunffw (at)
blogspot (dot) com.

Attention: I am writing outtakes for a couple of causes Fandom for Sexual

Assault Awareness and Fandom Fights the Tsunami. I've put a poll on my
profile page so you as readers can give me an idea of which outtakes you'd
like to see. So if you have just a moment please take the time to click over to
it and vote :0)

"Bella, dear," She hugs me as well. "I've come to kidnap you. I've brought a

babysitter for Seth so you have no excuse. Go change out of those jammies, I'm
taking you to tea."

Fuck.

I try to think as quickly as I can, knowing as much as I like Esme, she is Cullen's

Mom first and foremost. And my suspicious nature can't help but wonder if she is
here to talk me into forgiving and forgetting. In the middle of my musing it hits me,
work. I can beg off because I need to work today.

"Umm… I'm not sure, I have to work this evening and I have—" She cuts me off

with a finger to my lips.

"Go, don't worry, I will have you back in time for work." She assures me.

"Who's babysitting me?" I'm so proud of Seth; so many boys his age would

complain that they were too old for a babysitter. Not my kid brother though, he
knows I won't leave him alone here in Seattle, to many crazies in the big city.

"That would be us." I looked behind Esme to see Big Daddy C and Jasper, who I've

yet to come up with another nick name for. Not really a serial-killer-dude just
doesn't have the same ring to it. "We thought, if it is alright with your sister that is,

- 140 -

that you might like to join us today to the set where Jasper is filming a bike stunt
today for a movie?"

"Can I, Bella?" The excitement in Seth's eyes made it impossible for me to say 'no'.

"Stay close to Carlisle. Avoid the Hollywood crowd. I swear if you come home with

SluttyCyrus's phone number, I'm gonna disown you," I joke and he rolls his eyes.

"Please, sis, like I'd touch that, she's so thin a hug would probably break her in

half." He shoots back.

"You're too young to even think about touching girls, remember all non-relative

girls have horrible cooties that you need shots that come in big needles to get rid
of." Cullen's parents and sidekick laugh at our exchange. What they don't know is
that was my version of the sex talk.

"OK, kid, let's roll," Jasper says.

After a few goodbyes and hugs, the men are gone and I jump a mile when I realize

that somehow Neon Cullen has snuck into my apartment. God she is so little she can
just slip by unnoticed. She'd make a great thief!

"Hi, Bella." She waves from my sofa. She's wearing a fairly decent green colored

coat. And, by that, I mean the coat probably cost more than the second hand sofa
she is sitting on and the color isn't blinding me, so all in all a decent coat for Alice.

"Hi, Alice."

"Cooties, Bella, really?" Alice jests with a lifted eyebrow.

"Hey, don't knock it, it works. Wait till Collin is hitting his early teens and starting

to really notice girls. If you can get him to fall for the cooties thing you know you'll
use it." She giggles nodding.

"I have this feeling Rose is going to be horrid on any girls coming near that boy."

Esme and I laugh agreeing with her.

"Alright, Bella, go change so we can get going – I hate to rush you, dear, but we

have reservations." Esme's voice is kind as she shoos me towards the bedrooms.

I took notice that Alice was wearing black leggings so I felt comfortable wearing

pants as well. I pull out one of my favorite Old Navy outfits, white cotton tee, black

- 141 -

trousers and a black and white, with shades of grey striped cardigan. I toss my black
ballet flats on, throw my hair in a high pony tail, slick my lips with a pale peachy
pink gloss and feel dressed enough to go.

"You look beautiful, Bella." Esme assures me as I slip on my coat.

"Thank you," I say with a faint blush.

We all head downstairs towards a nice sedan style car that holds the Cadillac

symbol on it. I can't help but wonder if the Cullen family is insane driving these
expensive cars into my neighborhood. I've seen Fords get stripped here; a Caddie
surely would have that red bull's eye target on it.

"So, where are we going?" I ask nervously.

"Oh, Bella, you are going to love it." Alice assures me in a kind voice. "It's called

Lady Mary's Tea Room. It's also a bakery, their scones and clotted cream is to die
for. The best part is the tables are all spread out so you have actual privacy and they
have private rooms for parties. I had my tenth birthday there, we had a real old
fashion high tea and I wore a princess dress, it was too much fun."

"Sounds like it." I agree, though I have flashes of a young Cullen attending a high

tea and have to fight the giggle back into my throat.

We drive for about fifteen minutes, Alice and Esme asking me about school. I

answer them as best I can, though it starts to hit me that it might have been a bad
idea to get in the car with Cullen's family. I mean, did Cullen send his Mom and
sister to plead his case? Is this some kind of set up? Am I actually being kidnapped?

"Here we are." Esme's soft voice pulls me out of my paranoid thoughts to see what

looks like a Victorian style home. A discreet sign says the name Lady Mary's Tea
Room in a classy script. A valet is there to take the car. When we enter, there are
shades of cream and gold. It's all upscale, yet comfortable.

"Mrs. Cullen, it's so lovely to see you again." A woman in her early thirties

wearing a fifties-style soft pink dress greets Esme.

"Thank you, Donna." Esme greets back. "We have a reservation for today, dear,"

Esme informs the woman.

"Let me check to see if everything is set up for you." She smiles and walks off.

- 142 -

"Over there is the main tea room." Alice points out. I look and the tables are nicely

spaced, not too far apart or too close together. A few of the tables are occupied and
everyone seems to be having a good time.

"I've always loved the uniforms here." Esme adds. I have to agree, all the

waitresses are wearing various fifties-style soft pink knee-length dresses. I might not
know a lot about fashion, but some of the Queens that hang with Jake would kill for
these dresses. "Mary has always been obsessed with the fifties. And she carried her
love for it into her business."

"Mrs. Cullen?" Donna calls softly from behind us. "We are ready for you."

We follow her quietly into a private room which holds the same color scheme, yet

the chairs are plush and the table is set in front of a roaring fireplace. It's so warm
and cozy. The table is already laid with dozens of pastries and my tummy is doing a
happy dance that I hope no one can read on my face.

We each sit in one of the chairs and Donna lays a silky napkin with beautiful lace

detailing along the edge, across our laps. Before handing us the tea menu, on it is
the various flavors of tea and includes what they have available to add for flavor.

"I'll be back in a moment for your order, please help yourselves to the pastries set

out on the table. If you would like something else that isn't on the table, a pastry
menu is available as well. For our light lunch today, we are offering our
award-winning clam chowder, our vegetable minestrone soup and a chicken lemon
soup available today; all are served in freshly made bread bowls. We have regular
bowls available if needed." With that she leaves and my tummy is growling.

"Oh, we should hang up our coats, girls." Esme points out the coat rack. We all get

up and remove our coats, Esme is wearing a lovely dress in a soft mauve color. And
Alice, once again, earns her nickname of Neon Cullen with an eye-watering hot-pink
silky top.

"I think I'm getting the chowder and the lemon tea." Alice informs us all.

"I happen to love the chicken lemon soup, so I'll get that with some Earl Grey."

Esme adds. I bite my lip because there are no prices on this menu and while I figure
I can afford a cup of tea, maybe, I'm pretty sure the soups are out of my range.

"Umm… I think I'll have…" I trail off.

"Bella, order whatever you like, dear, it's included in the room which has already

- 143 -

been paid for." Esme informs me. "We invited you out, it's our treat." I want to fight
her on it, but I know I won't win and then I'll just sound ungrateful.

"The clam chowder and the green tea?" For some reason it comes out like a

question.

"Sounds good." Esme smiles at me.

"The chowder is to die for." Alice assures me. "Jasper and Edward will even come

in here for it. And this has to be the least manly place in the world." She laughs and
I have to agree.

Twenty minutes, a ton of mindless chatter about food, school and 'Days of Our

Lives' later and we have lunch in front of us. I have to admit it is yummy. Esme is
talking about Carlisle's latest obsession with putting together thousand piece
puzzles when she and Alice share this look. And I can't help but stiffen.

"Bella, I'm not here to tell you that you have to forgive Edward. My son messed up

and he is aware of this," Esme says firmly and you can see her sincerity in her eyes.
"I thought I might try and fill in some blanks from our points of view. And I thought
you might like to talk, maybe get things out. I know that when Carlisle pissed me off
in the past, the first person I would run to is my Mother. From what I understand
your Mother perhaps wouldn't be that much help."

"I came for the food and because you seem nice and I love my brother, but I know

he's an idiot. So, if you wanted to bitch about him, I'm willing to bitch with you. Like
the time when I was eight and he stole my favorite doll and buried her in the
backyard for no reason other than he can be an ass." Alice gives this little hrmph
noise and crosses her arms over her chest. I can't help the giggle that comes out of
my throat.

"You're right; Renee would be no help at all. She'd probably just try to recruit me

into the cult." For some reason that just slips out.

"You poor thing, Rose and Emmett filled us in on what happened there. I couldn't

even imagine having to go through that." Esme pats my hand in a sweet gesture.

"I know I'd be in therapy for years if I saw my Mom naked, let alone some guy

boinking her." Alice tells me.

"Renee has never been normal. I learned a long time ago to expect the unexpected

with her."

- 144 -

"Sounds like Tanya." Alice gasps after she says that and then claps a hand over

her mouth.

"Alice is right. We all try to avoid my niece because of her… unpredictable

nature." Esme says it like she is trying to be nice about it.

"Please, I think Uncle Eli dropped her on her head or something when she was a

baby. She is batshit crazy and Edward puts up with her because she is "family", gah!
I hate when she is around." Alice speaks so fast that I almost wasn't able to keep up.
"The bitch lost her right to be my family when she tried to seduce Jasper."

"I think Edward is grateful to her because she exposed Alana for the gold-digging

bitch she really was," Esme tells her daughter and then looks to me. "Alana was one
of Edward's semi-serious relationships that was headed towards very something
serious. She had everyone fooled, but Tanya. Long story short Tanya offered Alana
five hundred thousand dollars in cash to walk away from Edward, Alana told her to
make it a million because she could get at least that in the divorce and Tanya got the
whole exchange on tape. She gave the tape to Edward who showed up when they
were supposed to exchange the money and dumped Alana."

"Oh." Is my only response, I can now understand his loyalty to his batshit crazy

cousin after she saved his ass. And I guess that also explains why he didn't warn me
about her, maybe somewhere in his subconscious, he wondered if I was going to be
like that Alana. And if I had a heads up, then I wouldn't show my true colors.

"Bella, we are not trying to make excuses for him. My son should have known

better, and trust me no one can punish Edward better than he can punish himself.
He's a brooder and a bit of a masochist. According to him, he doesn't deserve your
forgiveness and he is expecting you to tell him at any moment to go to hell."

"As for Faith, Bella he found out after he met you. But you really hadn't known

each other that long. I think part of him was scared you'd leave because of her."
Alice adds.

"I just, ugh! I'm so confused." I huff.

"Men do have that effect on us, dear." Esme smiles at me as she says this.

"That they do." Alice adds in agreement. "Ohh, I want a sliced of Boston cream pie

for dessert." And after that Edward wasn't brought up for the rest of our "tea".

- 145 -

That night at work I couldn't get what they said out of my head. When I finally got

to bed I couldn't get to sleep thinking about what they had said, thinking about
Edward and trying to figure out where I should go from there. Needless to say, the
next day - in my classes - I suffered for my sleepless night.

"Bella?" Seth's voice jerks me awake from my impromptu nap.

"Hey." Is my brilliant response.

"Sis, is everything ok?" He asks me looking so sad.

"Of course it is." I can't help but reassure him that everything is fine.

"Bells, remember when my fish died and Dad flushed it, then went out and bought

me a new fish to cover up the fact that my fish died?" I can't stop the giggle that
breaks through; I remember the day Charlie went through all that to protect Seth
from knowing that his fish died, only to find out later that Seth knew about it all
along. He had been planning a burial ceremony after school for his dead fish.
Imagine his surprise when the fish was alive and swimming around with a new white
spot on his underside he didn't have before. "Well, you have the same look on your
face that he did on his when he was assuring me that everything was fine."

"Seth, it's a grown up relationship thing, not something you need to worry about."

"If I were having girlfriend problems, wouldn't you want me to come to you?" He

pushes.

"Ugh!" I groan/shout.

"Just tell me, Bella, who knows… I might be able to give you some good advice.

Plus, you know I'm Team Bella, so your best interest is all I'm looking out for." I roll
my eyes.

"Seth, we both know you are pulling for Team Edward."

"Ha ha, sissy. What did you say to me after Dad passed, 'It's you and me against

the world now, kiddo'."

I give in explaining in detail what happened, he's already heard some of this, but

I'm filling in the blanks. He listens intently and looks so much like Charlie did when I
was telling him all my woes that I could almost cry. When I'm done, Seth stands up
and paces in front of the sofa taping his index finger to his lips and making thinking

- 146 -

noises.

"Seems to me that he made some mistakes, but it's not like he was cheating on

you or was telling you outright lies. So, he didn't mention a kid to his new girlfriend
– a kid that he just found out about. Maybe he was busy processing that information
himself; maybe he was just waiting for the right time to tell you. As for his cousin,
did you pre-warn him about Jake? I mean, really, I think he handled the Jatina
hitting on him fairly well compared to a lot of guys." I can't help the smile that
comes across my face when I remember how great Edward had been with Jake.

"True." I agree.

"And, Bells, he's never made me feel less than welcomed, I've never felt like

someone he only puts up with just so he can get to you. Riley told me about hearing
his Mom cry at night because her boyfriends dumped her because of him. Edward
just accepted you with all your extras."

"Seth…" He stops me with a look.

"Bella, have you ever thought that maybe you are using this as an excuse to push

him away so that you don't have to put yourself out there. Reject him before he can
reject you? I've heard about the number Garrett pulled on you and then there was
that guy Jamie you went on two dates with last year and found out he was married.
Think about it, Bells." He plops down beside me on the sofa and I lean onto his
shoulder.

"How did you get so smart?" I ask him.

"Good genes." He informs me. "And a smart sister who once told me that

forgiveness is divine and a second chance can often lead to wonderful things. I
mean, it was a second chance that got you me."

"Seth, Cullen owes you big time." I groan sitting up grabbing my cell. He had to go

and remind me about when Dad and Sue broke up, because my Dad - though perfect
in my eyes - was still a man and he had been pretty set in his ways, pushed Sue away
by not letting her in. When he got off his butt and went to get her back, she gave
him another try. And ten months later we got Seth.

"Maybe he'll let me sit with the pit crew at one of his races." Seth fist pumps all

excited. "I'm going to go study for my history test." He offers pointing his head
towards his room. I know that is his way of giving me privacy.

- 147 -

"Hey, Seth?"

"Yeah?"

"I owe you too. Thanks for knowing me so well."

"Anytime, Sis, anytime."

After he shuts his bedroom door, I dial Cullen's number.

Edward's POV

"Dude, I didn't know that girls could shit so much." I turn a glare at my brother.

"Yeah, well now you know. Ass." He gives me a cocky grin.

"Aww, come on Daddyward, don't you just love the smell of shit first thing in the

morning?"

"Fuck you, Em." I flip him off with the hand that's not holding the diaper.

"Tut, tut, Edward, didn't Mom ever tell you that incest isn't best?" Alice asks

coming in the room. Her bright pink top killing my eyeballs.

"Shove it, Gnome."

"Now, Edward, you should be kissing mine and Mom's feet." I give her the 'what

the fuck are you talking about' lift of my left brow. "We just had lunch at Lady
Mary's with a very sweet brunette that I think is way too good for you; and Mom
filled her in on why you are so nice to Tanya. And I think there might be some
softening going on… just saying." She twirls over to Faith and tickles the little soft
belly. Her reward is a giggle and flailing limbs.

"Thank you, Ali." I grab shorty up into a huge hug, spinning her around.

"You're welcome," she says with a giggle. "And, Edward, I really like her, so don't

fuck this up again." She gives me a stern look that reminded me so much of Esme's.

"I'll do my damndest not to."

"You'd better, or I'll tell Rose." Em adds. "She likes Bella; they bonded over tequila

and nudist. Rose will probably fuck up your bike if you fuck it up with Bella."

- 148 -

"Should I call her?" I ask like a nervous teenage boy with his first crush.

"Let her come to you, Edward," Alice tells me with a smile, "just give her time to

process everything." I nod and go back to trying to get a diaper on Faith. Not an
easy fucking task.

It's been over twenty-four fucking hours since Alice told me about lunch with

Bella. Twenty-four hours ago my patience ran out and I kept picking up my phone to
call her. Since we were still in Seattle, I was fighting the urge to just drive over to
her house and fucking her till she took me back, my cock had faith that he could do
what my words couldn't.

Any other girl and I would have written her off by now. But there was something

about Bella. She was so much more than I could have ever fucking dreamt of. She's
kind, loving and selfless. She proves all of this by raising her kid brother, when she
could have sent him into foster care or to another relative. Seth told Jasper that
Jake's Dad even offered to raise him in Forks. Bella declined, keeping her promise to
Seth and her late father to keep their family together. I couldn't say I'd do the same
in her shoes. Fuck that's why we all have separate houses. As much as we all love
each other and like to stay close together, I need my fucking space.

The crying that comes from Faith's monitor pulled me off the sofa. I went in and

smiled at the noisy sweetheart who was complaining. She was so fucking perfect.
Yeah, she made a good bit of noise at times, her farts smelt worse than Emmett's
and she shit more than I did. But, to me, she was fucking perfect.

"What's up, pumpkin?" Her cries stop when she sees me and she reaches her arms

up. "Alright up you go." We cuddle and I sang softly to her. Twenty long minutes
later, and she was back asleep.

I grab a beer out of the fridge and then plop back down on the sofa, flipping on

the TV. A rerun of Criminal Minds catches my attention and I settle in to watch it.
After a few minutes, I notice the mailbox on my cell is blinking so I pick it up to
check my voicemail.

Edward, umm… hi, it's me…Bella…yeah, listen, I guess you're busy or sleeping or

something. At least I hope you're not just avoiding my calls. I probably deserve it,
but anyways, I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to you. And I'm also sorry that I
was a little harsh and instead of giving you a chance, I…this is awkward, having this
conversation with your voicemail. I'm here for the rest of the night, if you want to

- 149 -

talk…

My phone cuts out and I don't know if she hung up or if the mailbox cut her off.

Should I call her back tonight? Or make her wait till tomorrow? Shit, I want to talk
to her tonight, but would that be to fucking needy? Ahh fuck! I pick up my cell and
call my relationship guru.

"Hey, Mom?" She'll know what I should do.

Bella's POV

Two hours ago I called Cullen. Two hours. And he still hasn't called me back. Was

he ignoring me? Did he decide I wasn't worth it after all? Great! Now I've become
one of those girls. You know those girls who go… he loves me, he loves me not, all
the freaking time. Gahhh!

"Bells, is it ok if I go up to Jake's and watch some of the game with Paul, just till

bed time?" Monday night football was calling the boy to a clearer reception. I often
let him go upstairs for this till ten-thirty when his butt needs to be in bed, but I owe
him.

"If I let you stay for the whole game, can you promise to get up in the morning?

And by a 'whole game' I mean your butt is in bed by eleven thirty at the latest." He
nods enthusiastically and runs to embrace me.

"Thanks, Bella! And I promise." I follow him into the kitchen where he grabs a Dr.

Pepper out of the fridge and a bag of movie butter microwave popcorn and takes off
towards the door.

"Lock it behind you!" I yell and hear the click. I've decided to surprise Seth by

baking some cookies. Chocolate chip, so he can take them to school for a dessert
after lunch. I flip the radio on to get some noise and shake my tush a little to the pop
tune playing.

"Need help?" I drop the recipe book on the floor and turn slowly.

"Cullen?" There he is. Still too hot to be human.

"Hey, TinkerBella." He winks and I blush. He had to go and notice my Tinkerbelle

slippers.

"How did you get in?" I'm totally deflecting.

- 150 -

"Seth, he was heading upstairs as I was going to knock."

"Ahh…" Yep, I'm really verbose tonight, aren't I?

"So…?" It must be catchy.

"Uh… yeah." I can't figure out what to say. There is so much to say, but he's

looking so lickable in the leather jacket and those jeans… oh, my God those jeans.

"Oh fuck it." I hear right before he suddenly pounces on me, his lips latching to

mine.

Without any conscious thought, my hands grip the back of his neck and I kiss the

ever-loving-shit out of him. He responds with a moan and grips my ass. My butt
seems happy to have his hands there - clearly it has missed his hands. At least that is
what it is telling my girlie bits which, if they could, would be rocking some pom
poms and screaming for Edward. As it is, the back of my mind is starting to sing "
let's get it on".

Before I can hit the second verse, he does this move that pulls me up and my legs

wrap around his waist. His kisses move to my neck and I might have… ok, I totally
slipped my tongue out and licked his jaw. You would too if you could, just saying. He
moans, I whimper and next thing I know he's plopping me on my bed and whipping
off his shirt. The angels sing Hallelujah and I end their song with a quick Amen and
thank you, Jesus for Edward's abs.

"God, you're beautiful." He tells me as he takes my black sleep tank top off. He

really likes the fact that I'm not wearing a bra. I can tell, his eyes dilate and his lips
hit my nipple before I can even say 'thanks'. And, of course, once the nip is getting
some loving, the mouth can't even form the word, so I just grunt and palm his rock
hard booty. Good times.

He straddles me and unbuttons his jeans. He gives me that look, the one that says

'are you sure?' and I answer it by pushing at my own pants. I'm sure later I'll over
analyze this, because that's just me. But for now, I want him inside me. I want to feel
him. I've missed him. I've missed this. The way he can make me feel, the way he
brings me to life, it's scary, but oh God does it feel good.

He slowly eases into me and begins to lightly kiss my lips. I suck his bottom lip

into my mouth, biting down gently when he stretches me. I feel him moving inside
me, he's flicking his hips in just the right way, hitting that spot. You know that spot,
the one that makes you forget your native language and has you speaking in tongue.

- 151 -

Yeah, that spot.

Not long after we are both panting and calling each other God. I'm trying to

remember why we haven't done this more often and Edward is kissing my face and
thanking me over and over again. I try to get it out that it's me who should thank
him and that my vibrator will never fulfill me again, but I can't form words yet.

"Holy shit!" he groans out. I give him thumbs up in agreement. He laughs and

throws his head beside me on the pillow. "You are so fucking adorable, Princess." I
roll my eyes.

"Cullen…" I'm cut off by his lips meeting mine again. Best way to shut me up.

Ever.

"Hey, Bella, I'm going to bed now!" Seth yells through my bedroom door. Even

though it's shut I push Edward's head under the blankets and look at the door with a
guilty face.

"'K, night." I tell him hoping he can't hear it in my voice that I'd just got some. Ok,

I just got a lot. I mean, Cullen isn't small by any means. I can't help my nervous
giggle. We hear Seth's door shut and Edward pops out from under my blankets with
a cocky grin.

"If I didn't like that kid so fucking much, I'd call him a cockblock," he says in a

soft, low, sexy voice. And I'm damning the thin walls in this apartment, because I
really, really want round two.

"Ha Ha."

"So, Princess, I'm thinking Wednesday night, you and me. Dinner. Maybe a movie

or dancing, then maybe see how comfortable the back seat of my car is?" And there
is the cocky bastard that I love to hump so much.

"We still need to talk, Cullen." I know it's true, not that I plan to read him the riot

act, I just want to explain that I messed up too and I pushed him away a little too
hard.

"Over dinner?" I nod, he kisses me.

"I'll see if Jake or Paul can babysit."

"If they can't, I have a houseful of people here in Seattle willing to babysit for us."

- 152 -

"You all are still in Seattle?" He groans and nods 'yes'.

"Jazz is running stunts for a movie here, Dad is doing surgery on Friday, he's been

consulting on a case and the patient prefers my father to do the surgery. So we are
all just staying in town for the moment."

"Oh." And there is my brilliant answer to that.

"Yeah. At least it made it quicker to come see you." I smile.

"That it did." I look at the clock noting that I needed to get to sleep, or I was going

to be a zombie tomorrow too. "And it makes your ride home quicker as well." I say
with a laugh and a quick kiss to his lips. "Sorry, Cullen, I've got a class and work
tomorrow, plus I really don't feel like having to explain sleepovers to Seth in the
morning."

"I get it." He stands up and pulls his jeans back on. Bye, sexy bare ass that I will

bite one day. "I'll call you and firm up our plans, ok?"

"Sounds good." I get up, enjoying the slight ache in my nether regions, grab my

robe and walk Edward to the door, so I can lock up and also lock lips one last time
this evening.

"I missed you." He whispers against me lips.

"Me too." I say in agreement.

He leans his forehead against mine and just takes a breath before placing one last

kiss on my nose. He waves goodnight and I lock up the door then go back into my
room where I do a crazy happy dance, jiggling my butt and waving my hands in the
air.

Now, I just have to figure out what to wear.

AN2: Reviews are nice like, like orgasms for my mind...please to be

pleasuring me now lol.

Homecoming update should be up later this week, unless something

comes up.

- 153 -

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the

A big thanks to TwiDi for beta'ing this for me. Have I told you how

awesomesauce she is? Well she really is!

So I'm feeling like an opening act for the MTV Movie Awards tonight, if

Rob doesn't win all his awards I'm going to be one ticked off Team Edward
fan! AN at the end, you've waited long enough for this update (at least those
of you still reading)

Edward's POV

"Please just be pee. Please just be pee," I chant as I carry Faith to what my Mom

insisted that I fucking had to have, a changing table, cause clearly that is the only
place to change a baby. Note my sarcasm there.

"Gooo." I think she said, though after opening up her diaper I think she said poo.

Damn! For something so little and cute, she expels some nasty and big ass shit.

"Gooo yourself, Stinky!" I tell her laughing. She laughs back at me and we finally

get the damned diaper situation straightened out. "Ok, kiddo, we're going to find
Nana and Papa, so save that poo for Nana, she probably thinks it's cute or some
shit." I mentally smack myself for saying shit. This parenting stuff is fucking hard.

I quickly dress the squirming almost eight month old bundle and carry her down

the stairs to find my parents.

"Ma!" I yell, walking in the family room.

"Goo!" Faith yells, copying me I guess. Either that, or she took another dump

already.

"Edward Anthony, indoor voice," Mom chastises as she takes Faith from me and

- 154 -

walks away. I see where I fucking stand now. "How is my sweet baby girl?" Mom
coos.

"Bahhh!" Faith exclaims before letting out an Emmett-sized-belch.

"Well, really, young lady!" Mom exclaims with a laugh. "Such manners you have,

clearly you've been hanging out with your Daddy too much." Mom glares at me like
it's my fucking fault the kid belches like Em.

"Uh… where is Dad?" I ask running my hand through my hair.

"In his study, dear," Mom informs me. "Run along." She shoos me without a

glance, walking off with my kid.

I walk to Dad's study and knock on the door before walking in. He's busy shoving

out his nasty ass cigar into a glass of what looks like water.

"Damn it, Edward, I thought you were your Mother," He whines. "That was my last

Cuban." Poor Pops. Mom hates that he likes a cigar now and then, it stinks up the
house. That and she worries about his health. So, my bright PhD of a father thinks
that by opening up the French doors of his office, he can sneak by smoking now and
then. Yeah, she still knows he does it. Esme sees all.

"Yeah, yeah, old man. You know how to get more." I give him a look and he glares

at me.

"Not the point." He retorts. Then being Carlisle he just sighs and lets the

frustration go. Dad can't stay mad at his kids long. "Where is my beautiful
granddaughter?"

"Being spoiled by your wife." He nods and rubs his face.

"Even when she isn't here with us, your Mother still is plotting and planning how

to spoil her."

"Speaking of not being here..." I took that as my cue. He raises and eyebrow and I

continue. "I have a date with Bella tomorrow night, and I was wondering if you and
Mom wanted to babysit?"

"Sure. Not a problem," he assures me. "Do you have any big plans?"

"Uh… yeah, no I have no fucking clue where to take her. It's like the 'I-fucked-up,

- 155 -

we-fucked-but-we-still-need-to-talk' kind of date, where I need to show her that I'm
fucking sorry and shit. It needs to be awesome so she doesn't dump my ass. Because
for some fucking reason it matters, she matters." I moan plopping into the black
leather club chair.

"Ok, first, son, language. Second, I didn't need to know you and Bella had umm…

beenintimate." He blushes a little. "Third, take her somewhere to wine and dine her.
Take her to someplace cozy, like Benito's. You can eat, dance and talk there without
feeling overwhelmed."

"Nice idea, Pops." Giving him a weak ass thumbs up. "One problem, Benito's is

hard as hell to get into, even for me." Carlisle raises that damn brow of his again
and picks up his phone.

"Tate, my good man it's Carlisle Cullen." He pauses as he listens. "No I'm doing

great, how is your father?" The man talks for a moment then Dad starts again.
"Excellent, listen I know this is short notice but is there any way you can fit my son
Edward and his girlfriend in for tomorrow night? The boy messed up and really
needs to make it up to her." Carlisle grins. "Thank you so much, I'm sure eight will
be fine with them. Tell your Father I said 'hello', and that he'd better be watching
his cholesterol." They talk for a minute more before Dad hangs up. "Tomorrow night
at eight, you and Bella have a table at Benito's under the name Cullen."

"Holy shit, thanks, Dad!" I can't hold back sounding like an excited kid. "How?"

"Frank Benito is Tate's Father, whose life I just happened to have saved. He was

rushed into the Forks ER having chest pains, Dr. Owens a second year resident
almost killed the man, I happened to be in the hospital checking on a patient. A
nurse picked up quickly that Owens was messing up and called me. I got there in
time and Frank is still with us today. As a perk, I made a friend for life and can get a
good table at Benito's when I need it."

My dad is the fucking man!

The next morning I was in the middle of trying to get the fruit of my loins to eat

this mushy-ass cross between cereal and oatmeal that Dad said was good for her to
eat at this age when my cell rang.

"Yeah?"

- 156 -

"Well, hello hotness." I give a chuckle.

"Hello back atcha, Jatina."

"Well, sexy, you see we have a little problem." Oh shit, was I about to get reamed

again by the best friend for fucking up with Bella?

"Uhh…" Yeah, that was my fucking intelligent response.

"Where are you taking our fair Bella this evening?" He/She demands.

"Out?" Fuck, that was intelligent. I mentally berate myself.

"Ha fucking ha! Pretty boy, I need to know so I can dress her properly. You

wouldn't want her to be uncomfortable by being dressed the wrong way, do you?"

"Benito's, but keep it to yourself, it's a surprise."

"Squeeee! I know just how to dress her now, a classy sexy look will do. Yes, I can

see it in my mind, now I just need to…" Jatina trails off.

"Goo!" A demanding little voice gets my attention. I guess she had been ignored

too long. I make a cross eyed face at her and she giggles.

"Was that the baby?" Jatina coos.

"Yeah, she was saying 'get off the phone, old man, and give me some more of this

nasty ass cereal shit'."

"Awww, well, go feed the little monster, and I'll handle things here." With that

He/She I really need to find out what Jatina/Jake prefers to be fucking referred to a
he or a she, hangs up and I look at Faith.

"So how much cleavage do you think classy sexy shows?" I ask my kid, who

promptly takes a handful of cereal and throws it in my face.

Bella's POV

"Help." Was the only word written that text message needed. After sending it

when I got home from work the next night, Jacob flew down the stairs so I could fill
him in on my dilemma.

- 157 -

"What does one wear to go to dinner and maybe some dancing?" Garrett used to

think that Wendy's drive thru was upscale dining, so my "real" date experience is
close to nil.

"Did he say where?" Jake asks, seeming as frazzled as I am. He's flipping through

my closet making little noises like he is in pain.

"No." I pout.

"Well, the hotness probably is thinking someplace at least half ways decent. And if

there is dancing it could be a club, or maybe one of those restaurants that also has a
dance floor."

"I could wear my interview skirt, and that navy blue silk blouse you gave me for

Christmas!" I say with excitement, thinking I just solved my problem.

"Uh… no." Jake goes into full Jatina mode, slipping one hand onto his hip and

wagging his finger at me. I clearly have insulted the fashionista. "We need a dress."

"I have one…" I trail off when he raises that perfectly arched brow of his.

"Your funeral dress is not going to work, Bella." I sigh and he smiles. "We'll just

have to go shopping."

"No, Jake. My broke behind can't afford to go shopping for an outfit for just one

date."

"Don't worry, I'll pay."

"No!" I exclaim loudly. "You and Paul have been saving every extra penny for your

competitions and for the down payment on a place you actually will own one day. I'm
not going to let you waste that on me. I'll just wear some nice jeans and a cute top.
Cullen can either like it or hate it. He knows I'm not a Rockefeller."

"Pshh. I'll get you into a dress, just trust me, Bella. After you get out of class later

today, I'll be here with your outfit, and you will wear it." He gives a deceive nod then
storms out. Clearly I have pissed off the Queen.

He wasn't kidding. As Seth and I go up the stairs to our apartment, we found Jake

unlocking the door with one hand and several of those environmentally friendly

- 158 -

cloth grocery bags in his other. I roll my eyes and follow him into the apartment,
Seth, the ever growing boy, takes time to grab a snack before noticing Jake's bounty
of bags.

"What's with the bags?" Seth mumbles out around his apple.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," I automatically reply.

"In there, my dear boy, is my magic bag of tricks to help your sister get ready. You

see, Bella has another date with Edward
I'm-so-hot-one-look-melted-Prudella's-panties-off Cullen." I roll my eyes and smack
the back of Jake's head. "What? It's the truth." He defends himself.

"So, who's watching me?" Oh, crap I knew I forgot something.

"Uhhh…" Yeah, I had forgotten about that part. Cullen has clearly fried my brain

with his mad dazzling power. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

"Yes, Bella, I will watch Sethy for you." Jake laughs. "He can help me make dinner

for Paul. Ohh, and in the spirit of the upcoming Halloween holiday, we can watch
The Ring or The Wolfman. I love me a werewolf." Jake fans himself.

"I always preferred vampires." I tell him.

"You would be into the living dead. One word, Bella, necrophilia."

"At least they don't shed like your wolf man would," I argue back. Seth is laughing

at us.

"Sethy, you're on my side, right?" Jake bats his fake eyelashes and Seth laughs.

"Nah, I've always liked Zombies better."

"Brat!" Jake stomps towards my room, acting insulted, but we hear him start

laughing before he even opens the door.

"I'd better go before her highness decides to drag me back there." I joke with

Seth, laughing. He grins and gives me quirky thumbs up.

"Beware the curling iron." He uses this silly voice that sounds like it's from a

horror movie.

- 159 -

"Noted." I pretend to shriek jokingly, remembering the time Jacob hit me with a

hot curling iron, on sort of purpose, he forgot it was hot, because I moved when I
wasn't supposed to.

"Ok, Prudella. First, let's get your hair up in these, then we'll get you into your

dress." Jake is holding these huge hair rollers. I gulp and sit down.

"Nothing too over the top, Jake, we could just be going for pizza or something." I

remind him.

"Tut, tut." He clucks his tongue. "Clearly you don't know me that well after all. I

had a lovely phone conversation earlier today with the hotness; I know exactly
where you are going." He gives this evil grin. "And I'll never tell."

"Jake." I pout.

"Nope, not gonna work."

"I'll tell you what Paul is giving you for your anniversary." I bargain.

"Bella, Bella, Bella. Enjoy the romance of the surprise for once in your life,

girlfriend. Pretty boy has a good one that you will love up his sleeve and I'm not
going to throw him under the bus to find out that Paul bought me that lovely pearl
necklace that he has hidden in his tool box for our anniversary." He huffs.

"And you accuse me of not wanting to be surprised." I laugh. "So, what am I going

to be wearing to this "romantic surprise" date?" Jake opens up one of the bags and
pulls out his pinky purple dress. At least I think it's a dress, it has about the same
amount of material as a one piece bathing suit.

"It looks better on, trust me." I give him a look full of skepticism, because honestly

the thing looks way too short and very, umm… how to say this nicely? Slutty. Yep,
sorry, no nice way to put it. He then pulls out these massive heels with a bow on
them in the same shade as the dress, along with colorful polka dots. "Since you
wouldn't allow me to purchase you something completely fab, Bella, I had to borrow
from another Queen that is your size, you are so lucky Lusty Lupe was willing to
share." I roll my eyes and take the dress.

Knowing that I'd have to slip on my strapless bra to wear with this dress—the

halter neck would look tacky with bra straps showing and this dress really doesn't
need any 'extra tacky' added to it—I go to my underwear drawer and pull it out. I
slip the dress on—and at times the fit is so tight, I almost ask Jake for some Vaseline

- 160 -

to help slide it on. I can already tell there is no way I'll be leaving the house in this
dress.

Taking a deep breath I turn and look in the mirror and I'm suddenly hit with the

realization that if I ever need a change of profession or need to make some quick
cash, this dress could be my in. Clearly this dress screams that I am HookerElla.
Between it being so tight that you could see my naval through the material, and so
short that my hooha was barely covered, it had these little cut-outs all over the
dress. I don't even look like a high-class hooker; I'm corner of fifth and main,
screaming out five dollar blow job hooker.

I know Jake talked to Edward before getting the dress; and I also know those girls

around the tracks where Edward races are umm… oh hell, slutty-looking, but surely
they both know me well enough to know I don't fit into that category. Charlie would
roll over in his grave if I left the house in this. And Sue always told me there was a
difference between dressing sexy and dressing like a slut. If you can get arrested for
indecent exposure in your outfit you have crossed the line. This outfit crossed it and
then some.

"Funeral dress it is." I say glaring at Jake. Jake starts laughing his

silk-covered-butt off.

"Oh my God, do you really think I'd let you go out in that?" He jokes. "Victoria, the

girl who works reception at work heard me talking to Steph about needing a dress in
your size; she offered that, I didn't want to hurt her poor sweet slutty dressing heart,
so I promised you'd love it." He walks to my closet and pulls out a garment bag and
winks. "I then called Paul's cousin Dina, who is a tiny little thing like you. She had
just the thing and—by the way—says you can keep it, she's worn it once already and
since Miss Thang is a doctor's wife she can't be seen in the same outfit twice." He
rolls his eyes. He reaches into the bag and pulls out a black dress. "Try this one."

Well, it's more than just a black dress it was the epitome of classy, yet sexy as hell.

I slip it on, loving the material's almost silky feel. It's tighter then I'd normally wear,
and shorter than usual, landing about six inches above my knee. I was showing way
more of my legs than I would normally do. The sleeves are sheer and billowy, giving
it just a little something extra. I'm a little shocked at how sexy and confident I feel in
this dress. Jake produces some black pumps and a pretty fan like black purse to
complete the outfit.

"The shoes are new, with that dress no one is going to notice your Target shoes.

And the purse is one of mine. I bought it at a vintage store."

- 161 -

"I love it." I smile at him.

"It is beautiful. But it just needs a little something." He taps his chin in thought.

"Oh, I know!" I shout and run to my closet; in the back in an old pair of sneakers I

have my most valuable possessions. I pull out Sue's diamond stud earrings, they
aren't big, but they are beautiful. I also grab the rose gold heart shaped diamond
necklace Phil and Mom gave me for my high school graduation. I slip them on and
turn back to Jake. He gasps, then claps his hands.

"Just the extra punch it needed." He nods then leads me over to the bed where I

sit while he puts my makeup on. Some shimmering bronze eye-shadow that brings
out the different shades of brown in my eyes, making them look richer. He flicks on
some mascara, no eyeliner tonight. A light flick of pink blush and a pretty pink that
looks natural on my lips and he moves on to my hair. After a lot of pulling, curling
and pinning I'm done. Looking in the mirror I'm stunned by how adult-like and
sophisticated I look. What Jake has put together gives me the look of a sexy
twenty-something woman who looks confident and self-assured.

"You are a genius." I tell him. I can't stop myself I hug him. "Thank you!"

"Oh, my sweet child, we both know that this is all you. Clothes and make up just

enhance the natural beauty and wonder of the person they are on." He kisses the top
of my head. "Hotness isn't going to have a clue of what hit him when he sees you
tonight."

The ringing doorbell pulls us away from our gushing and I take a deep breath.

Jake rushes out to help Seth with the door knowing that he's not supposed to open it
alone. While I take one last look in the mirror. I know I'm as ready as I'll ever be. So,
with a loving touch to the framed photo of Charlie and Sue on my dresser, I go out
to greet my date.

"Wow Bella, you look like… just wow!" Seth exclaims. He's the first to see me

since Jake is getting his faux flirt on with Cullen, who is polite enough to go along
with it.

"Thanks, Seth." I wink at him and turn to the wolf whistle.

"Damn Princess." And there he is, in all his foul-mouthed, hot glory. The man who

makes my thighs clench and my hooha weep, and he's wearing a freaking suit.

"Thank you." I blush; and they all think I'm embarrassed when really I'm just

- 162 -

trying to talk myself out of jumping his bones right here in the living room. I have to
keep reminding myself we need to talk, but he looks so fine and hot and oh my God
that tie. The tie I can hold onto it while I ride that magic stick in his pants. Ung!

"Are you ready to go?" He asks with a cocky grin and I smile back and nod.

Because I am ready to go, right into my bedroom. I could probably go all night long
at this point. Making sweet loving all night long. Feels so right it can't be wrong.
Damn you, Color Me Badd, get out of my head! Jake starts giggling and I think he
realizes what is going on. When Cullen turns to grab my coat from Seth, Jake fans
himself and makes a kissy face at me. I roll my eyes and smile as I let Cullen slip my
coat on me.

We walk outside after saying our goodbyes. Cullen is quiet and I'm just trying to

mentally remind myself that we need to talk, not hump right now. Though Cullen
doesn't help me any, because when we get beside his car, suddenly I'm turned and
pressed up against it. Cullen's mouth is on mine, his tongue quickly working its way
into my mouth. His strong hands are on my ass; and one leg lifts up, as if it has a
mind of its own and his hand finds my stocking-clad thigh. I groan as his fingers slip
up to find the bare skin above the stocking.

"God, Princess, you look so fucking hot tonight," he mumbles into my mouth.

I can't talk, so I hum and fist his tie in my hand jerking him harder into our kiss. I

bite his bottom lip and he thrust into me. He's already hard. Maybe we can slip into
the back seat? No! Bad, Bella, we need to talk. Be good. The thought flies out the
window when he moves one hand up to cup the side of my left breast. My nipples
bud up even tighter and the sweet little clench that just makes me hornier comes
when he flicks my left nipple with his index finger.

"Get a fucking room!" Somebody yells out, breaking the spell. Edward flips them

off, but I am silently thanking them, seeing as I live in this building and they really
don't need to see me sexin' up Cullen right in front of it.

"Asshole," Cullen mutters, before giving me that damn naughty wink of his.

"Ready to go, beautiful?" Boy am I.

"Yeah, we'd better before we get arrested." He laughs and opens the door for me.

Of course, being Cullen he has to smack my ass lightly so not to be too gentlemanly.

After a twenty-minute drive where I had to keep removing Cullen's hand from my

leg—it kept wandering upwards, naughty just like the rest of him—we came to a
stop in front of some restaurant called Benito's.

- 163 -

The Valet took the car and Cullen walks in and gives the host his name. The host

walks us quickly to a nice table and hands us three menus, one is for wine, the other
is just your standard menu only way classier then where I work.

"Hello, my name is Sally, I'll be your drinks waitress tonight, is there anything that

I can get you now?"

"Did you want some wine?" Cullen asks me and I shake my head in the negative,

knowing that I'm going to need my full wits about me tonight.

"No, thanks, I think I'm going to have iced tea." Sally nods.

"Sweet tea, unsweetened, or sweet decafe?"

"Sweet tea." She smiles sweetly then looks at my date and gives a little extra in

her smile. Not in the I-wanna-take-your-man-away way, but in the damn-he's-fine
way.

"And you, sir?"

"Coke, light on the ice." She nods again.

"I'll be right back in a moment with your drinks. Your food server will be with you

in just a moment."

"Thank you," I say politely and she smiles even sweeter at me. I have this feeling

she doesn't get thanked that often here.

"So what looks good?" he asks as I look through the menu. You. I silently reply.

"It all does," I assure him. Before he can reply, a young man steps up.

"Good evening, I'm Stephen, and I'll be your food server for the evening. Would

you care to hear the evening specials?" He asks politely.

"Please," I reply.

"We have an excellent Astice E Mascarpone Raviolini which is freshly made

mascarpone raviolini filled with lobster and covered in a sauce made with fresh
melted tomatoes and basil topped off with Parmigiano Reggiano. Also, this evening
we have a manicotti, that is homemade pasta crepes filled with smooth ricotta
cheese in our signature tomato sauce and we also have a wonderful Porterhouse,

- 164 -

served with sautéed mushrooms, asparagus in cream sauce and your choice of a
baked potato or sweet potato dumplings." After he finishes his spiel, I'm famished. It
all sounds so good.

"Bella, do you need more time?" Edward asks.

"No, I want the manicotti." The thought of those fresh shells, so soft and yummy

was making my mouth water almost as much as my date is.

"Very nice choice," Stephen assures me. "And for you, sir?"

"The Porterhouse is fine." Stephen writes it all down on his little pad and walks off

to get out food.

"Here are you drinks, as well as a basket of freshly-baked bread sticks and our

house fried mozzarella balls." Sally was right behind the waiter. We thank her again
and she leaves us. Cullen quickly grabs one of the mozzarella balls and pops it in his
mouth.

"These are fucking good," he says pointing at them. And there is my foul-mouthed

boyfriend, ladies and gentlemen. I giggle internally. First, because of the look on the
older ladies face at the table beside us—she looks horrified at his language; and
second because I just called Edward Cullen my boyfriend and who could help but
happily giggle at that?

After we eat, Edward leads me out onto the dance floor. We dance to an artist like

Frank Sinatra. Even though I'm not the greatest dancer in the world, he makes me
feel like I'm Ginger Rogers. It's smooth and effortless.

After a while we pay the bill then head out. In the car, Edward takes off in a

direction opposite of my house; and before long, we are in a parking lot near the
beach. He pulls my hand into his and looks at me seriously.

"I'm fucking sorry, Princess. I know I messed up, but fuck I'm not perfect and I've

never been in this situation before," he blurts out.

"I messed up too, Edward, it's not just you. I overreacted and pushed you away."

I'm completely owning up to my own issues. I figure if we are going to talk it out, we
both need to talk.

- 165 -

"You and Faith came into my life and my mind couldn't fucking process how to

handle shit. I wanted to tell you. Fuck, I wanted to tell you, but I just never did. I
think maybe subconsciously I was worried that you'd dump my ass before we even
had a shot to see where this," he points between the two of us, "is going."

"I just felt like you were hiding something from me." I sigh and look at him dead in

the eyes. I want him to know I'm being honest. "Before you, I had one serious
boyfriend named Garrett, he was my first and he left me for my friend. Then, I went
out on two dates with this guy named Jaime that chased me for weeks before I gave
in. After our second date, I found out, by accident, that he was married and had a
small child."

"Fucker!" Cullen spits out.

"I agree. Imagine my surprise when I take Seth to get ice cream and there is the

guy I'm dating, wearing a wedding band and holding a kid, with a wife on his arm."

"And between not telling you and then the shit Tan pulled on you, you thought I

was just as fucked up as those assholes?" he asks. I nod in agreement.

"Plus, as my overly smart younger brother told me, I was just looking for an

excuse to push you away to protect myself from being hurt again. By the way, you
completely own Seth. He's the one who talked me around, showing me where I was
in the wrong as well as you. And that what you didn't really wasn't as bad as I made
it out to be."

"I should have told you, Princess." He hangs his head and it hits me that Alice and

Esme are right, no one can punish Edward as much as Edward can punish himself. I
reach across and grab his chin in my hand in turn him back facing me.

"You took me home and made my brother and I feel like part of your family, you've

treated us both extremely well. You didn't really lie; you just didn't tell me
everything. We jumped into this and it's only been a few weeks. Cullen, yes, you
should have told me, but it is also reasonable that you didn't." I kiss his lips gently.
"In our own ways, we are both fragile and scared to be hurt. Seth helped me to see
that." He smiles.

"Smart little fucker, isn't he?" I giggle.

"He is." I agree. Then lift my brow at him. "Now, as for your psycho cousin…" I

trail off.

- 166 -

"Fuck, baby, in all the drama that was going on between Faith being in the

hospital, and trying to figure out how to tell you, I honestly fucking forgot that Tan
pulls shit like that. I've told her to back the fuck off you and that if she pulls that shit
again that she is out of my life. I know I owe her ass, but I think that debt has been
paid in full. I mean, I stopped Rose from gunning her ass down, that has to fucking
count for something, right?" He looks so cute, with this little pout on his face.

"Rose tried to gun her down?"

"Fuck yeah! It was hilarious after the fact. Tanya tried to make it look like Rose

was flirting with this dude on the tour, Mike. Any fucking way, Em thinks he's seeing
that and accuses Rose. Rose argues that, that's bullshit and they fight. She finds out
from Mike that Tanya told him that Rose had a thing for him and he needed to make
a move. Rose goes fucking crazy takes a gun from the security guard at the track
and chases after Tanya. Rose spent the night in jail and Tanya hasn't been back till
recently."

"Oh my God," is all I can gasp out around my laughter. The image of Rose going

all avenging amazon-warrior-princess with a gun and an attitude is too funny.

We sat and talked for about an hour more. He told me how he didn't expect me to

take care of his daughter, even though we were dating. I guess he was worried that
I might think he was just using me to find a Mommy for his little girl. It was too
funny to hear about his diaper woes. I guess the baby poops a lot. We also agree to
keep going as we are, I tried to say we needed to slow down, but he kissed me into
submission and I was soon on board with going at the pace we were at.

"It's getting late," I tell him. I really don't want to end the evening, but Seth has

class and I have work. We kiss a little more after I say that, then he drives me home.
At the door we kiss some more and my hooha is trying to convince me that sex is an
awesome way to end the evening. And like the little addict that he is turning me
into, I open the door with the intent to invite him to my bed. Do Me Baby is once
again playing in my head. We can do it in the morning, we can do it at night… I
agree BBD, oh how I agree. Sadly, Jake and Seth are watching some movie when I
get in and I kiss Cullen a goodnight.

"I'll see you soon, Princess." He winks and takes off down the stairs. I sigh and

turn towards the two expectant faces in the living room.

"What?" I ask trying to hold back a blush.

"Well?" Seth asks.

- 167 -

"Spill!" Jake demands.

"Best date ever," is all I say, before going into my room and breaking down into a

Carlton style happy dance. It really was the best date ever.

AN2: So yea I kinda broke some fingers and got behind on everything. I

had work, work to do and baby and life so sorry the updates were slow
coming, hopefully with the talk and type installed again we can get these
updates rolling a little quicker.

Hope you enjoyed the date, visual aids are up on the blog, link on profile

or just go to dontrunffw . blogspot . com I have a subscription box up there
now for those who want it. Also I'm trying to get around to answering some
PMs that were sent, FF has been fail at letting me reply, trust me I got them
and I'm going to get back to you.

I didn't win any Sunflower Awards :*( Guess the other stories were just

better, ahh well at least I was finally nominated for something lol.

Homecoming update I'd say in the next 7 to 10 days.

I'll be adding some fic rec's to my blog later this week, I have a baby who

needs a bath, and a me who needs some dinner, but I just wanted to get this
up so you all didn't have to wait any longer.

- 168 -

Chapter 13

Story Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are

the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are
the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the
owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright
infringement is intended.

Beta'd by the lovely TwiDi

Thank you to the 57 readers who were nice enough to take the survey

about working on this story. I am trying to get more chapters done as
quickly as possible, the maybe shorter or longer than this one depending,
instead of forcing myself to write a certain length and never getting a
chapter I liked done I'm going to go with the flow.

Thanks for the patience, the chapter starts out slow, but there is a little

zest at the end of it for you to make up for the wait.

September faded into October which flew by so quick I felt like I almost missed it.

The weather turned cooler and wetter, if that were even possible. Halloween was on
the horizon and my thirteen year old brother was ready for it. He was going as
Cullen for his costume. My boyfriend found this hilarious, and facilitated this by
ordering a new Cullen jersey from his "guy" and a helmet all in Seth's size. I argued
with him about the cost, but the ass just kissed me till I forgot about it.

Upon asking him what his daughter, Faith, was going as, he told me 'a football'.

He pulled up this website with a picture of a baby dressed as a football and Edward
thought it was the coolest thing ever. I tried talking to him, worried because the
custom looked like it was for a newborn, not a ten—almost eleven—month old child.
That didn't work, so I did what Rose advised me to do in situations when your
stubborn-other-half-Cullen won't listen, I called Esme. His Mom took the matter into
her own hands, bought Faith a cute pink bunny costume and told Edward that this
was what his daughter would wearing. Other than him, Emmett and Jasper pouting
over it, the subject was closed and Faith was saved from being a football for her first
Halloween.

Jake and Paul had good news; they finally found a condo they could afford to buy.

Between both of their work salaries, Paul's small inheritance from his Grandma and

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an FHA loan they picked up a cute little fixer up condo and were moving into it the
first week of November. The only problem is, it was located fifteen minutes away, in
a bit better neighborhood. I would miss my boys living so close. I also had the
dilemma, finding someone to watch Seth while I worked. We couldn't live off of the
little bit of money Charlie's death benefits bring in every month. While that pays the
majority of the rent, we still have heating gas, electric, phone and internet on top of
food, clothing and the biggy gas for the car.

I started figuring the budget and if I cut the net and I walked more to and from

work we'd save some, but not nearly enough. I knew Seth was old enough to stay
home alone, but in the neighborhood we live in, which continues to go downhill I
didn't think it safe or prudent. A blessing came to us in the form of Papa Cullen, big
Daddy C, whatever you want to call him; Saint Carlisle is what I've now dubbed him.
Carlisle's has a ton of contacts, and after finding out the situation from my gossipy
boyfriend, he called a friend of his who worked in the billing department of one of
our local hospitals. As a way of cutting cost they have been hiring medical billers to
work from home, and since I had taken accounting in school they offered to train me
for at home billing. Basically I'll be filling out bills and mailing them out. It's not a
lot of money but it pays better than waitressing by two hundred Dollars a month.
I've spent the past two weeks training there on my days off from the restaurant.

Another weird but nice surprise was a visit from my late step-father, Phil's, cousin,

Tom. Phil had left a package with Tom for me. It was to be given to me in event of
Phil's death. Phil apparently had grown tired of the cult, and only stayed for Renee,
his cousin told me. He had been working on getting the two of them out of there.
But Moonbeam was determined that it was the place for her; and thus, Phil stayed
on as Starfish. In the package was five thousand Dollars, cash. Tom let me know that
there was another package for Renee for when she finally left the cult to help set
her up. Phil knew he could trust Tom with the money because Tom didn't need it, a
successful former baseball player; Tom had a McMansion and a hell of a bank
account.

Seth and I took the money and hid four of it away in a savings account, the rest we

blew on some new clothes, stocking our kitchen cabinets, and getting new brakes
for the car. All this dating Cullen I felt like I needed to get a few new things to wear
and Seth is a growing boy who always needed clothes. I didn't feel too bad about
blowing the money, with my new job I'd be saving on gas money, babysitting money
and making extra a month, I felt like for once in my life since Charlie died that it was
ok to splurge a little.

Though while all of that was looking up, my post college career was looking down.

The economic downturn in the country was causing schools to downsize teachers,

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instead of hiring them. The schools that I did my student teaching in liked me, but
couldn't afford to hire me. It was too late to change my major, and I had no clue
what I would change it to even if I could. Jake just mentioned grad school, but piling
on more student loans without any promise of a job just wasn't appealing to me.
Often times, I'd wish I could stand blood so I'd have been able to go into nursing, at
least then I could help people, and know a job was out there for me.

"Hey, Bells?" Seth calls, cutting into my inner monologue.

"Hey, kiddo, what's up?"

"Alice is on the phone for you." I take the offered phone with a smile and he rolls

his eyes before heading back to playing on his new Wii. Yes, we might have used
some of that splurge money to get him a gaming system.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella, are you busy?"

"Not at all, just watching Seth play Wii boxing." And remembering the past few

weeks' events in some weird inner monologue.

"Cool. So, I was wondering if you would be up to a girls' night out with Rose and

I?"

"Umm… it kinda depends on when," I tell her honestly. I adore both of them, and

I'd love to hang out with Seth's dream girl and Day Glow Cullen.

"Friday night. With Edward being out of town this weekend, I thought Rose and I

could steal you away." I laughed, however I felt warm inside. Sweet Alice was
probably worried I'd be lonely without her foul mouthed, sexy mo-fo of a brother
while he was doing some commercial in Japan. It was nice that she was thinking of
me.

"Sure, Alice, let me see if Jake or Paul can babysit Seth, and I'll get back to you for

sure, though."

"Well, Seth can stay with Mom, Dad, Collin and Faith here in town. They are

driving up Thursday night. Dad is consulting on a case and they'd love to take Seth."
She giggles, "I kinda sorta planned ahead."

"Let me ask," I say in a faux serious voice, "hey, kid, wanna hang with Momma

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and Papa C and the short ones?"

"Name the time in the place, and if there are going to be brownies," he says

seriously, not missing a beat in his game.

"He's in." I laugh.

"I heard." She laughs along with me, "I swear, let him taste my Mom's gooey

brownies once and the boy is addicted. He might need brownie rehab."

"Hmm… do they have that?" I joke back.

"I think down at the Forks VFW they have it, Mom brings them baked goods all

the time, and their wives are always saying the men go through withdraw when she
is out of town."

"Sounds like the same old Forks." I almost sigh. Sometimes a deep pain of longing

and homesickness takes over when I think about my hometown.

We continue to talk for a bit, until Jasper, who is on my

'asses-who-need-to-be-kicked' list, gets her attention. I quickly say goodbye and go
back to studying for my upcoming midterm.

Grrr, Jasper!

I can't believe he went behind my back like that.

"Bella, what are you seething about back there?" Seth pauses his game and looks

at me like I'm insane, and I might just be.

"Grrrrr." Is all I get out and he chuckles.

"Ahh, Jasper again, huh?" I give him the bitch brow to which he holds up his hands

in surrender. "Bella, he just thought he was helping you out."

"I told him 'no' three times, Seth, and he just went ahead…" I trail off, mumbling

to myself.

"It's just a game, Bells."

"A game I specifically said you could not have. A game he snuck in here while you

were being watched by him as a trusted adult and let you play. Jeesh even Emmett

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knows better than that."

"I'm sorry, Bella, I knew that I wasn't supposed to play Steal, Murder, Kill: The

Inner City 2." He sighs, "All the guys were talking about it and Riley and I don't have
older brothers to see what it's about. Edward said 'no', cause he won't go against
you. Em said 'no' cause he's scared of you and Jasper said 'what the heck', he knows
the programmer and it wasn't that bad."

"You are thirteen, kiddo, while you are responsible for your actions, an adult that

was in charge pulled out a game, I don't blame you that much." Other than
grounding him for a week—which he handled with grace.

"Jake said that maybe Jasper overstepped his bounds because sometimes family

members don't think they are overstepping." He shrugs, "Or maybe he just really
didn't see what was wrong with the game for me since I'm all mature and stuff." He
laughs as I toss a throw pillow at him.

"Ha, ha, Seth, ha ha."

Alice and Rose picked Seth and I up and dragged us over to the Cullen house in

the city. They talked about their week, how Rose was like me missing Emmett—who
had gone to Japan with Edward. Alice was busy setting up another stunt deal for
Jerksper, and couldn't wait to meet Jackson Rathbone the star of the movie who
Jerksper would be playing his stunt double on the bike for. It was some big action
film from what I gather.

When we pulled up to the beautiful waterfront home, Esme was waiting to meets

us at the door, Collin was bouncing excitedly beside her and a disgruntled Faith in
her arms. I slowly exit the car and work my way up the path only to have a tiny body
slam into me.

"I missed you, girlfriend," Collin tells me in his sweet baby voice.

"I missed you too, sweetie." I hug the excited bugger who rushes off to talk to my

brother after getting his hug. I swear the kid is a doll.

"Bella, it's so great to see you and Seth," Esme welcomes me with a one-armed

hug, and the devil spawn of my boyfriend takes a moment to pull my hair.

"Da goo." I translate that into 'damn you', and wonder if she is spending too much

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time with Cullen and his foul mouth.

"No, sweetie, Daddy will be home in two days, go to bed two more times and

Daddy will be home." She tells her precious, evil granddaughter. "She's missing
Edward a lot. She sits and stares at his picture on the mantel at home." Esme's voice
is filled with sadness. "She'd look at us and say Da, then point at his picture, it's so
heart wrenching."

"Poor thing." I look at the sweet evil girl and feel bad for her. I missed her Daddy

too. My hooha missed him a lot as well.

"Bella, clothes, now." Rose jokes, pulling me past her mother-in-law. "If I didn't

save you, she was going to keep going. She swears she is going to get you and Faith
to bond, come hell or high water. I keep telling her when the time is right, it'll
happen." I nod, though I doubt that Faith will ever want to bond with me. I mean,
the spawn went out of her way to hurl on me, pull my hair and screamed whenever I
tried to hold her. Clearly she saw me as the enemy, and I just hope that Edward and
I can make it through.

I'd never really been clubbing, and after the first one we went into, I never wanted

to go again. Way too loud craptastic dance music, nasty people grinding on anyone
whom they could touch, and some guy who kept asking me if I wanted some of his
special drink. Not gonna happen, fella.

We escaped the club-hell and went to a smaller bar that was owned by an ex-Moto

guy that Alice and Rose know. His name is Felix, he has more tattoos than Jerksper
and he was a freaking sweetheart. I swear if you saw him on the street you'd
probably cross it to the other side as he looks so mean at first glance, but once he
opens his mouth, or smiles at you, it's like another Emmett—teddy-bear style. The
only problem about the bar I could find was my faux leather skirt kept sliding up and
my thighs would stick to the vinyl stools. Once the guys there saw us, and found out
I was "Cullen's" no one hit on us, they were polite and a few even came over to say
'hi'. I was having a blast; the only thing missing was my big hunk of cocky ass man
meat that I missed like crazy. Not that I'd admit to him how much I missed his cocky
self, no sir.

Mmmmm… this fruity drink is good.

"I know something better you can suck on." A very familiar male voice whispered

softly into my ear.

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"Shhh, can't talk this fruity drink rocks," I tell him taking another sip through the

straw, trying to play nonchalant. "Plus, I was supposed to have one more day
without seeing your too-handsome-for-its-own-good face." I giggle as he pinches the
inside of my thigh.

"And to think I rushed because I missed you." He fake-pouts before spinning my

stool around and kissing my lips.

I've never been one for PDAs but Cullen's lips quickly send all thoughts out of my

head. No wait, that is a lie, thoughts of more soft, and do me, baby keep playing over
and over.

"Fuck, I've missed you, baby. Saucy mouth and all." He moans against my lips,

leaning in for more only to be interrupted by the applause of the whole dang bar.

FML.

"Fuck." He groans. "I fucking forgot about our audience." He winks one

sweet-deep-green eye. "Another more minute and I'd fucking have you spread out
across the bar and would be driving home into your sweet promise land of a pussy."

"My apartment is empty," I blurt out.

"Fuck, yes." He promptly tosses me over his shoulder and smacks my ass. "Only

call if it's a damn emergency." He tells his laughing siblings before rushing us out
the door and into his car.

The car ride was a blur, his hand kept inching up my skirt, and his dirty mouth

kept telling me what he was going to do to me when he got me alone. By the time we
reached my apartment door my legs were weak, my panties felt like I'd been
swimming in them and my nipples could probably rival clothes hangers—they were
so erect.

"Lock it," I remind him before hooking my lips back onto his. His affirmative grunt

and the sound of my deadbolt is enough to assure me that no one is going to
interrupt our little reunion.

Lifting me up by the back of my thighs Cullen wraps my legs around his waist

before walking us into my bedroom. His hands roamed under my skirt and I gripped
his hair tightly, moaning like a whore in heat till he tossed me on my bed. Stepping

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back, the tease rips his shirt off, showing me his amazing chest. I may have taken a
moment to thank God for the perfection that is my boyfriend, before going back into
my lust-filled daze.

Leaning over me he begins by kissing my ankles, looking up into my eyes every so

often to make sure I'm watching, and I am so watching and feeling. Little tingles
erupt from his gentle kisses; lots of little clenches going on in my hooha region let
me know there is no denying his sexual prowess. When he reaches my skirt he
hitches it up my thighs with his nose, kissing the path. His hands clench my
backside and lift me up, pushing my skirt up to my waist, and ripping my panties
from my form.

His kiss on my mound jolts me. I wasn't expecting this. Though my legs are

wanton hussies spreading with ease—begging for him to keep going. A slight nip on
my lip, before a warm, firm lick across my girlie bits sends shudders through me. He
continues his mouth lavishing kisses and licks, then one followed by another fingers
are inserted inside me. Quicker than I can remember doing before, I explode. Before
I can even come down from my orgasm, Edward is above me, slowly sliding inside
me. Thrust, and back, over and over his rhythm on my highly sensitized vagina has
me gasping for breath. He moves his hand up rubbing my breast, his lips that faintly
taste salty and of me start kissing my lips, his other hand pulling my thigh up giving
him better leverage. My walls contract hard—so hard it almost feels like I can't
breathe. I bite down on his lower lip, as my second orgasm begins to take over every
thought, every movement. I feel his release as well as his gasping breath, moving
hands and throbbing parts melding into a pile of spent, sweaty lovers on my bed.

"I fucking missed you, baby." He manages to get out, even if it sounds like he'd

run a marathon or two before trying to talk.

"Oh hell, I fucking missed you too," I tell him, my filter completely gone.

We lay there like that, entwined for a few minutes. His heart beat in my ear, my

head pressed on his chest and his hand idly rubbing my butt.

"Again?" he asks after a few moments, and from the way his dick is pressing

against me, I don't even have to ask if he is sure.

"Again," I tell him with a laugh, diving in for more.

Thank you for reading, I know I suck at updating and the majority of you

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have probably forgotten about this story but it will be completed.

Story Recs (just add the ffdotnet before it

/s/8165573/1/The-Little-Pink-House (WIP) this is updated regularly and

has a great Mommyella.

/s/7824101/1/Hardcover-Paranormal-Romance (complete) And funny as

hell.

Author Spotlight

savannavansmutsmut /u/2197940/savannavansmutsmut : She has written a

variety of stories that either make you laugh or touch your heart. I have to
say I am a huge fan of her work.

A note on my recs, I'm not rec'ing friends or people who ask, I only rec

stories I love be it by an author I know or one I've never talked to I'm an
equal opportunity rec'er.

- 177 -

Chapter 14

Story Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are

Beta'd by the lovely TwiDi

A little bit shorter chapter, but thats because I needed to break up what is

about to happen! Visual aids and two great story recs are on the blog
dontrunffw blogspot com.

BPOV

Waking up came way too soon when Edward kissed me sweetly awake before

rushing out to see his evil spawn—I mean sweetbabydaughter. While I tried to go
back to sleep, unfortunately I just couldn't. This left me with nothing to do except
shower. So I made quick work of my deliciously sore body. If Jake could see me right
now, he'd joke about me walking like a cowgirl who rode one too many hours. He'd
be half right though. I did have one hell of a ride the night before. Especially
knowing that I almost drew blood biting my lip to stop from screaming out during
one of our sexcapades—a habit for not alerting Seth to the 'goings on' in my room.

Walking into the living room I have to grip onto the couch to keep from falling

over Seth's backpack. 'Ding dang teenage boys leaving their stuff all over the place',
I mentally mutter to myself before going for coffee—the lifeblood of my life. Pouring
the water into the pot without making a mess is always a trick when I'm just not
awake. Though thanks to having the filter already set up the night before, I was able
to turn it on quickly afterwards. I can't help it. The water has to be fresh from the
tap, but the grounds can rest in a filter overnight—silly I know but it's just me.

My inner coffee discussion is brought to a close as I sniff the aroma that is Folgers

getting ready to go into my cup. I might be cheap by necessity, but I do splurge here
and there on certain things. Name brand Pop-tarts and I have to have my Folgers,
just like Charlie always drank. Sigh. Coffee for my Dad is the same as it is for me,
the only way to get our motors running in the morning. Without it we are just
mindless, cranky zombies. Getting my favorite Betty Boop coffee cup out, I wait like

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a greedy coffee hoe for the dark liquid to begin filling the pot. When the final drip
splashes into the full pot, I pour my sweet nectar into my cup. Taking that big sniff
that you just have to have before that first sip is a ritual that I can't help but indulge
in.

MMMM… coffee.

Sip one was nirvana. Sip two, I can feel my brain starting to perk up. Sip three…

blood starts flowing again. Sip four and I remember…

"Oh crap!" Downing my cup, I rush to the bedroom to throw on some clothing that

isn't my favorite ratty sweatpants and t-shirt. I can't believe I forgot. Jacket on and
keys in my pocket I rush to the car to pick up my brother from the Cullen's and try
to pretend I didn't forget he was there to begin with.

"You forgot me." He pouts, but I can see laughter in his eyes as we drive back

home.

"Did not," I protest. Lying. Though it did me no good because, I am just that sucky

of a liar.

"Uh huh." He uses his most sarcastic voice after having escaped the Cullen

household.

While I was there, Esme kept trying to feed us, Giant Cullen kept begging for just

five more minutes with Seth playing a video game with him; and Seth started his
little oh-woe-is-me-my-sissy-forgot-me spiel. All of which was in order to make me
feel guilty, and to get something he wants—which I swear he learned from my
Queenly bestie Jatina. I didn't really feel too sorry for him though, I was depressed
enough that the house was sadly Edward-free. He had taken Faith out to the park
for some Daddy-Daughter time. Plus, I remember a time when I was seven and at a
sleepover that Dad forgot that I went to because he had been on duty the night
before. Thankfully, Mrs. Daniels called our house and asked what time Dad was
planning on picking me up, or I'd probably have spent at least another couple of
hours stuck there.

"Alright, what do you want? You are so not fooling me," I inform him as we go into

the apartment.

"What could lil' ole me ever want of my wonderful, gorgeous sister who is so

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benevolent and giving to all. I swear, Bella, if I could, I'd nominate you for
sainthood." He gives me a cheeky grin, before plopping on our old sofa.

"Spill it, kiddo, and watch the sarcasm, I know where you sleep at night." I pick up

a throw pillow and jokingly hit his shoulder with it. He laughingly takes the pillow
from me, shoving it under him before getting a semi-serious face going.

"Ok. Halloween, Riley and I wanted to go to the dance at school since it's our last

year before high school. You know, check out the cootie ridden chicks, maybe dance
with one or two of them, and drink some nasty punch and all that comes with lame
dances."

"Is that all, Sethy?" I ask.

"Yeah." He nods, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"I don't have a problem with it. I mean, I guess you are a little old for trick or

treating." I sigh. "So, if you want to ditch me and go hang out with the ubber cool
eighth graders, I'm ok with it." A big gust of air exhales from his mouth and he turns
looking half excited, and half disbelieving.

"For real?"

"Of course, kid. I mean, why not?"

"Well, because it's co-ed; and you know girls will be there, Bells." Ahhh, so this

was about the dating rule.

"Seth, I wasn't allowed to date till I was sixteen and neither are you. That doesn't

mean you can't go to school dances and dance with a girl. It just means that until
you reach sixteen, no going out on dates. Dad was very firm on this rule, Seth, and I
won't disrespect his memory by changing that. I will let you go to school functions,
and as long as you promise not to sneak off and knock up some girl, when you get a
little older, I'll let you go hang out with co-ed groups of friends outside of school and
home. I'll put it to you like Dad put to me; I will trust you to do the right thing."

"I promise, Bells. For Dad and for you, I'll do the right thing." We share a hug

before he gets tired of our sibling bonding and starts playing video games again.

I know someday he'll try and talk me out of the rule; he'll probably try and find

ways around it. I also know, like me, he won't go against our Dad's wishes. We both
know the old man loved us to distraction and his rules were there for a reason—to

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protect us. They might seem silly to some—or even outdated—but still they work for
us. And that is all that matters

"Ugh!" I grumble into the warm male shoulder I was currently being pried off of.

"Baby, I gotta go," he tells me quietly, not wanting to wake up Seth. "Faith is

gonna be up soon and I need to get there before it happens."

I roll back onto my pillow grumbling about boyfriends and being their booty calls.

I know I'm not one, but still, it's way too early in the morning to think logically.
Cullen slaps my bare ass then bites the offended cheek gently. Giving a sexy manly
chuckle. Damn sexy boyfriend.

"Bella, you know I need to get back. I don't want Mom to feel obligated to take

care of Faith because I didn't come back when I said I would. I'm her Dad, I might
fucking suck at it, but still, I want to be as good a Dad to her as mine has been to
me."

"You're a great Dad, Edward," I assure him. It's the baby I worry about.

"Thanks, baby. See you later, ok?" I burrow further into my comfy spot, my

moment of lucidity long gone.

"Go, just let me sleep," I tell him without opening my eyes.

"Sleep, my beauty." He kisses my cheek—this time the one on my face. I give

kissing motions to him, all the while falling back into my slumber. I can hear him
laughing as he leaves the room.

My last night of waitressing, and my feet are shouting, 'Hallelujah, it's almost

over'. Tony was so sweet, reminding me that if I ever need a job again, or just want
to pick up some cash by working a night or two, I'm always welcome. He even went
so far as giving me a book of free coupons to come back and eat on the house at the
restaurant so I wouldn't be a stranger. The rest of the staff gave me a sweet 'sorry to
see you go' card that made me smile and cry at the same time. It was so unexpected.
After a lot of hugs—and a promise from Ang that we'd get together Monday for
coffee after classes—I headed out the door for the last time as an employee. I don't
think until now that I realized how much these people had come to mean to me, or
how much I apparently meant to them.

- 181 -

Stepping outside into the cool October air, I remember to get my pepper spray out

of my purse. Can't be too careful walking home at night alone. I probably should
have driven but it wasn't raining and my cheap butt figured I'd save at least five
bucks by hoofing it instead of driving.

"Need a ride?" My head jerks up from my search to see my sexy boyfriend leaning

up against his new Dad-mobile, a.k.a. the only car he owns under forty grand that he
doesn't mind puke and kids toys all over—his Audi A4 sedan.

"I don't know, my Dad always told me not to get into cars with strange men," I

joke. His grin widens and he opens the passenger door for me. Sliding into the car, I
notice Faith sleeping in her car seat in the back.

"She wouldn't sleep, and speed sooths her." He tells me as he slides into the

driver seat.

"Like Father, like daughter?"

"Yep." He gives a quiet chuckle, taking my hand to his lips for a sweet kiss. "We

better get going, I know a boy at your house that is about to burst."

"Huh?"

"Shhh, I can't spoil the surprise," he tells me with a lifted eyebrow.

"Then why bring it up to begin with?" I smack his arm.

"To get that adorable annoyed look on your face, that makes me want to forget my

daughter is in the back of this f'ing car and drag you over here and pound the ever
loving shi….taki out of you." Stuck between being turned on and laughing at Cullen's
trying to cut the cussing down some, especially after Faith was heard a few days ago
clearly having said 'fuck'.

Cullen held my hand as much as he could on the way to my apartment building,

rubbing little circles and making me horny as heck. Faith was actually well-behaved
on the ride, not growling at me even once—though she was asleep mostly the whole
time, so that is probably the only reason why.

Pulling up in front of my apartment building, I was reluctant to move from my

cozy seat and Cullen's warm hand on mine. But since I knew Seth was upstairs and
wanting to surprise me with something, I Unbuckled my seat belt and started
moving. I can't help but giggle at Cullen, trying to unhook the baby seat from the

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back, poor guy is always getting his fingers caught in it.

A chill crept slowly down my spine and my eyes jerked to the sound of a car

driving by. A very familiar black sedan slowly passed by us. The dark windows in
this dark of the night were making it impossible to see who was driving it. It was
weird, but for some reason, I could feel anger rolling off that car—the car I've seen
one too many times walking home at night. I couldn't help but take a moment and
thank God for my new job. Hopefully, I'd never see that car again. It really was
giving me the willies.

"Baby, you ready?" My clearly nonobservant boyfriend finally won his battle with

the seatbelt and car seat to pull his demon spawn—I mean, sweet daughter—from
the car.

"Yeah, let's go in," I agree, following him up the stairs.

"Bella!" Seth greets me, jumping up and down.

"Jake, have you been letting him over-indulge in chocolate again?" I ask my

bestie—and soon to be former neighbor. I'm still depressed about him and Paul
moving away from us.

"Like I'd share my truffles, Bella." He huffs. "Though, I think after his news, you

might want to get him some of his own." A huge grin spreads across Jake's overly
made up face. He's never gotten the whole 'less is more' with makeup thing.

"Ok, kid, give it to her," Cullen tells Seth, plopping down on the old sofa, setting

Faith's seat, baby and all on the floor in front of him. Seth, getting the ok from his
idol, rushes over to hand me a sheet of paper. Reading it over, I can't express how
much pride and love I was feeling for my kick butt little brother.

"Really?" I ask him, still slightly in shock.

"I am the man, Bella, the math-man!" He does an awkward version of the running

man and I mentally blame Paul for teaching him that silly dance, but grab him up in
my arms for a big squishy hug.

"Congratulations, Seth Swan", I read aloud from the letter, "we are pleased to

notify you that due to your recent test scores, you have achieved the status as
Seattle's Top Scorer on the Washington State Mathematics Assessment Exam for
grade eight. You have achieved a perfect score on eighth grade mathematics, as well
as scoring an almost full grade on the Advanced Mathematics Experimental

- 183 -

Section." I stop and look at my kid brother. "Oh, Seth, I am so proud of you! And
Mom and Dad would be too." He squishes me back hard.

"You did good, kid." Edward claps him on the back.

"Thanks, Edward." Seth shyly accepts the praise from his idol, before Faith

interrupts us all with a loud shout.

"Hey, baby girl, what's up?" Cullen, my sexy, sexy man, coos to the complaining

little girl fighting to get out of her car seat. Hearing his voice, she reaches for him.

"Shit!" Rings out clear as a bell from her little mouth. "Goo Da." Follows the cuss

word and it takes all I have not to laugh out loud.

"Cullen, I think you're too late with the whole watching your language thing," I tell

him.

"Mom's gonna be pissed," he tells me. Esme was the one who Faith said 'fuck' to

last week; and she wasn't impressed. "I'm a dead man."

Being ignored by her Daddy clearly wasn't cool with the little miss. So, throwing

her pacifier in our direction, she screeches her two new favorite words, "Shit, fuck."
In her sweet baby talk voice at us.

"Fuck is right, baby girl. As in 'fuck my life', when Gram hears the new word

you've learned." She just giggles as he picks her up and bounces her on his hip.
Rolling my eyes, I turn my attention back to Seth, a.k.a. the good child with a clean
mouth.

"So, I'm thinking a special award like that deserves a special treat." I tap my

forefinger to my chin, like I'm thinking hard. "Hmmm… whatever could my kid
brother want as a reward for being a mathematical genius?"

"You know… there is this movie that is coming to theaters next week… that I

kinda… wanna see." He plays back, tapping his finger too.

"So, kiddo, how about you and I, next Saturday, go out for dinner out and a

movie?" I mentally ok it with myself, pulling a little bit out of our savings to spoil my
smart baby brother.

"I'm down with that, sis." He does his best lame impression of being down with

something and I laugh before hugging him again. The only thing that would have

- 184 -

made this night better is if Dad and Sue were alive to congratulate Seth as well.

AN2: If you are worried about Faith and Bella's relationship you might

want to read the To The Extreme future take from Seth's Pov that is on my
story list under Beyond the Extreme, for those who don't want spoilers, trust
me I'm all about the HEA.

About an update schedule, I'm trying for twice a month, don't hold me a

100% to that with the holidays coming up, but I am trying to get this out to
you as quickly as I can.

- 185 -

Chapter 15

Story Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are

Beta'd by the lovely TwiDi

Sorry, between the holidays, both my son and I getting sick I kinda fell

behind again. I did manage to post my Christmas With The Swans short
story, but it was pre-written. We are going back to the 2x a month posting
from here on out though.

A couple people have asked if there was going to be anymore actually

Motocross in the fic, I do have plans for that but I can't promise 100%, but
I'm about 95% sure there will be.

IMPORTANT This chapter has a time jump, to help lead up to it I did a few

short paragraphs in the start of the chapter to lead us to current times..
After that it is a regular chapter.

Bella's POV

The rest of October passed without much fanfare. Seth went to his first school

dance and he and Riley had a sleep-over, or as they called it a 'dude-over' at our
place; so Jane could go on a date. Riley was suitably impressed when meeting Cullen
that evening. I believe the words, "dude, umm… oh, wow and wicked" were about all
he muttered for an hour or so. Seth in response was puffed up like a proud peacock,
strutting all over the place at having the most awesome dude in a 13 year old boy's
universe in his living room. I was surprised he didn't point out that his sister had
relations with Mr. Awesome. For his part, Cullen was polite and didn't getting too
big of a head over the fan boying going on. Though, he did look a bit put out when
Riley was more excited over Seth hugging Rosalie than meeting Edward Cullen in
person.

Boys.

- 186 -

November started with a sad, sad day. Jake and Paul were moving into their new

condo, leaving Seth and I behind in this building all alone. To their faces, I acted like
it was great. And while it was, it also broke my heart. I know they are less than
twenty minutes away, but for so long they had been there, right here for me, with
me. Moving them had been interesting since Edward, Emmett and Jasper
volunteered to help out. What they didn't know or expect was that Jake was going as
Jake, not Jatina for moving day. Carrying boxes in six inch heels was even a little
much for him. It was so funny when Edward walked up to introduce himself and the
guys to Jake, Seth laughed so hard he got the hiccups.

After the move Cullen started spending more and more time at my apartment, I

think he is worried about us being here alone. Faith, of course, is with him more
times than not, and I have to say the little spawn of hell—I mean, bundle of joy—is
completely enamored with Seth. If he is in the room with her and not giving her all
of his attention she gets very vocal, and if she has something to throw it gets tossed
at Seth.

Thanksgiving saw us all in Forks for a big Cullen family Thanksgiving. It was a

fun, yet quiet even, Emmett's bellyaching about eating too much and needing Pepto
was about the only adventurous thing to happen. Well, until Cullen decided that we
had to break in his new Jacuzzi bathtub which had got pretty steamy. Wink.

December came in with a bang. No, really. We had a thunderstorm that knocked

out the lights. Seth and I bunkered down with candles, told ghost stories and
generally vegged out till we fell asleep watching the rain out the living room
window. It reminded me so much of times Charlie and Sue would sit and watch the
rain with me till I fell asleep between them, feeling so safe and loved. It was a nice
memory to have, and left me feeling warm inside.

Waking up early when you were supposed to be able to sleep in stinks. I mean, for

once my alarm wasn't supposed to wake me, with today being the start of Christmas
break. However, the smack of a large male arm flinging over me as my boyfriend
flips over and snuggles closer ruins completely all my sleeping in plans. While
looking at my hot—almost completely naked—boyfriend is almost worth it, I really
wanted that extra hour of sleep. The morning sun was way too bright coming
through my curtains, making my still tired eyes burn. Closing then reopening helped
some, but not nearly enough. Looking at my clock radio tells me that it' eight am.
Meaning it was way too early to be up.

My bladder clearly doesn't agree.

- 187 -

Why, oh freaking why whenever I wake up do I have to rush off to pee. Why can't I

be like some others who can roll over and sleep for a little longer without the rush of
the morning coming on like a snap of the fingers?

With a regretful sigh I slip out from under Cullen's arm and tip toe to the

bathroom to take care of business. Added to my sad morning bladder woes, I'm one
of those people that after they do the morning tinkle it is nearly impossible to go
back to sleep. So, to the coffee pot I head, getting my addiction going.

With a loaded mug I slide onto the sofa, and look at our cute, albeit small,

Christmas tree. The apartment didn't have enough space for a large tree so Seth and
I bought a four foot artificial tree a couple years ago, now it was filled with
ornaments we bought over the years, and a few from our childhood. Under the tree
more presents than I ever have been able to give him sit wrapped in pretty paper,
and a special one sits wrapped in my closet from Santa. I know he's a little old for it,
but Dad firmly believed in doing for Santa for us no matter the age and I was
keeping the tradition going.

"Goo." A cranky goo comes from Faith's travel crib that is taking up the spot on

the other side of the sofa. With Edward being here so much it was easier for him to
bring a place for Faith to sleep.

"Goo to you too." I smile at her. She wakes up with that same cranky look her

Daddy has.

"Da?" I shake my head, like she is going to understand. Sighing I put down my

coffee and go over to her.

"He's still sleeping, kiddo." I swear the child is glaring at me. We are rarely ever

alone for more than a moment or two and I'm debating if I should go wake Cullen up
for her. A sniffle and her I've-got-a-full-diaper wiggle let me know that there is no
time for dear of Dad to get his butt up. Shorty is sporting a load and if we don't want
her waking the building with her sonic boom of a cry I'd better get to work.

Spreading her diaper changing blanket down on the floor I grab her diaper bag,

followed by snatching Faith herself up I lower her squirming body to the blanket and
set to get this done and over with.

"Ok, Faith, if you promise not to kick me in the face I'll get that diaper off you."

I'm reasoning with a baby, clearly I've lost my mind.

I make quick work of her situation thankful, Faith for once behaving for me.

- 188 -

Putting her back in the crib I clean up the mess we made and pop open some banana
baby food for her. Once again proof she is like her Dad, after they do their morning
business they need to refill.

Settled into the bouncy chair pointed at the TV, Faith is content now, and I have to

nuke my coffee back up. Nothing worse than cold coffee, especially plain coffee
made from my old coffee pot.

"Hey, baby." Cullen emerges from my room in his jeans looking all rumpled and

sexy as hell. Dang him. "Hey, shortie." He kisses the top of Faith's head then mine,
motioning he'll be back in a moment before heading to the bathroom.

By the time he's back I've made him a cup of coffee and he snags one of the

cinnamon pecan muffins that Esme had made and sent over for us all. I swear, that
woman can cook!

"What are my girls up to?" he asks between bites of muffin and gulps of coffee. I

hold back a snort at the reminder of how much he and his daughter are alike.

"Oh, you know… she tortured me with a morning poop, and I abused her by

changing her diaper. All in a good morning for us." I roll my eyes and he laughs.

"Good to know you are getting along better." I cuddle into his side and he tightens

his arm around me.

"I'll be glad when she can talk, well, more than cussing and saying goo, so I can

find out what she has against me." I sigh.

"Bella, she's a baby. Her liking or not liking someone doesn't have to have a

rational explanation," he argues, though I have to disagree mentally. Babies know
more than we give them credit for.

"Well, at least she no longer screams and tries to beat me with her little fist of

fury."

"There, see progress, baby." I smack his naked chest and he grunts.

"So, what's the plan for today?"

"I have to go drop off the finished billing and pick up the next stack to get ready to

go. After that I'm going grocery shopping, you know average day around here. You?"

- 189 -

"I have a meeting with a guy who says he has a business proposition for me, he

refused to go into details other than it'll make me an ass load of money, and he went
through my lawyer and all the right channels, so, I figure the dude is legit. Jenks and
I are meeting up with him, though, to see what he is offering up."

"Jenks?"

"Jason Jenks, attorney at law, and an all-around strange little man. But I like his

crazy ass and he's great at what he does."

"Ass!" Faith giggles and I have to hold back my own. Esme was so going to kick

his "ass" for this new addition. I swear my hunky boyfriend really needs to learn to
watch his mouth.

"Who's watching Sam Jackson Jr. over there while you're in the meeting?" His ever

so not sexy snort still manages to turn me on.

"Alice and Jasper are coming into town, Alice, being my business manager, wants

to attend the meeting, so Jasper has baby duty."

Jasper and I had made up and were cool again, so I had enough empathy for him

to feel bad he was getting stuck with the evil spawn. Last time he watched her
alone, Esme came home to find Jasper crying in the corner and Faith gleefully
laughing while tossing cheerios at him. He still refuses to talk about what had led up
to that incident.

"Good times," I choke out and he just nods and smiles.

Edward's POV

"You ready?" Jenks asks and I nod, giving him the go ahead.

"Let's get this shit going, so I can get back to my girls," I tell him, and he rolls his

eyes.

"Whipped, Cullen. You are so fucking whipped." And that, folks, is the man that I

fucking pay to protect my ass, so much respect there. I smack his shoulder and he
hits the button to inform C.C. his assistant to let the elusive Mr. Alistair Castle in.

Castle was one of those guys you could walk by on the street and never notice

him. Average height, light brown hair and eyes that blend. His stature wasn't thin,
but not skinny. Basically, the fucker didn't stand out but for the gleam of intelligence

- 190 -

in his eyes when he looked at you.

"Alistair Castle, I'm Jason Jenks and this is Edward Cullen." Jenks makes the

introductions and we all shake hands, before sitting down at the conference table in
the corner of Jenks' office.

"So, gentlemen, I know you have to be curious as to the secrecy and why I've

dragged you both here," he starts, and it takes all I have not to toss a 'no shit,
Sherlock' out there at him.

"It would be nice to know exactly why we are here." Jenks ever the diplomat,

unless no clients are around then you never know what the ass is going to say.

"I have a business proposition for you, Mr. Cullen." He opens his brief case and

hands Jenks and I both a business prospectus and he also pulls out a laptop that he
proceeds to load up. "Gentlemen, have you ever heard of Eclipse motors?"

"Back in the day they were the shit, I haven't heard of them producing anything in

years though. One of my first bikes was a rebuilt Eclipse 460," I tell him, and he
smiles.

"Eclipse was run by my Grandfather Stephan Graham, my Mother's father. When

he passed unexpectedly, the company fell into my Uncle's hands. Sadly, my Uncle
knew more about drinking and partying than running a business. Five years ago, I
was able to buy him out and take over the company. We've been working on
prototypes and planning our big come back for the past few years. During that time,
Mr. Cullen, we've watched the sporting world to see what the needs of the times are
calling for. You and your company have stood out as one of the best Pro-motocross
teams out there. Your appeal has transitioned past the race track into more
mainstream markets, but you were able to do this without losing your edge."

"Thanks," I mumble out, wondering where this is going.

"If you, gentlemen, would look at this for me." He turns the laptop towards us and

suddenly a video of a black motocross bike is playing and the tricks the rider was
popping screamed professional. The bike was hot, the black was more than black it
was onyx, gleaming like a fresh polished stone. "The Eclipse 900, light weight and
able to do more tricks than ever. The guy driving is only a second year Motocross
driver, he was able to do things that he was never able to before." Castle's eyes
gleam.

"Mr. Castle, this does look like an impressive piece of machinery, however, I do

- 191 -

have to ask… what does this have to do with my client?"

"Mr. Cullen, if you are willing to sign a confidentiality agreement, we'd love to

have you try out the bike, and if it is acceptable we'd love to not only sponsor you,
but have you as the face of the Eclipse 900. Not only that, but if this deal goes
through, it is our understanding that your team have been known for your own shall
we say tweaking of your bikes, and we'd love to add you to the research and
development stage. I want Eclipse to do just that, to eclipse all other bike companies
out there. I believe that many other companies overlook the drivers and keep
putting out pretty much the same model with a few changes here and there, we
want to completely revolutionize the motocross and supercross industries."

"You do know that Mr. Cullen is still under sponsorship contract with Kawasaki at

this time?" Jenks puts out since my mind is completely blown with what this man is
offering.

"From my understanding, the contract is up before the new season starts, and you

were about to go into the renegotiation phase?"

"Yeah," I say before Jenks can give his spiel about confidentiality with sponsors

and all that shit. "I want to try the bike," I tell Jenks and Castle. "The contract is up
in February, and we'd planned on renegotiations after the new year, so…" I trail off
and my lawyer extraordinaire takes over.

"Mr. Castle, if I may see the confidentiality agreement?" One page of paper work

is passed over.

"We kept it simple, Mr. Cullen can see and ride the bike. However, he cannot give

any mechanical specifics to anyone. Also, while we understand he may need to
discuss this decision with his family, we ask that he keep the details of it to a
minimum until a time that he is under contract with us. We also ask that his family
not talk about the bike or our company at this time."

"Do you need the other Cullens to sign as well?" Jenks asks.

"At this time, no. However, we will say that if this information leaks from the

Cullen camp, it will be a violation of Mr. Cullen's confidentiality agreement."

"I'm cool with that," I tell him, knowing my family they'd never talk. "Jenks?" Jenks

goes over the paperwork and nods.

"It's as he said. It is also not in violation of your contract with Kawasaki, thanks to

- 192 -

my mad lawyering skills you have the right to look at other companies outside of
race season within two months of the end of your current contract."

I grab the document and look it over, signing on the dotted line. I can't wait to

ride this fucking bike.

Three days later, on Christmas Eve they let me ride that baby. And I gotta say,

after riding the Eclipse 900, I was in love, like totally completely in love. So in love,
that I told them to start working up a contract. I wouldn't sign unless it was
completely beneficial to me even though I'm more than fucking willing to give them
a chance.

All worked up from riding that sweet piece of machinery, I rode Bella for hours

that night, making my girl scream out in orgasm over and over again. She started
calling me SantaCock, and talking about walking like she rode the reindeer in the
morning. After that I let her slip off into dreamland, a blissed out smile on her
fucking beautiful face.

Presents exchanged and food in our stomachs, we all lazed watching kids' movies

for the short ones. Collin insisting on watching Prep and Landing twice, in a row.
Fuck my life.

For the first time in years I didn't go out and party my ass off on New Year's Eve,

instead, I was laid up in bed with the flu. Thankfully, my nurse was this little sexy
brunette that knew exactly how to make me feel better. Poor Bella she lasted long
enough to get me well before she fucking succumbed to the bug herself. Seth tried
hard not to laugh at us, his ass got a flu shot back in October during his yearly
physical where Bella and I kept putting it off.

Bella and Seth were both back at school now, though Bella only had one class and

the rest of the time she was student teaching. She was enjoying it but it sucked for
me, because she had less time in the evenings between work and grading papers for
me. And there I fucking go sounding like a whiney needy bitch. But damn, I missed
my girl. Tonight she and Jake were going out for bonding while Seth and Paul took
in some hockey game. According to Jake and Bella they were missing their "bestie"
time, so they needed a girls' night out.

"Hey, Edward, Jenks sent over the contract for you," Alice bellows, coming into my

house.

- 193 -

"Shh, damn, Ali, I just got Faith to sleep."

"Opps, my bad." She giggles under her breath. "Here." She hands me a copy and

takes one for herself. Both of us plopping down on my living room sofa, Alice pulls
out her hot pink highlighter and we get to work seeing what Eclipse can offer.

An hour into it and we were done, other than a couple tweaks here and there it

was solid. And very fucking lucrative.

"Edward, that's a lot of damn money," My sister says, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah, and not just for me, it will set Rose and Em up with their own shop after

Jazz and I retire."

"It will set you all up. Edward, this would make it where you could retire in two

years, Jazz too. You'd be able to work in R & D, maybe doing an exhibition here and
there."

Yeah, this contract was stock options, millions of dollars. While I'm pretty set at

the moment, this would make it so I'd never, ever fucking have to worry about
money again. Faith, and any other kids I might have, would be set too. Basically,
Eclipse is offering to sponsor, with an option to partner with Cullen racing. If the
sales are right and my crew can input enough into the development of new bikes,
maybe more like cars and motorcycles, Eclipse is offering to merge our two
companies and make it one giant racing mecca.

Fuck, this was amazing.

"We need to go over this with everyone else, but it sounds fucking good to me," I

tell her.

"Me too, brother, me too." She leans back and smiles, before turning her head to

look at me. "You know this means that Jazz and I can…" she is cut off by my cell
phone blaring out Bella's ring tone. Rolling her eyes, she keeps smiling while
motioning for me to answer it.

"Hey, baby."

"Edward…" She sounds off. "Edward, I need you, umm… can you…" Damn, she

sounds like she is crying.

"Hey, Edward, this is Jake, uh… we are in the ER at Seattle Grace, is there any

- 194 -

way you could get here tonight? Bella really needs you." Jake's voice is shaky as
well.

"Jake, what's going on?" I demand.

"It's bad, Edward, really bad. Just get here, I can't talk right now the cops want

Bella's and my statement, and I'm really not supposed to be on a cell phone here."

"I'll be there as fast as I fucking can be." I look at my sister—her eyes are squinted

and thoughtful. "Can you put Bella back on?"

"Edward, just get here, she can't talk right now, she can barely breath she is

crying so hard."

"I'm coming. Tell her, I'm coming."

*ducks and covers* I'm so evil with that cliffie but I've got over 1000 words

of the next chapter ready to go and it continues in Edward's POV. I suck at
review replies between work, writing, my son and I'm also taking classes
again towards my masters so life gets in the way. I'm so sorry if I haven't
gotten back to you. I'm still trying to catch up on PMs I received while sick.

So I have no story recs this week I'm behind on reading fics, so if you have

one that is a Bella/Edward non-cheating, HEA (I'm a wuss) then rec it to me
:0) Till the next time hugs and love, Livvie

- 195 -

Chapter 16

Story Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are

Beta'd by the lovely TwiDi

I know I suck but 1 my ff account was hacked and 2 well I suck soo

apologies here. Also if you sent me a private message I am working on
getting back to you. There has been some questions about downloads for
Homecoming, I have added a link on my blog to my dropbox it has a mobi
(Kindle) epub and pdf version. Feel free to download for your own personal
use, please do not reupload it as your own work.

Edward's POV

Did you know if you drive like a crazy person, you can get from Forks to Seattle in

less than two hours? Yeah. I fucking drove like a bat out of fucking hell. Meatloaf
has nothing on me tonight. Dad, Emmett, Jasper and I were shoved into my car,
while Mom, Alice and Rose had Faith and Collin going much slower in Mom's 'Mom
mobile' going to the Seattle house in case they are needed.

Dad called the hospital claiming to be Bella's doctor but couldn't get any details

about her case. Some snooty bitch wouldn't give up any details claiming she couldn't
verify him as the real Doctor Cullen over the phone. All he was only able to get that
she was, in fact, being treated and that was it.

Getting to the hospital, I tossed Jasper the keys so he can park the car and rush

inside towards the ER. A small plump redhead who you could clearly tell she was in
her late forties, pushing fifties, sat at the desk, a bored look on her face. Her name
tag reading Mindy.

"I'm here for Isabella Swan," I tell her. She glances at me, rolls her eyes and looks

at the chart list.

"Are you family?" Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard.

- 196 -

"I'm her boyfriend."

"I'm sorry. Unless you are family, you can't get back there. Police orders." She

seems satisfied to be able to deny me entrance.

"I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Ms. Swan is my patient, and I demand to see her." Dad

flips out his credentials and the nurse looks at her list again.

"Sorry, Dr. Carlisle Cullen isn't on the approved Doctor's list."

Unfuckingbeliable.

"Fuck this," My Dad says, pulling out his cell phone and walking towards the

doors.

"I can take her. You look at the list and get back there," Emmett offers.

"Rose would kill us both if you got arrested."

"True that, little bro, but this is for a good cause."

"I'll try…" I'm cut-off when Dad marches back in, a smug smile on his face.

"Your Father is theman," he informs us.

"What?" I'm so fucking confused. He leans his head towards the entrance as two

men in lab coats rush in.

"Carlisle, old friend, I'll take care of this." An older man about my Dad's age,

maybe a few years older, assures Pops as he heads towards Saint Mindy. Saint of
the bitches.

"Mindy Lane?" The man calls and Mindy lifts her head, her eyes bulge and she

does a double take.

"Dr. Grant? How can I help you, sir?"

"Dr. Grant is chief of staff here," Dad tells me in a hushed whisper, and I hold

back a grin. "He was also my mentor during my internship."

"Mindy, did you deny Dr. Cullen access to his patient?" Mindy shoots a look at us

that clearly says 'drop dead', and nods to her boss.

- 197 -

"Yes, sir, he isn't on the list."

"Did you call to verify the list, and did you check with the patient or police about

who is actually allowed in to see her?"

"No, sir. Standard protocol says family only."

"No, Mindy, it isn't. Unless the patient says only family. The police have issued

only that she have a list. Ms. Swan is only an ER patient, she isn't in ICU. This is
your third complaint from a patient or their family this month alone. I think you
should clear your desk and follow Ted to sign out then go home. Your case will be
under review and the hospital will notify you if we are planning to retain your
services."

Without a word, Mindy clears her things and follows the large man called Ted out

the door. A tall raven haired woman slips into the chair, sheepishly grinning at Dr.
Grant.

"Jenny, did you talk to the patient?" He asks her.

"Ms. Swan says that the Cullen and Hale families are on her list to come in, and

have been since she was asked over an hour ago who should be allowed in. Dr.
Cullen and his family are cleared, sir."

"Good. Carlisle, you are good to go back along with one of your boys. We do have

a three guest rule and Ms. Swan has one back there with her already."

"I'll wait out here for Jasper," Em tells us, plopping down in the nearly empty

waiting room.

"If you go to bed four, it's hard to miss with a guard outside, Ms. Swan is there."

Jenny smiles and points us to the entry door, buzzing Dad and I in.

"Son, remember to stay calm and listen to Bella, your temper could cause more

harm than good," Dad warns and I just snort back at him. Like I can be fucking calm
right now.

A cop standing outside one of those curtained off sections in the emergency room

raises an eyebrow before holding up his hand. "I need some, identifications,
gentlemen." We both hand him our licenses before he nods us through.

Bella was laying in the bed, eyes closed, a blanket pulled up to her neck with a

- 198 -

large bandage across her forehead. Jake was sitting in the chair beside her, his
manicured hands holding one of hers between them, the look on his face was heart
wrenching.

"Jake?" I call him with a soft voice, the one I use when the rugrat is asleep and I

don't want to wake her up.

"Oh, thank God," Jake exclaims, so not in a soft voice, thus, waking my sleeping

beauty up.

"Edward." Her voice is rough, you can tell she has been crying and not just from

the puffy eyes. As I walk to the side opposite from Jake, Dad steps forward to check
her vitals on the machines they have her hooked up too.

"Are you ok, baby?" I gently plant a kiss to the un-bandaged part of her forehead;

her body gives a little shiver.

"I think so," she whispers, "it hurts though."

"Bella, what happened?" Dad places a hand on her bed, giving her a warm look,

worry written in his eyes though.

"Jake and I were out and we both got tired and decided to leave early." She pauses

and looks at Jake as if confirming that's what happened.

"The doctor said her mind might be a little fuzzy for a while, it was a hard hit," he

explains, "I dropped Bella off and was waiting for the signal that she made it
upstairs ok—you know, three clicks on and off of the lights. Anyways, after a few
minutes of it staying dark, I got worried and rushed upstairs to make sure
everything was ok. The door was shut but I could hear yelling behind it. So, I tried to
open it, it was locked, so I remembered I had the spare in my purse. I opened the
door just as the guy slammed her into the wall, face first screaming about her being
a whore and belonging to him."

"When I got upstairs, the door was locked. Nothing to say anything was wrong,"

Bella takes over, her voice quiet but steady, "I went to flip the light on and a hand
wrapped around my wrist pulling me away from the wall, he tried to throw me on
the coach, but I knew I needed to stay standing up. So, I flipped my body, it hurt like
hell, but I landed away from him for a second." She takes a deep breath and her
hand grips mine.

"It's ok, baby, I've got you now." And as soon as I find this motherfucker, he is a

- 199 -

dead man.

"He kept yelling at me that I was his. hat I wasn't going to get away with playing

him, cheating on him. His face was covered, and it was dark, so I couldn't see his
face." Her voice is filled with frustration.

"When I came in, the guy took off. He pushed past me, knocking me down. I called

for Bella but she wasn't answering, I rushed to her side and she was breathing, so I
called 911. She came around before the ambulance; we left the lights off, scared to
mess with the crime scene."

"The cops came before the ambulance, they took fingerprints off the light switch,

and then they turned on the overhead. The place was wrecked. The words ho, whore
and um…," She lowers her voice to a bare whisper, "… cunt were written all over the
walls." My poor girl blushes like crazy after saying that.

"All four tires on her car were slashed, the windshield broken, and the hateful

words were carried onto the hood of the car," Jake takes over, "the cops have her
apartment on lockdown looking for evidence; I'm not sure what has been going on
since we got here though."

"Bella, did you recognize the intruder's voice?" Dad asks her gently.

"It was rough and male, but I couldn't tell you who it was," she tells him.

"We'll get him, baby," I tell her. I'll fucking get the son of a fucking bitch and he'll

wish he'd never been born.

"Oh my God, Seth!" Bella pulls upwards, going paler than she already was.

"Bella, calm down. Paul has him at our place for now." Jake pats her hand gently,

trying to calm her down.

"We have to get Seth." Her voice's still full of terror, "he can't go home, not when

it's like that."

"Bella baby, Seth is safe with Paul." I reiterate what Jake just told her.

"Seth…" Her eyes are glazed over and she turns her head slowly towards me. "I

have to keep him safe, Edward." I can tell she isn't getting this. That she is in some
kind of post attack state that isn't letting her comprehend that her brother is fine.

- 200 -

"Jake, can you get Paul to bring Seth here? I mean, if he can't, I know my Mom

wouldn't mind going and picking him up. I think she needs to see to believe he's
alright."

"I agree, son, she needs visual confirmation that Seth is ok." Dad walks over to

Bella's monitor again. "Her blood pressure is going up and this agitation isn't going
to help calm her down to normal levels. If she doesn't calm, I know the doctors are
going to want to give her something for sedation."

"I'll call him." Jake pops up quickly, knowing that Bella wouldn't want to be

knocked out. "Bella, I'll be right back." He promises my girl as she just stares at the
ceiling with that lost glazed look in her eyes.

"Jake, I'll go with you, I need to call Esme and update her on the situation." Dad

pats my shoulder, before following Jake out the curtain.

Taking advantage of Jake leaving, I go over to the side he had been sitting on, less

machines and easier access to Bella. Talking the hand that isn't hooked up to the
oxygen monitor, I squeeze it tight.

God, what a fucking shitastic night.

Time passed and Bella's eyes stay closed. The sedative the doctor finally gave her

when her blood pressure kept going up and her shaking increased was seemingly
never ending. Dad, Mom and everyone had cycled through to check on my girl. Seth
stayed talking to her. The poor fucking kid was a mess. You could see him trying to
come off strong and like a grown up for his sister.

Dad was able to talk to the cops into letting him go grab some clothes for the kid

and Bella. He had a solid alibi and was willing to give finger prints to rule himself
out as the asshole that did this to Bella, so the cops were willing to take him in. Seth
wanted to go with him, but I knew that Bella wouldn't want him seeing what that
fucker had done to their place, so I talked him into staying with me. Reminding him
that when Bella woke up, he needed to be there. It worked and I mentally patted
myself on the back for being a fucking genius. Though a fucking genius should have
been able to tell that some fucker was obsessed with his girlfriend, so I was just
fooling my own ass.

"Son, you need to take a break. Go, get something to eat, splash some water on

your face." Dad jerks me out of my thoughts, standing beside me.

- 201 -

"No, she's going to wake up soon, I have to be here," I tell him and he shakes his

head.

"She is sound asleep. Go, take a break. Or you're going to scare her with that

intense look on your face. Plus, if you don't, I have this feeling that your Mother will
come down here herself and make you." I give him a look, and he rolls his eyes.
"She's making me give her ten-minute updates." I snort.

"I thought she went back to the house to be with Faith and Collin?"

"Alice went with her. But you know your Mother. She will get back in her car and

come down here." Nodding with a slight smile, I mentally agree. My Mom would do
that.

"Is Jake still out there with Seth?" At his nod in the affirmative, I stand up. "Stay

with her while I send them back?"

"I promise, and I'll have you paged if she wakes up before you get back." With a

man hug to my Dad, I head out to the lounge where Em and Rose are snuggled
watching the small TV, Jasper and Seth are playing some card game and Jake is
writing something down on a notepad he pulled from his purse.

"Seth, Jake, you wanna go back there with her while I take a moment to get some

coffee and food?" Seth, not needing to be asked twice, rushes by me on the way back
towards Bella's stall. Jake stands and presses his notepad in my hands.

"The cops asked about the men from Bella's life, any of them that might cause this

kind of problem or seemed unusually obsessed with her. This is what I've come up
with. If you want to go over it and add anyone you can think off." I give him a small
smile. At least this will give me something to fucking do on my exile from Bella's
room. "I even added about that weird dark car Bella kept seeing when she was
walking home from work. She just thought it was nothing, only she's seen it a lot
lately and according to her, something just seems off about it. I know it's probably
nothing, but I added it to the list." He goes to walk away, and I grab his silk covered
shoulder.

"What dark car?"

"Umm… she said it was a sedan. I think a normal car, nothing too flashy. She

started seeing it not long after you two met and it always seemed to slow down
when it passed by her. I thought she should tell someone, she thought she was
overreacting."

- 202 -

"Ok." I release him and he raises a perfectly manicured brow, asking if he could

go to which I give a brief nod, before going to the coffee machine in the lounge.
Hospital machine coffee—the crappiest coffee to ever exist.

"How you doing, man?" Jasper asks, sitting beside me.

"Uhh." I shrug, giving him that I've been better look.

"We'll get the fucker, little brother," Em assures me from his seat. "The cops

might not get him, but we will and he'll never fuck with anyone else again." Em does
that neck crack thing, and has a vicious gleam in his eyes.

"I know of several places on the Rez that one could dump a body and it's never

found." Paul adds when he comes in to join us. The police had demanded that
someone go downtown to answer questions in the case, and Paul volunteered.

"If nothing else, Esme has her ceramics kiln, mother fucker would burn and be

nothing but ashes," Rose spits out, glaring at the TV like she wants to cut it.

"Perhaps this would be a conversation best had somewhere other than where a

witness could be nearby?" Jasper looks around, his eyes taking in everything like
he's mentally strategizing if it is safe to talk here or not.

"Agreed," I tell them all, "right now is not the time, but the fucking time will come

and the mother fucker will be sorry he ever messed with my girl." We all give each
other thelook. You know. That fucking look that says I'm in no matter what it's going
to take. So, I know that when the time comes to end this fucker, I'm going to have a
hell of a lot of help.

"Edward!" Jake comes running into the lounge. "She's awake!" My nasty ass coffee

forgotten, I jump to rush towards my girl's little stall.

She's laying there with Seth grabbed to her, poor kid probably can't breathe as

hard as she has him hugged to her. I go over to her other side and lean over kissing
her forehead.

"Baby, I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up," I tell her, shooting a glare at

my Dad who had kicked me out. The old man just snorts and rolls his eyes.

"It's o'tay," she mumbles out in a groggy voice.

"Bella baby, you might want to loosen up on Seth before he passes out." I ease my

- 203 -

hand down over her arms and rub, trying to relax her into loosening up the
chokehold she has on her kid brother. I swear, she growls at me, and in the back of
my head I admit that it's fucking hot, but I know this isn't the time or the place to be
thinking about finding out what is under her hospital gown.

"Can't breathe," Seth grunts, and Bella finally loosens her hold.

"Love you," she tells him, and he smiles.

"I love you too, Hulk Hogan." Clearly my girl has a chokehold that rivals a

wrestler. She gives him a look and swats a hand at him gently. When her hand
comes back, she grabs mine and pulls it to her face.

"Stay," she whispers.

"Always, baby," I tell her and deep in my heart, I know I meant that shit.

So as you can tell Seth is ok, so many of you worried I hurt my poor Sethy

and I couldn't do that lol. Next chapter has been started already I hope to
post it sooner rather than later. No fic recs this week I've been reading
books lately and I have to say I am in love with Anne Charles' books. Both of
her series are great I'm on goodreads if you want to see what I've been
reading the link to that and other places you can find me is on the Wanna
Stalk Me section of the blog. dontrunffw blogspot com just add the dot into
it.

- 204 -

Chapter 17

Story Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are

Beta'd by the lovely TwiDi

Long time no see, sorry bout the wait, real life hits hard sometimes and I

have some crappy luck at times. My writing mojo has been down because of
some loss, and almost losses in my life but I'm working hard to get back into
the groove.

This story is almost at an end, after a lot of looking at the outline I've

found some of what I was going to write doesn't fit with the story so it has
been trimmed down some. As of right now there is this chapter, one more
regular chapter and an epi (and maybe a couple of outtakes).

Edward's POV

After the doctor clears her to, Bella agrees to talk with the cop that was left

guarding her door. Bella offered me the chance to leave—she was worrying that my
famous temper might go off and I'd get arrested—but I stayed. My girl shouldn't
have to go through this alone. I can hold in my anger until I catch the fucker that
messed with my girl.

"Ms. Swan, I'm Officer Hampton of the Seattle Police Department." The tall, lanky,

red-headed cop introduces himself, taking the chair that was sat in the corner of her
tiny cubicle.

"I don't understand why a police officer was posted at my door," Bella tells him,

though I think it was supposed to be a question.

"Ms. Swan, your attacker left very specific threats against you. And as a safety

precaution, for not only you, but others in the hospital, I was posted in case your
attacker showed up here."

- 205 -

"Fuck, I hadn't thought about that."

"Edward!" My sweet Bella gives me a look that almost reminds me of my Mom's

when she is reminding us about language.

"My bad." Hampton chuckles and gives me that universal guy sign of getting it.

"Ms. Swan, had this just been a break in, an officer would have been dispatched to

check on you when the hospital called to say you were cleared. Since this is actually
a death threat, other threats and massive amounts of violence were involved, we had
to take it seriously enough to make sure you were kept safe."

"Thank you," she tells him softly.

"Now, I hate to do this to you, but we are trying to catch this guy and we really

need to get your statement." Hampton's voice is sincere, and I can tell the guy would
rather Bella wasn't going through this right now, but we all knew this fucker needed
to be caught.

"Princess, you up for this?"

"Yes, I'll tell you what I remember, though some of it is a little fuzzy."

"That's fine, Ms. Swan, something things probably will clear up later, and some

things might never be 100%, I've learned that since I started working violent crimes.
Just tell me what you actually do remember." I work hard to hold back my shudder
at the words 'violent crime'.

"My friend, Jake, and I had been out. We were having a girls' night, something we

rarely have time to do. I was tired, and wanted to go home. Jake dropped me off, and
offered to walk me up, but I declined knowing how much his feet were aching in his
heels. So we used the signal code, I was supposed to flip the light on and off three
times to let him know I was ok—" She pauses, and looks around.

"What is it, baby?"

"I was looking for the water cup." I reached behind me and grabbed the water cup

for her. She smiled and I gave her one back, both of us sharing in that moment of
quiet before she was getting to the bad part of the night.

"That enough?" I ask as she finishes off the cup.

- 206 -

"Yes, thank you." Turning to Hampton, she blushes a little, like she forgot he was

there. "Sorry."

"It's fine, Ms. Swan." He got into the smiling game, and gave her a warm friendly

smile.

"Anyways, when I got upstairs, nothing seemed wrong. The door was locked like it

was supposed to be. Nothing was out of place in the hallway, no lights pouring out
from under the door. So, I unlocked the door and then he grabbed me by my wrist
and pulled me in."

"Ms. Swan, can you remember anything about him? How tall he was, his hair or

eye color?"

"It was dark, I couldn't see him well—his face was covered by a mask." Her eyes

light up, and she looks at the cop, "His voice was familiar, the more I think about it.
I just can't place it. And he was large, at least six two, his eyes looked dark, almost
black, though that could be the lack of lighting in the room. He was really strong,
and you could tell he worked out."

"Ok, Ms. Swan, that is great." Hampton seemed to think going by the look on his

face that Bella was on to something. "What happened next?"

Bella went on to tell the story she had told me about fighting to stay up, about him

screaming and yelling that she belonged to the fucker. She remembered Jake
rushing in and seeing the words on the wall when the lights came on. The rest of it
was fucking fuzzy for her, I could tell as she started hesitating in her retelling.

Bella's POV

"...and that is about all I remember." My voice catches a little as I finish telling the

cop about the attack. The memory of my destroyed apartment, and the little car Sue
had left behind that I took care of because it was part of her.

"Ms. Swan, I promise we'll do our best to catch this guy. CSU is going through

your apartment for prints and anything that might tell us who the guy is, so we can
hunt him down quickly. We will need you to make a list of people who have been in
your apartment that would have left finger prints so we can narrow down the list.
Mr. Cullen and his family have all agreed to be printed to eliminate their prints to
help us narrow it down. Your prints as well as Jacob Black's, and Seth Swan's are all
on record from years ago." He looked like he was curious about why we had been
printed and I smiled a little at the memory.

- 207 -

"My Dad was the Chief of police in a little town called Forks."

"I've heard of Forks." Officer Hampton smiled.

"Well, one day about a year before my Dad was killed, he was in his office

working. My brother, Jake and I stopped by to bring him dinner and hang out just to
spend some time with him. Well, Forks was never a big crime area so most of the
time no one was doing much at the office usually. Unfortunately, a fourteen year old
girl had been kidnapped up in Port Angeles a few weeks before then, and no one had
any clue where she was so the office was busier than usual. We found out later that
she wasn't really kidnapped; she had run off with her seventeen year old high school
dropout boyfriend.

"But, anyways, Dad was worried and he started worrying about us kids, so he

fingerprinted us all, and swabbed us with the DNA kits to put in storage just in case.
Later that week he started a program where he got every kid's—whose parents
would sign the permission slip—picture taken and put on file, as well as
fingerprinted and swabbed just in case they ever went missing. In the hopes it would
either help the police find them quicker or identify the bodies sooner. He
encouraged parents to update their child's photo in their own copy of the file every
three months."

"He sounds like a good man, ahead of his time." Officer Hampton tells me with a

smile, "a lot of police agencies are doing those same things now. It does help if we
have the child's information on file."

"He was an amazing man." I can't help the small tear that forms in the corner of

my eye at the thought of my Daddy.

"I'm sure he was." Officer Hampton nods to me and then Edward. "I'm going to go

report in, see if we've learned anything new."

"Thank you again," I tell him.

"Yeah, thanks man, we appreciate your help." Edward walks over and shakes his

hand before walking him out the little curtain. "Bella, I'm going to send the family
home for the night, I'll be right back."

"Tell them thank you and goodnight, or well, good morning." I grimace looking at

the time on the clock hanging on the wall.

"Will do, Princess." With a kiss to my forehead, he wanders off and leaves me to

- 208 -

my thoughts. Maybe I should have made him stay.

Two days was how long I had to stay in the hospital before the doctors ok'd me to

go home. Two days of making sure I was ok. Of checking my vitals. Of keeping check
on the injuries to my head. The real reason I had to be kept there, my head. The
pounding headache was the worst of my life—I guess being banged into the wall
isn't great for one's cranium.

Edward, his family, Seth, Jake and Paul all came in and out checking on me,

keeping me company. Tony stopped by with contraband food; it tasted awesome on
the way down, on the way back up it tasted like crap.

I hid my worry about where Seth and I were going to go till the last minute when I

was signing the release papers. My apartment was still considered a crime scene
and just to get clothes out of there for us to wear almost took calling in a lawyer. I
was hoping that Seth and I could camp out at Jake's instead of spending all our
money on a hotel.

I mean, it would be in his living room since he didn't have a guest room and only

until we could find another apartment. At least blow up beds weren't that expensive.
I was so thankful for that left over money I hid away in a savings account; at least
we could afford a security deposit. I was also thankful to my employers who told me
my job was there when I was ready to come back. Though I think having Carlisle on
my side helped that situation greatly.

"You ready to bust out of this joint?" Giant Cullen bellows coming into my room

with a wheel chair.

"Dude, really?" Cullen shakes his head rushing to take the chair out of his

brother's beefy hands. "Last time someone let you push them; I ended up needing
another cast, ass hat."

"Ms. Swan, I must insist that I roll you out as per hospital policy." The short nurse,

who'd followed Emmett into the room, rushes over between the two towering
brothers and snatches up the chair.

"I'm Nurse Ward." She greets in a very formal fashion. And given that she looked

near retirement age, I figure she must be fairly old school about rules. I'm also a
little nervous that Nurse Ward might not be up to pushing me, and that she might
hurt me if I suggest walking.

- 209 -

"It's fine," Esme says coming in as well. "Emmett, Edward, behave or you'll both

be walking home." She informs both of her sons with a stern look.

Esme quickly takes over gathering my things, and making sure that the boys

behave, even if I did see them giving each other looks—you know those guy looks
that says something is so up, and we are so going to get into trouble later for it. Yep,
they were up to something, and I had a feeling it wasn't going to end well for them.

In the car, I was propped up in the back seat, Cullen for once didn't argue that he

should drive; instead he crawled into the back with me and held me as we rode
towards his parents' place in Seattle. I kept hoping Jake was going to be there so I
could make sure it was ok if we stay. I hate to be an imposition to him, but I really
don't want to end up in a hotel. Besides the drain on our wallet, it might also call
unnecessary attention from Social Services to Seth and myself. While I do have
custody of my brother, with his age and my own I know that it wouldn't take much
for them to try and toss him into foster care.

I must have drifted off on the way to the Cullens', because I woke up with Edward

carrying me into the house. Not that I'm complaining, big strong arms, sexy piece of
man-meat holding me close. However, it is a little discombobulating to not realize
you were falling asleep and to wake up about six feet from the ground—well, maybe
four with arm positioning and all.

"Bella!" Collin screams rushing up to us. "Uncle Edward, why are you carrying my

girlfriend?" The sweet little guy even did a little foot tap, like 'come on, old guy,
explain yourself'.

"Little man, I'm carrying my girl in because she doesn't feel good."

"Hey, Collin." I greet and he breaks into a beautiful smile. This kid is so going to

be a heartbreaker one day.

"Bella." A soft voice calls, and I turn my head to see my kid brother looking

nervous and shy.

"Put me down," I tell Edward firmly, which thankfully he complies. Slowly I walk

over and grab Seth into a hard hug. "I love you, kiddo," I tell him.

"I was so scared, Bella."

"I know, sweetie, me too. But we can't let some idiot ruin our lives. I'm fine, a

major headache, some bumps and bruises and all of those will heal in no time at all."

- 210 -

I assure him.

"We'll get a great new place in a better neighborhood." With my job paying more

we can afford a step up in neighborhoods. "We'll be fine," I tell him again, and again
as he hugs me tighter.

Seth and I had been through so much together. Loosing Dad and Sue rocked both

our worlds, and to him my being hurt had to dreg up those memories, I know they
did for me.

After a few minutes, I realize that the Cullens had slipped out of the room to give

us some privacy. Pulling away slightly, I smile at my kid brother before taking him
into the living room. Em was setting up a video game and tosses a controller at Seth
who rushed over to join the Giant shot the bad guys on the TV. Esme had wandered
off into the kitchen area, if the yummy smells coming from that direction were
anything to go by. Collin and Rose were on the spacious deck and could be seen
cuddling in a lounge chair reading a book through the wall of windows.

"Hey." My sexy, bad-ass boyfriend—holding his really cute sleeping

spawn—whispers to get my attention. Plopping down beside them, I put my head on
his shoulder.

"Hey back."

"Seth is bunking in the other twin bed in Collin's room." He turns those sexy green

eyes on me. "I was hoping you'd bunk in with me."

"Huh?" Ok, so maybe the concussion left brain damage.

"Bella, you are not going back to that apartment, and I'm not leaving you alone

until this a-s-s…" he spelled out ass in front of the kid, I'm so proud of him, "is
caught. Your stuff is already upstairs. If you don't want to share, I can get some
clean sheets and bunk in Ali and Jasper's room. Jazz got called to L.A. for stunt work
or they'd be here too." He tells me before I can ask how he can sleep in their room.

"I don't mind sharing." I'm able to get out, all the while doing a two sided happy

dance. Side one, I don't have to worry where we are going to sleep, side two, hello!
Sexy boyfriend in my bed with me—my hooha was doing the freakin' electric slide.

"Good."

"Good," I say back to his royal cockiness.

- 211 -

Cullen and I were cuddled up tight in his big bed. He was doing his cute every

couple of minute snore. Like all of a sudden he'd snore and then complete silence
again. The only problem with all this cuddling was, I have to pee, and he has me in a
vice grip next to his naked buff, oh God I'm horny, chest.

"Edward," I grumble, trying to pull him off me a bit.

"Stay," he orders in a sleepy voice.

"If I do, the bed is going to get wet."

"Oh fuck, baby, talk dirty to me." I can tell he is so not awake, as he rolls over

pulling me on top of him.

"Cullen, I'm not talking about wetting your dick, I have to pee!" I yell as he starts

to pull my top off.

"Jesus, woman, then go pee." I smack his shoulder, and roll off heading towards

the bathroom.

After doing my thing, I take a moment to look at myself in the mirror. I look like

I'd gone a couple rounds with Tyson. Bruises here and there, everywhere. Whoever
was in my apartment that night sure did a heck of a job working me over. I was a
mess. Thankfully bruises heal. I just hope this feeling that someone is watching me,
this feeling of being unsafe can go away as quickly as the bruising.

Going back into the room I have to laugh, Cullen is no longer in bed alone. Sitting

on the bed beside her Daddy was Faith looking so adorable. She was holding
Edward's nose in her hand, while he played the I'm gonna bite you game.

"Well, what is this?" I joke, coming back into the room.

"Ms. Thing, here, was crying over the monitor, when I went in there to find out

what was wrong, she reached for me and said missed you. I couldn't help it; I had to
bring her back with me." My man looks a bit embarrassed to have given in to it. I
thought it was sweet.

"'unny." Faith pouts, slapping Cullen on the chest, then pointing at the door before

give a cute pout.

"I think she wants her Bunny," I tell him, knowing how attached she has gotten to

it.

- 212 -

"Yeah, I'd better go grab it. Uh, do you mind?" I shake my head.

"Faith and I will be fine." I assure him. With a quick kiss to her head then mine, he

takes off to get her pink stuffed bunny.

Gently, I slip back into the bed beside Faith who watches me like a hawk. Laying

down beside her I give a small smile. She looks at me strangely then reaches out to
touch my face, one bruise than another.

"Owie?" She asks in her sweet baby voice.

"Yes, owie," I tell her.

Stunning the crap out of me she leans over and smacks a big kiss to the worst

bruise on my left cheek before cuddling in beside me, holding her hand over the
bruise she just kissed looking sad. When Edward comes in with her bunny, she takes
it and puts it between us, before giving a big yawn and doing as only small children
can, falling promptly to sleep.

Morning came quickly, and I barely slept—afraid I'd roll over and crush the small

body lying next to me. Edward tried to move her during the night only to be told
'no', and to be smacked in the head with the bunny. Faith was clearly doing some
version of protecting me, because she growled at her father more than once when
he tried to lean over to kiss me. I had to give him a cocky grin. Oh, how the tables
had turned, Mr. Cullen.

After breakfast Seth, Collin and Faith played on the floor. They sat in a circle and

with a big soft ball they rolled in back and forth, though Faith liked to keep it longer
than the others. The boys were so cute and patient with the baby, it was precious.

Edward reached over to answer the ringing phone, confirming that he was

Edward Cullen to the caller.

"No, we'll be right down," he assured the caller after a few minutes of talking to

them. With a quick see you, Cullen hung up. "Mom!" He bellowed, startling all of us.

"Edward Anthony, inside voice." Esme fussed coming into the room.

"I need you to watch the kids, Bella and I have to go to the station. They came up

with something in the case and need Bella to look at a mug shot."

- 213 -

"Of course, go." Esme rushed to give me a reassuring hug before Cullen reached

over to walk me towards the door. Coats on, no words spoken we head towards one
of the many cars in the garage.

"Did they say who it was?" I ask softly as we drive quickly towards the precinct.

"No, only that they had a hit on one of the prints, and the name wasn't on your

list." Reaching over, he takes one of my hands into his now free one. "They want to
know if he looks familiar, or if it might just be someone that you forgot to put on the
list." I nod, wondering who I could have left off. Also wondering if this could be it,
could it be this quick finding out who was behind this horror that has come into our
lives?

"We're here," he tells me as he finds a parking spot. Leaning over, Cullen kisses

me with intensity and fire that both breaths courage and passion into me. "I'm here,"
he whispers into my ear before one more gentle kiss on my forehead.

"Let's do this." I tell him pulling open the door, and praying to God that the man

who is behind this has been found out so we could have a chance to move on.

AN2: Thanks for reading if you liked it please leave a review to let me

know. If you didn't there is an X at the top of your screen please be to
clicking it now.

Preview of chapter 18 will be going up on my blog Wednesday, and chapter

18 should *crosses fingers* be posted by next Monday at the latest.

Story req (it is complete with an almost done sequel as well!) Curve Ball

/s/9102043/1/Curve-Ball

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Chapter 18

Story Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are

Beta'd by the lovely TwiDi

Hope no one is too disappointed by the "bad guy" reveal.

Bella's POV

"Ms. Swan, Mr. Cullen, thank you both for coming down here so quickly. I'm

Detective Graham Marsh, I'm Head Detective on your case. Please, take a seat."
Detective Marsh, a short, yet spry looking man, maybe about forty-five, pointed to a
couple of seats in his office. When Edward and I arrived we were asked to wait for a
few minutes until the detective in charge was able to come out and talk to us. We
waited about two minutes before Marsh came out to lead us into his tiny office.

"Thank you," I tell him, not only for seeing us so quickly, but also for the seat, the

world was still a little wobbly for me.

"Can I get either of you some coffee, or bottled water? I don't recommend the

coffee, it tastes like tar—but the water is safe." Edward and I both decline the drink
and the detective pulls out a folder. "Ms. Swan…" he hesitates and I wonder why.

"Please, call me Bella," I tell him with a small smile, hoping to show that I'm both

patient, and open to whatever he has to say. I know from my own Dad that
sometimes cops worry that someone is going to go off on them because of the
information, and I always try to reassure them in some way that I won't. Cullen on
the other hand is fidgeting looking like he might pull the folder out of the man's
hands. I reach over and place my hand on Edward's knee, squeezing gently and he
calms down.

"Bella, do you know an Alonzo Calderas Wallace? He sometimes goes by Lonnie

Wallace."

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"No, sir, I'm pretty sure I don't know any Lonnies or Alonzos."

"Mr. Cullen, do you know Alonzo Calderas Wallace?"

"I know a Lonnie Greene, but no Lonnie Wallace."

Detective Marsh pulls open the folder and lays out two pictures, one a mug shot

the other looks like a high school graduation picture. Both faces are very familiar,
neither of them being an Alonzo Calderas Wallace.

"Umm… what does Sam have to do with this?" I ask, truly puzzled of why the mild

mannered cook from Coral Bay had to do with this, and why he had a mug shot.

"Bella, that is Alonzo Wallace." Marsh states in a calm, but firm voice.

"No, that is SamUley. He works at the Coral Bay restaurant as head chef! I

worked with him there for twoyears and I've never seen him be anything but calm
and polite."

"Detective Marsh, I can confirm that the man in that photo is Sam Uley, and he

has worked at Coral Bay for a while. My Uncle Eli and I own the restaurant, though
I'm a very silent partner and our manager Anthony Meyer vets all the employees out
before they are hired. I really have had nothing to do with the place in years, but I
met Sam when he started working there." My boyfriend—who never bothered to
inform me that he was once upon a time also my boss—tells the detective.

"I'm afraid that you are both being duped by Wallace. Alonzo Calderas Wallace is

a known rapist, murderer and all around bad guy. He likes to torture women—he
becomes obsessed with one and follows her. He has four known victims dead, and
two that survived besides you, Bella." Marsh releases a deep sigh. "He was arrested
and found guilty five years ago in Boston. When the police were going to transfer
him from the holding jail to prison they found that he had escaped. No one is sure
how he slipped out, but it is believed that his friend who was a cop at that time on
the Boston PD helped him out. That friend was found dead three days after the
escape, but no arrest have been made in his case. It is believed Wallace killed him to
get rid of the only witness to his escape."

"Have you checked the restaurant for him?" Cullen—who is so getting fussed at

later—asks Marsh.

"No, until now, we didn't know he was pretending to be a 'Sam Uley'. Let me get a

unit over to the restaurant, and also get his personal info there, so that maybe we

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can track him down before he either leaves town, or comes after Ms. Swan again. I
have to be honest, given his track record I'm more worried about him taking a
second stab at getting Bella. He isn't known for failing when he gets obsessed with a
target."

"Fuck." Edward groans and looks at the detective like he wants to smack him for

this news.

"I'll be back in minute, let me get a car over to Coral Bay."

When Detective Marsh closes the door behind him, I smack the crap out of

Edward's shoulder. He turns and looks at me like I've lost my mind—and maybe I
have. But, damn it, he never told me that he owned the place where I worked. The
place I suddenly got a raise, and an extra bit of time off after he decided he wanted
me.

"What the fuck?" he asks when I smack him again.

"You own Coral Bay?" I demand/ask him.

"Uhh… a bit of it, like maybe.. thirty percent. Uncle Eli, Tanya's Dad owns the

majority of it. Tony does all the work though." He looks a little sheepish, but still his
usual cocky as hell self.

"We are so going to talk about this later," I inform him and he winks.

"Can we talk about it naked?" The ass.

"No." I snort, trying to hold back a laugh at his wiggling eyebrows.

"Can we talk about it half naked?" He wiggles them again and lifts his t-shirt a bit

so I can see those smexy abs.

"No." I can't help the giggle that comes through that time.

"Can I just say sorry that I should have told you, but I was too busy trying to get

you to go out with me, and you were too busy giving me the bitch brow for me to
think straight?"

"For now that will work," I inform him.

"Sorry, baby." Ding dang it, he flutters his eye lashes and puts his head on my

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shoulder, and I cave.

"Humph. Whatever." I laugh and kiss the tip of his nose.

This so isn't appropriate behavior for a cop's office, or after being attacked by a

serial rapist/killer, but I just can't help it. So much bad has happened in my life that
I've learned to keep the good as close to me as I can, and a silly moment with my
boyfriend was a great example of a good moment to me.

Sam or Alonzo or whatever his real name wasn't at work or his apartment. The

cops that raided his place said that it was ransacked. It looked like he destroyed it
as well as he did my apartment. They also found pictures of me all over the place, as
well as ones of Edward and I together and some with Jake, Paul and Seth. It was
scary. The reality of it was the psycho was out there looking for me, or someone I
love to hurt. After talking to the police it was agreed that the safest place might be
hiding out at the compound in Forks. Small towns are great about letting people
know if outsiders entered, and none of the pictures seemed to take place out of
Seattle so he might not be aware of the compound.

After calling Angela and letting her know what was going on so she could watch

out for herself, we loaded everything up in the garages and headed out towards
Forks. Well, actually, we took the long way circling Forks before cutting back there
to make sure we weren't followed.

Everything was quite at the compound and we quickly fell into a routine. Jake

picked up my paperwork from work at the beginning of the week and gave it to Em
who would bring it back to me and I continued to work from home, even picking up
a bit more work from Forks General. Two of my professors offered to give me
Pass/Fail grades for the semester, since I was passing both of the classes so it
wouldn't affect my gpa and I could finish out the courses without having to go back
to campus. The other two let me finish up the classes online, which I was thankful
for. The only problem was that my internship for spring when I was scheduled to all
my student teaching wasn't looking promising. For one I didn't have a residence in
Seattle anymore, and another, who knew how long it would take to find Sam, or
Alonzo or whoever the heck he is.

"I have an idea." My smexy boyfriend lying next to me naked in bed breaks into my

little mental catch up of the past three weeks.

"I told you the back door in only for exit, no entrance." He laughs rolling so that

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he is caging me in underneath him.

"Baby, your front door is my favorite place on earth." I lightly smack his butt.

"No, but seriously I was fucking having an epiphany. Why don't you do your

student teacher thing here in Forks?"

"Edward, I don't live here in Forks. Where would I live? Work? And don't forget

about Seth, I have to get him to school and make sure he has a roof over his head.
You all have been great letting us stay here while we are hiding out, but we can't
keep impacting your live like this."

Plus, if I keep staying here my entire wall are going to fall. Just like I've fallen for

you.

"Bella, umm… ah, fuck it, you and Seth, I want you to stay. Live with me. Be with

me full time."

"Edward…" How can you tell the man that you have found yourself in love with,

even if you've tried to hold back that you can't live with him because you'll fall
deeper in love with him, and when he finally gets tired of you—of whatever it is that
made him pick you—he'll want you to leave and it will break you like nothing else
has ever been able to break you before?

"No, listen, Bella, please." He gets up and walks over to the window, his very

naked body almost distracting me from the nervousness in his walk. "You and me,
we work so fucking well together when we put all the crazy aside. When we don't
focus on both of our insecurities about life and love and just go with it. Your brother
is like my own kid brother now, he's awesome and he fits in here so fucking well.
The two of you were fucking made to be here, with me, with this family."

He moves plopping back down on the end of the bed, pulling my hand into his. My

breath is caught in my throat and I have no idea what to do right now. I just want to
hug him, scream I love him, maybe a big part of me wants to hump him but I blame
that fact that he's naked and Cullen Jr. is just there, looking all hump-able.

Focus Bella.

"Bella, move in with me, live with me, make your fucking life here with me. I

don't… I can't live without you anymore."

He looks so vulnerable, so worried. He just put himself out there and I figure it's

- 219 -

now or never. It is my turn to make the first move in our relationship. To show him
that he isn't the only one here that I'm all in too.

"I love you." It comes out just above a whisper, but it's there. His eyes go wide. "I

hadn't planned on it. I tried to keep myself from falling. I think part of me kept back
because I knew if I gave in—all in—that you'd have the power to hurt me. Edward,
I've lost a lot of love in a very short time. Not just my Dad and Sue, but Phil and
even my Mom on some level. Do you think that she'll ever come back from that crazy
cult of hers? She is basically their queen now. I've always worried that if I let go, I'd
have the capacity of being as crazy as she is. You've let me see that I can let go, and
still be me. These past three weeks—even though this crazy guy is out there intent
on getting to me—have been so happy here. Your daughter finally likes me, and hell
I've falling for her too." I take a deep breath.

"Bella…" I put a hand over his mouth to stop him.

"I love your family. Rose and Alice are my first true female friends born with

actual vaginas, they are the sisters I've never had, and I'm so glad I've gotten the
chance to have them for a while. Heck, even might be serial killer dude and Giant
Cullen have become like brothers to me. Your parents are awesome, even if we did
catch them having sex in the pantry the other day, they are still awesome. And
Collin makes my biological clock tick, he is just that great. But you Edward Cullen,
you are the one that I love most of all. You who've taught me to live for the first time
in my life. You who almost killed me with shower sex. I love you, even if you aren't
there yet and decide that you no longer want me to live here because of this I have
to tell you that I love you now, and always will."

"Are you done?" he asks, raising an eyebrow—and maybe Cullen Jr. was rising a

bit as well, just saying.

"For the moment." Unless you tell me that you don't love me, then I'm going to

smack Cullen Jr. and not in the good way.

"I. Love. You. Too. You crazy fucking sexy as hell woman. I have been fucking

waiting for you to wake the hell up and realize I wasn't going to pull a Garrett and
run of with your friend. I mean, fuck Jatina isn't really my type." He jokes and I
squeal with his declaration, and then smack his chest for his joke.

"So, since we are in love…"

"Then you'd best be moving the fuck up in this joint." I laugh and then he goes in

for the kill, catching my lips with his own.

- 220 -

When my girlie bits are all aquiver with being deliciously worked over, and we are

both panting and sweaty, I lean over and whisper in his ear, "We'll move in."

September 2013… 10 months later

The last ride of the season was almost upon us, Seth still couldn't get over the fact

he was in the pit crew for Cullen racing. Alistair Castle was here to see the debut of
the Eclipse 900 in a championship ride. Till now they've kept the bike under wraps.
Tonight they were going to stun the motocross world. The bikes were going on sale
next month, and there were hopes that if Edward won tonight, that the pre-orders
would be off the chart. If all goes well, next year will be Edward's last year riding
the circuit. He and the rest of the Cullen racing team had decided to focus on bike
design, and doing work for Hollywood. Edward could make the amount in one
consultation about a Hollywood movie stunt as he did for a whole season of racing
(minus the endorsement deals).

"Wish me luck, Princess?" My cocky bastard was back in full gear and attitude.

"Like you need it." I roll my eyes, acting sarcastic. "However, since I love you, and

since I've agreed to marry you, I guess I'll wish you good luck." I laugh as he rolls
his eyes back at me.

"Don't break a leg," Seth tells him before handing him his helmet.

"Love you."

"I fucking love you too, Princess." With a kiss on my lips, and a head rub for Seth,

my man rushes off to show the world his new toy.

As he races around the track I grin at the height he is getting. Also at how easy he

is taking the lead. My man was fast, and damn good at what he was doing. Then
when it was said and done and he took his victory lap, he did what he always wanted
to do. My man pulled off a perfect quad, clearing perfectly four jumps in a row. The
crowd went wild, and a very pregnant Alice looked like she was about to go into
labor with the excitement.

"Bella, want to come help me set up the meet and greet booth?" Alice asks,

coming down from her high.

"Sure." I smile at my little friend/almost sister. Seven months pregnant—with a

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very unplanned but still welcomed baby—Alice was barely able to walk, let alone
rush around like she used to. "Seth, Ali and I are going to set up the booth." He
waves and keeps watching Edward do his victory laps. I swear my man loves the
spotlight.

"I'm so ready to get back to the hotel and get out of these clothes." Alice

complains, since her tummy popped she has been a sweat pants lover like Rose and
I.

"I know what you mean. I'm just glad this happened on the weekend so I could get

time off work to see Edward ride."

"How is it going with all those little people?"

"I love it," I tell her, and I do.

Interning at Forks Elementary had been an awesome experience for me. And since

it was such a small town, one I had grown up in and had roots in, and also one that
not many teachers apply to work in they offered me a job teaching second grade.
They had three teachers retiring last year, and I was lucky enough to grab a job.
They also helped me to get my license processed at a rapid speed, because of Forks
being considered a rural community, and the state working extra hard to help them
fill their needs. School had started back the Wednesday after Labor Day, so I was
able to go to most of Edward's races this summer. Even the one on the fourth of July
where afterwards, under the fireworks, he asked me to be his wife, or as he put it,
"Will you fucking marry me and put me out of my fucking misery?" I said 'yes', after
smacking him for his language. I'm still trying to break Faith of saying 'uck.

"Have you seen the photo box?" Alice asks, looking all around Edward's fan booth.

Tonight, they were letting the fans meet and greet by coming up to booths to get
autographs. Not all the riders were participating, but Edward was, with a proud
Eclipse Motors sponsorship sticker on his booth.

"Umm… it might be on the bus, I'll go check."

"Bless you." Alice waves me off, plopping in the chair set behind the booth.

The bus/RV was a new purchase for Cullen Racing, a place for the family to hang

out in private before and after the races, and also to ride in comfort to and from
races. I personally loved it, it even had satellite TV which is more than my old
crappy apartment ever had. Pulling out my key for the Beast as we nicknamed it, I
walk back to the "office" a.k.a. the dining table where all the paperwork gets done.

- 222 -

"Aha!" I found the box of photos of Edward and Jasper for them to sign. How we

forgot them earlier I have no idea, but then again Edward was kissing me, and
everyone else was giving us a hard time about our PDAs.

"Gotcha."

Turning to the voice, hoping it was Edward, knowing it wasn't, I gripped the box

to my chest. A voice told me to play dumb. Of course, this was the same voice that
had been telling me that he'd probably given up, the same voice who thought I was
safe.

"Sam, umm… how are you?" He looked the same as the last I saw him, only with a

crazy gleam in his eye.

"Funny thing about these motocross things of your boyfriend," he spat the word

like it was the dirtiest thing he'd ever said or heard, "they are publicized all over the
place. It's just a matter of finding the one where he was stupid enough to let you go
off by yourself." He gives a snort, and looks around the Beast with distain. "Rich
boy's toys. That's what you've become, huh, Bella? Some rich guy's plaything."

"Sam…" I try not to react, try to keep up the façade of not knowing why he is here.

"Shut the fuck up, Bella. And for God's sake it's Lonnie. That fucker Sam Uley died

years ago when I took his wallet off him. He should have listened to the stories
about why you should never pick up a hitchhiker." An evil grin crosses his face.

"Lonnie, listen umm… they are expecting me back at the booth so I really need to

get going." Reminding him that people knew where I went, and where I was
supposed to be might work in my favor. Then again my luck isn't that great so far
tonight.

"You mean, the fat florescent bitch that waddled off to find a bathroom? I don't

think she'll notice you're not there, Bella." He laughs and I want to smack him. Only
I can call her florescent, she was my Glow in the Dark Cullen.

"Edward will know." I sneer at him.

"Pretty boy is too busy playing star to worry about his pussy right now. Trust me,

if you wander off he'll just replace you with a tighter pussy with bigger breast.
That's all fuckers like him want." He grabs my arms, or tries to I push the box out to
keep space between us.

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"You were mine, Bella; you were going to be the one to break this fucking curse. I

had it all planned out. I followed you home from work because I knew in that shitty
neighborhood some fucker would mess with you and I could be your hero. You'd fuck
me and we'd run off together. You'd be my redemption. Then you had to go and
fucking open your legs for that asshole." He smacks me, pushing me back into the
chairs. I pull my knees up, so he can't lay on me. I try to remember the self-defense
Dad used to tell me every girl needed to know.

"Lonnie, Edward and I are in love. We are getting married, you and I were friends

and that was it," I tell him in my teacher voice, calm, friendly but firm.

"No, bitch, you were mine." He reaches for my hair, pulling a knife out of his back

pocket with his other hand. "Now you have a choice to play nice, or be like every
other bitch alive. Either way, I will own you tonight."

I let out a blood curling scream grabbing the pepper shaker from the table and

tossing it at his face, before kicking out with my legs. Able to get past him as he
struggles to get back up I try to rush to the door, only to have hands clamp around
my ankles.

Face first into the carpet of the RV hurts like a son of a bitch.

Lonnie has a grip and he's pulling me back towards him, I kick and scream and try

and pull away. He jerks me hard, flipping me towards the back of the RV where I
know the beds are located. I can't go back there; I know I won't see another day
alive if I do. I punch and yell more. He grunts, but keeps pushing me. He reaches for
the knife he dropped earlier and I manage to push away from him, running to the
table again, grabbing a chair to keep between us. He pulls it and I slip back
knocking my head into the window, my eyes shutting in pain.

A loud crash sounds and I look to find Lonnie on the ground. Edward standing

over him, a crow bar in his hands, he kicks the side of my attacker before turning to
me with blazing eyes.

"Are you ok?" I nod before rushing to his side.

"Cops are on their way, man," Em says, rushing in. He looks at me, and then looks

at Lonnie on the ground, "Fucker." He kicks the unconscious man before lifting him
up and carrying him out of the RV.

"Alice saw him lurking around the bathroom area and sent out a 911 that a

suspicious character was around. It took a minute to get from the field to here, I'm

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sorry, baby, I should have never left you alone."

"Edward, he's been watching and waiting. He would have found a time or place

someday, some way. At least, here you saved me. Cullen, you saved my life, so don't
you dare get broody, or feel guilty. If I had never met you he would have still came
after me. I was like a magnet for danger, and he was drawn to me. He is a sick
bastard, but you, you are my hero." I kiss him and he holds me tight to his chest.

"God, I love you, Bella."

"Good. Because I fucking love you too." I blush after dropping the F-bomb, but I

can tell he loved it.

"I'll fucking love you forever, baby."

"Till death and beyond," I promise him, knowing that was the truest statement of

my life.

Just the epilogue to go and this is at an end (I reserve the right to post

more outtakes). For those who haven't read them Beyond the Extreme in my
story list contains all the outtakes, and will hold all future outtakes for To
The Extreme.

Reviews are almost better than chocolate and since I'm on a diet I could

really use the chocolate substitute.

- 225 -

Epilogue

Story Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are

Beta'd by the lovely TwiDi

For the couple of you still with me, thank you so much for reading and

sorry this took so long. Much love to my beta sister, without her this would
have never gotten finished. Here is the end.

Bella's POV

When I was little, Dad used to tell me stories about places far away that I never

thought I'd get to see. He told me of a land with royalty that spoke with a funny
accent, a city built on water where people travelled by gondolas to get around. Of a
place down under with koala bears and that thought it was cool to BBQ their shrimp.
Like I said, I never thought I'd see these places. My husband thought a world tour
was a great idea for our honeymoon.

Today I sit sipping tea in a hotel overlooking the Thames River. Yesterday we

danced in a night club in Paris. In two days we are going to travel to Italy to the
Amalfi coast for some sun and sand.

It's like a fairy tale, with my very own prince charming. One who got my name

tattooed on his ass as a wedding present. Please note the eye roll that I'm inserting
here, since he knows I'm not big on tats.

I would say the thought was sweet; however I know that the thought was actually

a mass amount of tequila that he and his brothers consumed before hitting up their
usual tat guy. Though at least he didn't end up like Em, who now has Woody Wood
Pecker tattooed on his inner thigh with the beak pointed towards—. You guessed it,
his pecker.

The guys really deserved to let loose though, we had a hell of a couple of months

leading up to the wedding. Alonzo Wallace's trial was not an easy thing for any of us.

- 226 -

Testifying on the stand, having some of the worst moments of my life put out there
for all to see was hard. So hard that I spent a few months talking to a therapist to try
to come to terms with my attack and having to relive it in front of the world.

Edward stood by me the whole time, never faltering in his support. He even

offered to off the bastard so we wouldn't have to go to trial, but I declined. I had
horrible visions of him going to jail and leaving me to live my life without him.

In the end, no matter how much the defense tried to play it that I led him on,

Lonnie was found guilty of attempted murder. That knife and his verbal threats
sealed the deal. He also was sent back east to serve out his life in jail. I told the
police about Sam Uley—the actual victim, not the fake ID. They looked into him and
found that a guy in Arizona named Sam Uley went missing about the same time as
Lonnie's escape. His family was informed, and was finally given some closure when
Lonnie agreed to tell them where the body was to avoid the death penalty.

Before the trial even started, Alice gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that she and

Jasper named Callie—after the state she was conceived in. Callie was the complete
opposite of her rambunctious cousin Faith. Calm and peaceful were the best words
to describe her, while Faith was hell on wheels.

When Faith decided she liked me, we bonded. She became my sweet girl who

loved to cuddle with me and cried if I left her for too long. However, she is her
father's daughter and if there was trouble to be found she was going to get into it.
At almost three she was mobile, and all the plants had to be either hung up higher
or moved to another house. Faith and plants do not mix, she loved to stick her
fingers in and play in the dirt. Faith and TV remotes also do not mix. She loves to
hide them from everyone and sits and giggles while we all try to find them.

She has her sweet moments too, curling up on my lap wanting hugs and

kisses—the first time she came to me to kiss her boo boo instead of going to Edward,
or when she suddenly started calling me Mommy—after checking with Edward that
it was ok, I never stopped her. For all intents and purposes, and in my heart, I am
her Mommy. Lauren, her biological Mom, was dead, and had only a distant relative
or two out there that wanted nothing to do with Faith. So I claimed her as mine, and
she claimed me as hers.

Seth fell in with his old friends in Forks, kids from elementary school were so

excited to have him back home, and I could tell he was just as happy to be here. I
have to say that the safety factor of living in a small town compared to Seattle has
helped both Seth and I. We no longer needed to stand by the door with a baseball
bat, or worry as much about someone breaking in.

- 227 -

As for old Forks friends, I've also been able to bond with a few of my friends from

school, as well as some of Dad and Sue's old friends who were ecstatic to have Seth
and I back around. Shockingly my old nemesis Nina had become a good friend since
coming home to Forks. Her bullying ways from school gone, and a sweet lady came
in her place. After a night of wine and hanging out—when Edward was riding on the
east coast and I couldn't go—I found out that her father liked to hit his kids, and her
bullying was her way of acting out and coping with the abuse.

I have to add that the move has been good for helping to build bridges between

Jake and his Dad Billy as well. For a long time, though Billy loved his son and tried
to support him, he found it hard to understand his son claiming he was a woman
trapped in a man's body. To Billy, Jake was his beloved son—his onlyson. Then one
day, his son was wearing a dress and more makeup than his daughters combined.
Since Jake has been coming back and forth to visit with Seth and I, he and Billy have
spent more time together. With that time, Billy has been able to reconcile that sweet
little boy he raised with the Jake/Jatina that the boy became. So much so that Billy
walked Jake down the aisle when he married Paul a few months ago.

Looking at my life now, I would have never guessed that the bad boy I tried so

hard to avoid would be the best choice for me and everyone I love. That a guy with
an adrenaline addiction, tattoos and a foul mouth would have the most loving heart,
and sweetest soul of any man I'd ever met (outside my Dad). Knowing that I get to
spend the rest of my life with Edward, to grow old and have a family with him made
me giddy inside and so content at the same time. Life might never be perfect,
troubles might come and go, but I'd have Edward and that really is enough for me.

"Hey, Princess, wanna get naked and have some fun in that kick ass Jacuzzi tub?"

My already naked husband asks.

"Cullen, when don't I want to get naked with you?" Laughing, he rushes over and

picks me up to lead me to the next step in our lives together. And I have to say, I
really approve of naked-wet fun time with Cullen any day.

*sniffs* it's over...

Like I did with Homecoming I'll be putting up a mobi, pdf, and epub

version of this whole story without author notes on my blog for people to
download in about a week. Please only use this for personal use, not for
publishing as your own work I don't mind sharing with friends or anything
like that just don't claim my work as your own.

- 228 -

A review is a nice way to say that you are still interested enough for future

outtakes.

- 229 -

Document Outline

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Summary
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
19. Epilogue

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