a/n: No witty song title for this chapter. Mainly becuase I couldn't find one that fit, but please feel free to give me some suggestions.
....
After my horribly disturbing dream, I couldn't fall back to sleep. I tried but was plagued with the vision of Renee stabbing everyone to death. Note to self: make sure there were no umbrellas anywhere near the wedding. Tossing and turning, I finally gave up and grabbed my laptop. With my laptop in my lap and pillows piled behind me, I logged into Facebook. I wasn't on more than a minute when my chat popped up.
Emmett McCarty: what up farmer swan
Bella Swan: i am not, nor will i ever be a farmer. you know that.
Emmett McCarty: now, little bo peep, dont be like that. why u up so early
Bella Swan: bad dreams
Emmett McCarty: =( thats no good. hey, i got a xmas present for you! youll get it after the wedding.
Bella Swan: im almost afraid to see what you got me. but ive got your present as well.
Emmett McCarty: woot! luv presents! want to farm with me
Bella Swan: no
And then I logged off. I knew if I stayed on, he'd just harass me to farm, and I would eventually cave. I couldn't have that. I had a strict no-farming policy.
By the time six had rolled around, I was showered and downstairs making breakfast for everyone. Pancakes, eggs, toast, and bacon were waiting when the troops made their way down.
"Bella! You didn't have to make breakfast," Sue commented when she saw the table.
I gave her a smile. "I don't mind. You shouldn't have to cook on your wedding day."
The wedding was the most unconventional that I'd ever seen. There was no separating of the bride and groom the night before, no church, and no big fancy reception. It was going to be a quiet, simple affair. Alice had almost thrown a fit over that, but Sue and Charlie had pointed out that this was a second marriage for both of them, and there was no need for a big fuss.
I found myself in the sitting room of the Cullens' house at two in the afternoon. Leah and I were both wearing light lavender dresses, while Seth was sporting a charcoal gray suit. No tux for him. Or Charlie. The fact that Sue managed to get Charlie into a suit was a miracle to begin with.
Reverend Weber stood at the front of the room, with Charlie and Sue before him. I was standing next to Charlie, and Leah and Seth were next to Sue. I could tell that Leah was less than thrilled to be there, but at least she'd shown up. Behind us were a few rows of chairs seating the guests that they had invited. There were less than thirty people there, and that was exactly the kind of wedding I wanted. Nice and simple.
I teared up a bit when Charlie and Sue exchanged their vows. Sue had wanted them to write their own vows, and I was surprised that Charlie had managed to do it. He even choked up a bit when he was reading them. Finally, they were pronounced husband and wife and shared a very sweet kiss.
"Congrats, Dad and Sue!" I exclaimed, giving them both hugs afterward.
We all moved into the formal dining room, where Esme had set up a banquet. Everyone gathered around the tables and listened as Billy gave a speech and toast to the newlyweds. The cake was cut, and soon we were all sitting around, eating and talking. Charlie and Sue had both taken two weeks off to honeymoon in Hawaii. Neither of them had been there before, but Sue had always wanted to go. Seth would be staying with Billy and Jake while our folks were away, and I was stay with the Cullens.
After everyone ate their fill, we said goodbye to the married couple.
I gave Charlie a huge hug. "Congratulations again, Dad! I'm so happy for you!"
He hugged me back. "Thanks, Bells. Have fun with the Cullens while we're gone. And be safe. Keep an eye out for James and if you see him, call Mark immediately. Okay?"
"You bet."
I then hugged Sue and watched as they climbed into her car and drove off toward the airport. Standing outside in the snow, I really wished I was going to Hawaii as well. Although, I wouldn't be able to spend two weeks with my wonderful boyfriend if I went. By the time we saw them off and the guests had left, it was a little before six. Billy, Jake, and Seth were the last to leave.
"Behave, Bells," Seth told me with a grin.
"Of course. Same to you."
"Nah. Where's the fun in that?"
We said goodbye, and I headed inside to help the Cullens clean up. Once we were done, we kids headed down to the den to watch some movies before the New Year's countdown began. Edward and I curled up on one end of the couch, with Jasper and Alice on the other. Emmett and Rose were entwined on the love seat kissing, when he suddenly pulled away from her.
"Holy crap! I almost forgot. I have presents for you guys!" he yelled, then ran up the stairs to get them, leaving Rose put out by Emmett's sudden departure.
I figured I might as well get his present, and Rose and Jasper's as well, so I excused myself and went to the guest room, where my stuff was. I quickly grabbed the presents and made my way back downstairs, almost tripping and falling as Emmett ran into me.
"Whoa there, Farmer Swan. Can't have you falling and breaking any more bones."
"Perhaps you should watch where you're going and not run people over."
"Now, now, Miss Falls-a-Lot. Don't get snippy or else I won't give you your present."
I rolled my eyes at him and, making sure that he was a safe distance away from me, began my descent down the stairs. Entering the den, I tossed Rose her present and Jasper his. Once Emmett was seated, I tossed him his. I'd bought Rose some pretty earrings that I'd seen in Port Angeles, got Jasper a historical novel that he'd wanted, and I got Emmett a shirt that said Made of Awesome. Rose shook her head when she saw it, while Emmett's eyes went wide.
"Awesome! You rock, Bella!" he yelled at me, before rushing over to wrap me up in a suffocating hug.
"Oh, these earrings are so pretty. Thank you, Bella," she said, clearly pleased with her gift.
Once free from Emmett, he handed me my gift. It was small and rectangular. Opening it up, I found myself holding a Zynga gift card for Farmville. You had to be kidding me! I looked at him and found him beaming at me.
"Thanks?"
"See! I knew you'd like it! Now you have to play Farmville with me!"
I gave him a small smile and turned to the gift that Jasper had given me. I opened my present to find a book that I'd been wanting. I thanked Jasper, then began to open my present from Rose. I opened it and found the latest season of Doctor Who. Holy crap! I gave a squee and Rose a hug.
"Thanks so much! I've been wanting this!"
I saw Emmett pouting that I wasn't as appreciative of his gift as I was Rose's. I felt slightly bad, but honestly, did he really think that I would voluntarily play the stupid game? I settled back into Edward's arms as we began to watch some movie that Emmett had gotten for Christmas. I had no idea what the movie was about. I was too busy focusing on Edward and his deliciousness. My head rested on his chest, and all I could feel was the softness of his t-shirt, and the hardness of his chest underneath my cheek. My fingers were playing on his stomach, under his shirt, tracing circles. His hand reached down and held mine.
"You're distracting me from the movie," he whispered in my ear before placing a kiss below it.
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're not."
"You're right. I'm not. I can't help it. Whenever I'm near you, I want to touch you."
And of course, I turned bright red after I said that. He let out a little growl.
"Damn woman! You're going to kill me," he told me in a low, strangled voice. I gave him a smirk. I would get to torment the poor boy for the next two weeks.
A half hour before midnight, Esme and Carlisle called us upstairs. We all gathered in the upstairs living room and got settled in. I sat on the floor, between Edward's legs, next to Alice and Jasper. Esme gave us each a glass of sparkling cider, with champagne for herself and Dr. Hot. We watched the ball drop in New York as Alice got up to hand us all noisemakers. Soon we were counting down to the New Year.
"5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Happy New Year!" we all yelled.
Then Edward's lips found mine, and I momentarily forgot where I was. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him back. Reluctantly, we parted, and as soon as we did, I was swept up in a hug by Esme and passed on to Dr. Hot. Hmmm . . . hugging him was almost as good as hugging Edward, and I was sure I was blushing. Finally, I was back in Edward's arms.
"What's with the blush?"
"It's nothing," I told him. There was no way I was going to tell him that I enjoyed being hugged by his dad. Thankfully, he didn't press me on the issue.
....
All too soon, Christmas break was over and school was starting. At least this year, I'd had a decent and somewhat interesting Christmas. Usually, Christmas was spent watching TV with Charlie and hanging out with Billy and Jake. The first day of school after the holiday, had me being rudely awakened by a tiny bouncing demon.
"Wake up! We have to get you showered, dressed, and then I'm going to do your hair and makeup!" she squealed.
I threw the covers over my head and buried myself under the blankets. I was so not ready for an Alice first thing in the morning.
"Go away!" was my muffled reply. The covers were ripped away from me, leaving me lying in just my pj's, freezing.
"Alice! Leave her alone!" Edward yelled from down the hall.
"Just let me sleep for, like five more minutes. Please," I whined.
"Fine!" she snarled as she stomped out.
Reaching down, I grabbed the covers and pulled them back over me, snuggling into my pillows. I had just started to fall asleep when a body landed on my bed. Figuring it was Alice, I ripped the covers from my head and turned to glare at the person next to me. Oh, my. Edward in the morning was a sight to see. His hair was sticking up in all directions, his eyes were a bit sleepy, and he was wonderfully rumpled. Yum.
"Morning, beautiful."
"Hmmph."
"Sorry about Alice. She's very much a morning person."
I jabbed him in the stomach with my finger. "You should have warned me," I grumbled.
He leaned down and placed a gentle, sweet kiss on my head. "Sorry, love, but honestly, haven't you figured out that Alice is always chipper?"
He crawled under the covers with me and pulled me into a warm embrace. I nestled my head on his chest and delighted in the feel of Edward in the morning. Fearing I'd kill him with my dragon breath, I refused to kiss him on the lips, but my lips found purchase other places. I pressed a small kiss to his chest, his neck, his cheek. He pulled me in tighter and hugged me harder, pressing his chest to mine. I was wonderfully comfortable.
"Okay! You've had your five minutes. Get up, get up!" the annoying voice of the demon hollered as she barreled through my door. Edward and I both glared at her, but she wasn't to be deterred.
Grumbling, I climbed out of the bed and made my way to the shower. I heard Alice yell something about laying out clothes for me, and that I'd better be more awake when I was done in the shower. Thankfully, the bathroom was connected to the guest room, so I didn't have to worry about Edward seeing me in a towel. It would be embarrassing if anyone were to see me.
I came out of the bathroom and found that Alice had indeed laid out an outfit for me to wear. I was glad to see that she'd picked out a pair of jeans and one of the new sweaters she'd bought me. I was terrified that she'd try and put me in a skirt.
I had just finished getting dressed, when Alice came back into my room. The girl had a serious problem with not knocking on doors. She grabbed my hand and dragged me to her room. Once there, she sat me down in front of her vanity and began fooling around with my hair. After what felt like hours of torture, my hair was done in a fancy French braid. Next, she began applying makeup.
"Alice," I whined. "Why do I have to wear makeup? I never wear it."
"Because."
I let out a huff and crossed my arms over my chest. That was a stupid answer. When she pronounced me done, I turned to look in the mirror. I looked pretty, but there was no way I was going to put this crap on my face every day. I headed back to my room and grabbed my backpack before heading down for breakfast. Entering the kitchen, I found Esme at the stove, making eggs for everyone.
"Good morning, Bella. Did you sleep well?"
"I sleep great until a bundling ball of energy woke me up this morning and decided to play Barbie Bella," I told her as I took a seat at the counter.
Esme let out a laugh. "I'm sorry, dear. You do look lovely, though."
A few minutes later, the bundling ball of energy popped into the kitchen, followed by Edward. He came over and wrapped his arms around me from behind.
"Feeling more awake yet?"
"No. I was forced to play dress up," I told him, then turned to Alice. "Don't think that you'll be playing Barbie Bella with me the whole time I'm here. This was a onetime thing."
Alice sat down and gave me a pout. "But, Bella-"
"No!"
She continued to pout, but I refused to give in. I hated wearing makeup. Edward sat down beside me at the counter and reached over to steal a bite of my toast.
"Hey."
He gave me a cheeky grin, then kissed my cheek, telling me how pretty I looked. After breakfast, we headed to school, and the first few hours were blissfully quiet. I was in the bathroom during Biology, when I overheard Victoria on her phone. Had I known that Victoria was going to be in the bathroom at the same time as me, I would have waited. She obviously thought she was alone because she began talking quite loudly.
"James! Where are you? I miss you so much."
Holy, crap! She was talking to that fucking creeper, and what do you bet she sure as hell wouldn't mention that to Charlie or her father? I quickly but carefully stood up on the toilet seat so that I could see her. I peeked over the top of the stall and saw her pacing back and forth, a worried look on her face.
"Uh huh. Isabella said that you attacked her and that's why the police are looking for you, but I know that's not true. You would never do that."
I strained to hear what James was saying to her, but I couldn't. All I could do was listen to Victoria's side of the conversation. Hopefully, that would be enough for me to learn something about The Creeper's whereabouts.
"I miss you so much. I can't wait to see you again. Uh huh. Nine o'clock tomorrow? Sounds good. Love you."
She hung up, and I waited until I saw her leave before going back to class. I slid into my seat next to Edward and proceeded to tell him what I'd heard.
"You need to tell the police," he whispered to me, while we completed our lab.
"I will." I called Charlie's deputy, Mark, in between class and let him know what I'd learned.
"Thanks, Bella. She didn't happen to mention where she was meeting him, did she?"
"No, just when. Can't you follow her or something?"
"Bella, let us do our job. I'll let you know what we find out."
I thanked him and hung up. The rest of my day went quickly, with only one snarky encounter with Jessica. I was headed to my locker after the last bell had rung, when I literally ran into her. It was a complete accident, but she took it as a deliberate act.
"Watch where you're going, Swan!" she barked at me.
Wow. She'd resorted to using my last name. I rolled my eyes and continued on, paying her no mind.
"You know you're pathetic, right? First, you break Victoria and Edward up, and now you're trying to break her and James up. You're such a bitch."
I rolled my eyes again and ignored her, grabbing some of my books. I wasn't going to waste my breath on her.
"Perhaps you shouldn't talk of things you know nothing about," came Edward's voice from behind me.
Jessica looked startled to see Edward standing there, and she shot us both a glare. Flipping her hair behind her shoulder, she turned her gaze toward Edward.
"She's just using you. Once she manages to break up Victoria and James, she'll move on to him," she told him.
Edward narrowed his eyes at her. "Once again, you have no idea what you're talking about. You're pathetic and jealous, and it's very unbecoming. Do us a favor and leave us alone."
Edward wrapped his arm around me, and we headed out to his car. The ride to his house was quiet, both of us lost in thought. After we arrived at his house, I went up to my room to put my bag away. He followed me in and threw himself down on my bed. He stretched out, and opened up his arms. Immediately, I flew into them and let out a sigh. Nothing made my day better than being wrapped up in Edward's arms. I lay my head down on his chest, my fingers running over it. His hand came up and wrapped around it, giving it a squeeze.
"What are you thinking, sweet girl?"
"That I want all this crap with James to be over. I'd thought that after all the drama with Victoria, things would go back to normal, but it hasn't. I'm tired of the drama. I just want to spend the rest of high school drama-free."
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I know, love. Hopefully, James will be caught soon. I plan on spending the summer and all of senior year with my beautiful girl."
"Oh, you do, huh? So, who's this beautiful girl?"
His fingers reached over and dug themselves into my ribs, tickling me. "Who do you think, silly girl?"
"Jessica?"
He flipped us over and looked down at me, a look of disgust and horror on his face.
"That's so wrong. Ugh!" he said, giving a slight shudder.
I laughed and ran my fingers through his hair, bringing him down for a kiss. His warm, soft lips moving against mine. I curled my fingers into his upper arms and held on. Eventually, the need to breath had us parting. Figuring that his parents would be home soon, we headed downstairs and found Alice in the kitchen with Esme.
"Hello, dears. How was school?"
We sat down and told her about our day, leaving out the bit about Jessica. I was getting ready to tell her about Victoria when my phone rang. Looking down, I saw that it was Charlie.
"Dad! How are you? How's Hawaii? How's Sue?"
Charlie let out a laugh. "I'm great, it's great, Sue's great. I wanted to call and see how things were going with you."
"They're alright."
I proceeded to tell him that I'd overheard Victoria talking to James. I was quick to reassure him that I'd let Mark know and that they were taking care of things. Whatever that meant. We chatted for a few more minutes, then said our goodbyes.
Later that night, I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep. I would sleep for a few minutes, then be woken up by nightmares. Letting out a huff, I threw the covers off and tiptoed downstairs. Maybe a cup of hot chocolate would ease my mind. I had just finished pouring the hot chocolate into a mug, when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist, almost causing me to drop the mug.
"Aaah!"
"Sorry, love. I didn't mean to scare you."
I put a hand over my heart, feeling it race. Then I turned and smacked Edward on the chest.
"Don't sneak up on me like that again!"
"Sorry. What's got you up so late?"
"I couldn't sleep. Kept having bad dreams," I told him with a sigh.
He sat with me while I finished my drink, then walked me back upstairs.
"Want to cuddle with me a bit?" he asked me, as we walked by his room.
"I'd love that."
He led me to his room and told me to get comfortable while he shut the door. I climbed onto his bed and burrowed under the covers, inhaling his smell. I rolled onto my side and watched as Edward crawled in next to me. Immediately, he pulled me into him, wrapping his strong arms around me as I burrowed into his embrace. I let out a contented sigh and pressed a kiss to his neck.
"This is just what I needed," I told him in a whisper.
"Hmmm."
I hadn't planned to fall asleep in Edward's bed, but it happened. I'd meant to set the alarm so that I could wake up early and sneak back into my own bed, but I'd obviously forgotten. I was in a wonderful sleep, my body spooned into that of Edward's, when a hand reached out and shook my shoulder.
"Bella! Bella!" a voice hissed at me.
I cracked open an eye and found myself face to face with Alice.
"What?"
"You need to get up and get to your room before Mom and Dad find out," she whispered.
Holy crap! I shot straight up, the covers falling off me as I jumped out of his bed. Edward rolled over in the bed, opening an eye as he heard me searching around.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a raspy voice.
"We forgot to set an alarm. I need to get back to my room before your parents find out."
I gave Edward a light kis, and headed out the door. I had just shut his door and was tiptoeing down the hall when I heard Esme's voice.
"Bella? You're up awfully early. Is everything okay?"
Aw, crap. I was so busted. I couldn't lie to save my life, so I figured I'd better tell the truth. Sort of. Taking a deep breath, I turned and faced her.
" I . . . um . . . I had a bad dream earlier, and I asked Edward if I could cuddle with him for a bit." Okay, so apparently I could lie. A little bit. I stood there, face red, waiting for Esme's response. I feared the worse.
"Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry you're having bad dreams. I realize that you find Edward very comforting, but I'm just not comfortable with allowing you to stay in his room."
I nodded my head in understanding. "I won't do it again. I promise."
She gave me a soft smile and pulled me into a hug. "I know, Bella. I trust you, and I trust Edward, but you are both teenagers, and your hormones are all over the place. I'm sure I don't need to tell you to be careful if the two of you decided to take your relationship to the next level."
"Oh! Um . . . we haven't done that. If we do, we'll be safe," I stammered, red in the face.
Thankfully, she didn't press the issue any further, and I was able to escape to my room where I could die of embarrassment. I figured after that, I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, but I did. A little after seven, I was awakened by Alice. She had managed to tone down her enthusiasm for the day, for which I was eternally grateful. Once up and dressed, I headed downstairs when I overheard Esme and Carlisle talking quietly in the foyer. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't stop once I heard my name mentioned.
"I caught Bella coming out of Edward's room this morning. I'm pretty sure they were just sleeping, but her shirt was inside out."
Oh, my God. I was so embarrassed. I knew that I should continue into the kitchen and stop listening, but apparently, I was a glutton for punishment.
"Well, dear, I can have a talk with Edward later if you like."
"I think that would be for the best. I talked to Bella a bit about it this morning, and she promised me it wouldn't happen again, and I believe her."
I didn't bother to stick around and hear what else they were saying. I raced into the kitchen and found Alice and Edward eating breakfast. I grabbed a box of cereal and poured myself a bowl, but my appetite was pretty non-existent. As soon as I was done with breakfast, I went upstairs, got my bag, and met Edward at his car. He opened the door for me, and I climbed in. Once he was seated in the driver's seat, he turned to me, worry etched on his face.
"You're awfully quiet this morning. What's wrong?"
"Your mom totally busted me coming out of your room this morning."
"Oh, no! How bad was it?"
"It was so embarrassing. Apparently, my shirt was inside out."
He let out a little snicker at that. I hit him on the arm. "Anyway, I promised your mom that I wouldn't sleep in your room anymore."
He stuck out his lower lip in a pout, and I couldn't help but laugh at him. Although, I felt the same way myself. I'd really enjoyed sleeping in his arms.
....
Friday rolled around, and I was more than ready for it. Edward had spent the week planning a date for us, and I was excited about it. Not so excited that I was going to let Alice play Barbie Bella, much to her disappointment. I was upstairs in my room, getting ready for our date, when Alice knocked on my door.
"Hey, Alice," I said, motioning her into the room.
"I know that I'm not allowed to play dress up with you, but I wanted to see what you were wearing."
I had no idea where we were going, but Edward had told me to dress warmly, so I'd put on a pair of nice jeans and one of the sweaters Alice had gotten me for Christmas. She seemed thrilled that I was wearing something she bought me, and it seemed to appease her despite the fact that I wasn't allowing her to doll me up. We sat and talked for a while, catching up on things, when Edward knocked on my door. He was wearing a dark pair of corduroys and a long-sleeved shirt. Like always, he looked stunning. He told me to grab my coat, hat, and gloves, and we were all set.
We drove into Port Angeles and had a nice dinner at Applebee's. Afterward, he drove us to this little park that I'd never seen before. Pulling up, I noticed that there were a lot of cars in the parking lot, then I saw the sign. He was taking me ice-skating.
"Edward! You do know that I'm going to end up the ER before our date is over, right?"
"Don't be silly, sweet girl. I won't let anything happen to you."
I rolled my eyes. More than likely, we'd both end up in the ER. I'd never been ice-skating before, with good reason. I could barely walk, and now my boyfriend wanted to me to put on skates and glide across ice. Edward was so excited about ice-skating that I went along with it because I didn't want to hurt his feelings. We were sitting on a bench in the cold, while he helped me lace up my skates. I was terrified, and I was pretty sure he could tell.
"Bella?"
"Hmmm?"
"Everything is going to be fine. I promise. We'll go slow, and we're going to have fun."
I gave him a weak smile and a small nod. Once he had his skates laced, he stood up and held out his hand to me. I grabbed it and held on as tightly as I could as he slowly guided us onto the ice. It was obvious that he'd done this before. He was confident, while I was wobbly and terrified. He took both my hands in his, as he skated backwards in an attempt to help guide me along the rink. It was more like he was pulling me as I glided.
Edward was more than patient with me. He told me to move my feet and how to glide. When he let go of one of my hands, I almost had a heart attack. Before long, we were skating side by side, him holding my hand the whole time.
At around ten, we called it quits. We sat down, unlaced our skates, and put our shoes back on. After turning in our skates, Edward suggested some hot chocolate to warm us up. I readily agreed. He got in line at the little kiosk, while I waited on a nearby bench for him. I heard someone approaching and looked up with a smile on my face thinking it was Edward. I was wrong. There standing next to the bench was James.
....
a/n: Sorry, it's a bit short and sorry I'm posting it later than planned. I was busy watching the newest episode of Doctor Who and for those who haven't ever watched Doctor Who ... go do it! It's on Netflix! Next update will be Tues/Wed.