Southern Comfort: Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

Maggie called at six thirty this morning hysterical. Jake was colicky and she couldn't get him to stand. I offered to go be with her while Edward and Jasper worked with him, but he wouldn't let me, seeing as we only went to sleep two hours before the phone rang. He told me to go back to sleep and head out when I woke up well rested.

I was asleep the second he ended our good morning and goodbye kiss rolled into one.

And at ten my cell phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered, eyes still closed and head shoved under the pillow to block out the evil light.

"Yes, I'm calling to speak with a Bella Swan?" the voice sounded agitated. "She used to hang out with Jessica Stanley all the time and hasn't given her the time of day or even a phone call in over a month. Would you happen to know where I can find a Bella Swan?"

"I dunno, but tell Miss Jessica Stanley that the phone works both ways and mine hasn't rang in over a month either," I yawn.

"Whatever bitch!" Jessica cackles into the phone. "I've been knocking on your door forever. Okay, really, it's only been like a minute, but still. Come let me in!"

"Give me a minute," I chuckle, climbing out of bed and tripping over a stray boot on the way to the bathroom. "What are you doing up at this hour? Jessica doesn't do mornings."

"Well I got some news for you. ARE YOU PEEING WHILE YOU TALK TO ME?" she screams.

"Well, if I wasn't before, I am now. Jesus, Jess, you might be outside, but I'm inside. Let's use our inside voices please."

"Ew Bella! That's just nasty. Come on, open up."

I take my time washing my hands and then brushing my teeth, which pisses her off even further. By the time I swing the door open, the coffee is brewing and there are Eggos in the toaster. Jess gives me a dirty look.

"What? I have to offer food and refreshment or I'd be a bad hostess."

"Slut," she mutters, walking past me and into the kitchen. "When did Felix get a brother?"

"Huh?"

Jessica points to the wall above the dining room table where my Felix clock hangs on the wall. Next to Felix is Edward's beloved Garfield clock. We both refused to part with our kitchen clocks, so now we had two.

"Oh, when Edward moved in."

Jessica stares at me for a second, looking me over. "AW HELL! No wonder you've been hiding out. Shit girl! I thought I'd done something to piss you off. All this time you've been shacking up with your dream boat." She catches sight of my engagement ring and snatches my left hand up to see. "When the hell did this happen?"

"Recently." I take my hand back. "Coffee?"

"Sure." She sits down, but doesn't stop staring at me. "How does it feel?"

"Feel?"

"Yeah, to be in love?" She rests her chin on her hand. "You've loved Edward since forever and now that you have him and you're getting married and all. How does it feel?"

Jessica's being weird. Not that she wasn't always a little off, but this topic of conversation isn't something we've ever covered.

"It feels wonderful, Jess. Magical even," I smile, handing her a cup of coffee. "I can't explain it in any other way but completion because that's how I feel. Complete."

"I'm glad for you, Bella. I tried to keep my distance because I thought you'd be livid about me asking him to the carnival, but there wasn't another way around it. You both were too chicken." She reaches over and grabs my left hand. "And now look at you. Three months later and you're getting married."

"You really only invited him to the carnival because you wanted to force us together?" I ask. "Because I was pissed up until Edward told me what you had said to him. I was hurt because you knew how I felt about him."

"I had to do what I had to do, Bella. You're welcome." She fingers my ring and I'm not sure if I believe her or not. "I came by to talk with you and catch up. Maybe even take a punch or two if you were pissed."

"I'm not gonna hit you," I laugh.

"Good. So you know Sam? The mechanic by the Cuban shop?"

I nod around my cup.

"Well we've been seeing each other since January and I think I might be in love. He's all I think about all the time and it's not even the sex; it's everything about him."

"Jessica, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes! I just told you I think I'm in love. I'm sort of freaking out, but I'm alright."

"I'm just checking to make sure because the Jessica I know has always been dead set on screwing her way through life. The Jessica Stanley I know was incapable of loving someone other than herself."

"People change, Bella." Her eyes well up. "I know I've fucked up in the past, but Sam doesn't care about that. We've talked about everything and he's heard of all the skeletons in my closet. He has a few of his own."

"That's good."

"He used to be married. To a woman named Leah. She lives in the next town over. They have two kids. Stop giving me that look, Bella. I know I said I'd never want to have a kid of my own, but that's just because I'm afraid of fucking it up worse than I am. Paul and Jared are older, like seven and eight, so they are already potty trained and they really like me."

"You met them?"

"Yeah, Sam took me to meet them before they come to stay with him for the summer. Leah and her girlfriend-" My eyes bug out when she said that statement. "Yeah, she left him for another woman, but she and Emily wanted to meet me before I spent time with the boys."

"What did she think of you?" I wonder.

"At first I thought she was gonna gut me or something, but the boys warmed up to me and eventually she did, too." Jessica grips my hand. "Sam asked me to move in with him before the boys come for the summer."

"And?"

"I'm fucking terrified, Bella! I've never done anything beyond casual fuck buddies, and now I'm in a monogamous relationship and being asked to move in with him and help take care of his two kids."

"What did you tell him?"

"I didn't. I left him at City Diner," she laughs nervously. "I should probably head back, but I wanted to talk it out with someone and you're the first person I thought of."

I take a deep breath before entwining my fingers with hers. "Jessica, you don't want to look back seven years from now and wonder why you waited so long. If you love Sam and see a future with him, then go for it, hon. I've never seen you like this before, but I can tell you're being sincere."

"I'm scared, Bella," she murmurs, eyes swelling up with unshed tears.

"Well then, talk to Sam about it. Tell him what you're afraid of and see if maybe the two of you can come up with a compromise." I glance over at Felix. "Maybe you can keep your apartment for a little while just in case the two of you decide to take a step back."

"Yeah," she mumbles. "I better get back. He's probably wondering where the hell his car went by now."

"I gotta get ready to head out to the ranch anyway. There's a problem with one of Maggie's horses and Edward's been out there all morning."

I walk Jessica to the door and give her a hug. "Thank you, Jessica. You might have gone about it the wrong way, but you're the reason behind me having everything I ever wanted. I want you to be happy, too."

"Thanks, Bella." She hugs me tightly. "Your boobs are bigger. Lucky bitch."

I smile and wave to her as she pulls out of my driveway in a beat up Volkswagen Rabbit.

Edward calls as I'm stepping out of the shower and asks me to bring food for everyone because no one is willing to leave Jake for a moment. I promise to bring lunch and tell him I love him before getting dressed and stopping by City Diner.

Southern Comfort: Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

"Babe, go comfort your momma before she makes herself sick," I whisper into his ear, but he doesn't move. His arm tightens around me instead and I find myself in a vice-like hold. I let him have his moment because I know he's happy. I'm afraid I'm getting his hopes up and setting us up for heartbreak, but I didn't want to keep it to myself any more.

Eventually I manage to untangle myself from him and Maggie brings it to everyone's attention that Edward is crying. He pulls away from me, unashamed that he has big man tears rolling down his cheeks. I watch him move over to Esme in an effort to comfort her.

When they pull apart ten minutes later, her sobs are now happy giddy whimpers. She moves to come over to me, but sees that the rest of us are in check with our emotions and have started eating the dinner she's prepared for us. She sits down and Carlisle slinks back into the dining room holding a bottle of wine.

"I figured we'd celebrate good and proper," he shrugs, using his old pocketknife tool to unscrew the cork. "Not every day our only boy gets engaged."

Esme stifles another sob while Maggie grabs enough glasses for everyone. I don't want to turn down the wine because I saw the way Esme looked at the pile of peas on my plate and we aren't ready for that sort of announcement, just in case. Edward squeezes my hand tenderly as Carlisle hands me a half full glass of merlot.

"Don't worry 'bout it, darlin'," he whispers in my ear. "Just pretend until I drink some of mine and we'll switch."

I nod.

Our meal is cold, but I sort of grew up on fried chicken from the fridge, so I enjoy it. Edward manages to empty his glass and make the switch, but Carlisle sees my glass and moves to fill it up again.

"No thank you, Carlisle," I stop him, placing my hand over my glass. "I'm driving."

"Oh, alright."

"Not that we don't enjoy Esme's fine cookin' and what not," Maggie interrupts. "But why were we invited to this family occasion?"

"Because your family, Mags," Edward explains.

"Uh oh," she chuckles. "Why do I feel like that's a loaded comment? What will you be needing? 'Cause I'm sure the horses will survive a week or two so you can honeymoon."

"We actually wanted to talk to you about maybe having the wedding at the ranch," I mumble. "It's beautiful and simple and-"

"You know we charge for weddings right?" Liam asks. "People always contact us wanting to hold events and such, but we always turn them down."

"We can pay!" I argue. "We weren't asking for a hand out just for permission."

Edward's arm wraps around my shoulder and he pulls me to his chest. "Careful, darlin', they're only jokin'," he chuckles into my hair.

"Of course you can get hitched at the ranch, Bella. Liam was just pullin' your leg. We don't hold ceremonies at the ranch, but we'd love to host yours," Maggie smiles. "When are you wantin' to pull this shindig off?"

"Soon," Edward and I answer together, causing the rest of the table to laugh.

"Bella?" Alice's voice is hopeful.

"What can I do for you, Mouse?" I ask.

"Can I help you plan the ceremony?" She's bouncing again. Thank God Jasper's there to hold her at bay.

"On one condition..." Edward answers for the both of us. "...It's going to be a simple wedding. Bella and I get full power to veto anything."

"Deal!" Alice claps her hands excitedly.

The rest of dinner passes by. I enjoy a slice of Esme's cinnamon apple pie with some of Carlisle's homemade vanilla ice cream. And then I eat half of Edward's. I'm not worried that anyone will suspect anything because I've always been a hog at dessert and Edward's always been the victim of my greed.

Alice and Maggie talk about the perfect location. Carlisle and Liam partake in a little too much wine and are quietly giggling about something on the couch. Esme and Jasper start playing this ridiculously complex card game that involves a calculator. Edward and I choose that time to make our exit. It's only five thirty when we enter our town and Edward pulls to a stop in front of the drug store.

"You reckon we should grab you a test?" he asks uncertainly.

"I don't know. I've never taken one before. It might be too early, ya know?" I shrug. "But if it will make you feel better, then go buy one, babe."

"Come with me?"

"Not a chance in hell." I lay across the bench seat. "Hurry up."

"Bells!" Edward whines.

"I'm not going in there, Edward. I don't want any gossip hounds seeing the two of us in the parenthood section. If you want a damn test, then go buy one alone."

"Fine," he harrumphs, slamming the door of his truck a little harshly. Ten minutes later a beet red Edward climbs back into the truck, holding a bag bigger than I thought it would be. He doesn't say anything as he starts the engine and careens down the street.

"You okay, babe?" I ask, noticing the way his knuckles are white from the grip he has on the steering wheel.

"Huh? What? Yeah, I'm fine." He waves it off, muttering to himself.

"Well, you were fine when you went in. Now you're sort of freakin' me out," I giggle. He tosses the bag towards me and I open it, finding four different pregnancy tests.

"Those are early response ones. Two of them you pee on a stick, one you pee in a cup and dip the stick into it and then there's one that turns your pee a color as a result." His neck is even flushed as he explains.

"Why did you buy so many?"

"Because I didn't know what kind to get and then Mrs. Cope came by and asked if I needed help. I got embarrassed, grabbed some of them and went to the checkout," he grumbles. "Then the cashier asked me how far along the person taking the test might be and explained that early response is probably best."

He parks in front of the house and turns off the truck. "Then another lady said you should wait until the mornin' cause you're- it's best if you just wait till the mornin'."

"Well, that's what you get for being over excited, Edward Cullen," I laugh out loud. "It's probably too early for one of these things to work and you've embarrassed the crap out of yourself."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Get in the house," he growls.

"Why?" I ask innocently.

"Because if you aren't already, I plan on knockin' you up tonight, darlin'." His smirk is sexy in a 'I'm serious. Get in the fucking house right now before we partake in baby makin' right here, right now' kind of way.

"Yes sir," I obey, saluting for good measure as I jump out of the truck.

I Want To Save You: Epilogue

EPILOGUE

"Alright, Kayla. What did you get for number four?" I asked the tiny little girl sitting in the front row by the door.

"Umm... fourteen?" she asked, her small voice barely audible, despite the class being entirely quiet.

"Very good!" I praised, throwing a sugar-free Jolly Rancher over to her.

I'd been teaching for almost six months now and I loved it. As soon as I graduated, I started sending my credentials to all of the elementary schools in the southern area. It took me a year and a half, but I finally got an offer at a school two hours from my home town. When they informed me that I'd be teaching second grade math and science, I was a little skeptic. I'd wanted reading and language arts, but they didn't have any openings. I went through all of the meetings and training for a month before school was in session.

On my first day, a little boy peed his pants and then threw up on me. I was ready to quit. I even started to pack my desk up when a little girl walked up to my desk and held her hand out. Nestled between her little fingers was a partially melted Hershey's kiss. "You look like you could use this more than me. Momma says chocolate always makes people smile," she said, placing it on top of my planner before walking back to her desk in the front row by the door. Kayla was my favorite student, the one that showed me that I could do it, but I'd never admit it.

"Mr. Cullen?" Jared asked, raising his chubby hand. "When do we get to go out for recess?"

"Well, it's raining, so we don't get to go out today." The class groaned. "Am I that boring?" I jokingly asked. "I mean, I was thinking we'd play silent speed-ball, but I guess we can sit quietly and read out of our science books."

The class erupted in protest, begging for silent speed-ball.

The Jolly Ranchers were a fellow teacher's idea. The kids seemed to learn better when they had an incentive, so I went to the local Costco and bought a giant thirty pound bag of the little hard candies. It was the best hundred dollars I'd ever spent. My students were now learning at a higher rate than any of the other second graders in the school.

A five dollar rubber band ball was another smart investment; silent speed-ball on a rainy day was genius. It kept everyone on alert waiting for the ball to be lobbed towards them. The rubber band ball was soft enough that it bounced off the windows, so we didn't have to worry about breaking anything. It was called 'silent' for a reason. If you so much as squeaked during play, you had to sit out till the next round, so we never got complaints from the surrounding teachers.

"Fine. Marty, get the ball out of the cabinet please. We'll start our recess a couple of minutes early. Every one stand up and put your books in your desk. Push your chairs in," I instructed, placing my coffee cup on the floor under my desk for safe keeping. We all chose our spots wisely and before long there was a bright colored ball flying around the room. I always ended up being the favorite of the game and more often than not, the ball would be thrown to me. As the teacher I was allowed to speak and sometimes I had to speak up and remind the kids to play fairly.

I'd just tossed the ball to Kayla for the second time since the game started when I heard my phone vibrating in the top drawer of my desk.

"Time out!" I gave the signal, rushing over to my desk. "You can play, but don't throw it at me." The game proceeded as I pulled my phone out and went to stand by the window to insure that I'd have good reception.

"Hello?"

"It's time," Rose said. "You need to get here because it's happening fast. She's sort of freaking out, so you might want to hurry."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Um... just tell her to keep her legs clamped shut," I rambled, gathering my briefcase and my jacket.

"Don't drive reckless. Love yah! Bye!" she sang, hanging up the phone. After instructing everyone to sit in their seats, I ran across the hall to Mrs. Bun's classroom. She was the reading and English teacher, so I wasn't surprised to find her class playing hangman during their indoor recess. As soon as the door opened, she looked up and gave me a warm smile.

"Edward, I take it it's time?" she stood up.

"Yeah, it's happening faster than anticipated and I have to go, like now. Can you grab the kids for me?" I rushed through my sentence.

"Of course. Be careful and tell her congratulations from me," she patted my arm.

The drive to the hospital was quick. I maneuvered my trusty Volvo down the almost dead streets, speeding up when I saw opportunity. I parked in a doctor's parking spot and ran into the hospital and all the way up to the maternity floor. Rose and Emmett were sitting outside of a room, their daughter, Michelle, playing with her Barbies on the floor between them. As soon as they saw me, they both stood with sad smiles on their faces.

"I'm too late?" I gasped, trying to catch my breath from the two flights of stairs I'd just sprinted up.

"Yep, about nineteen minutes. Right after I hung up with you, she said she couldn't wait and they had her start pushing," Rose explained. "She's been asking for you though, so knock before heading in."

"Thanks for being here," I said, kissing Michelle on her cheek before rushing over to the door and knocking softly.

"Come in," I heard before opening the door.

"Hi. I'm sorry we couldn't wait."

"It's fine," I replied, shaking my head. "I'm sorry I'm late. I really wanted to be here."

"Eh, shit happens. Do you want to hold her?"

"Of course. Let me wash my hands," I explained, walking over to the tiny sink. When Michelle was born, we all learned proper hygiene when it came to babies. I washed my hands thoroughly and dried them off before walking over to the bed. The only thing I could see under the swaddled pink and white was a pair of big dark blue, almost black, eyes squinting at me almost angry like, and a puff of strawberry blond hair.

"Looks like she's going to have my hair huh?" I joked, picking her up as carefully as I could.

"Yep. We can thank grandpa for that," Alice yawned, lying back against the bed completely exhausted. "I swear your first born better come out looking just like me."

"That's not something I can promise, Ali," I laughed, looking down at the bundle in my arms. "Hi there. I'm Uncle Edward."

"She knows who you are, loser," Alice laughed tiredly. "That hurt like hell. Even with the epidural."

"I can't imagine," I chuckled. "So are you going to tell me her name now?"

"Edelyne Grace Whitlock," Alice smiled. "After her uncle, of course."

"Alice," I groaned. "You can't be serious."

"I am," Alice said, sitting up her eyes filling with tears. "Without you, I don't know what I would have done. You've been here for me the entire time and I can't thank you enough. Let me do this because it's the least I can do."

"Alice."

"Oh shut the hell up, Edward. I already signed the papers, so get over it," she sniffled. "I wish he was here." Jasper and Alice were the only ones that stayed in town after graduation. They continued to avoid each other for a solid three months. After running into each other at the coffee house Alice was working at during the weekends when she wasn't in school, Jasper convinced her into a date. Their relationship was stronger than ever after that, as if the entire debacle hadn't happened.

Jasper opened his own tattoo shop two years later and business was booming. Alice stopped working at the coffee house and quickly picked up piercing for him, but the business fell through a few months before she graduated from cosmetology school. Jasper started working at the shop that he interned at after high school and proposed to Alice the day she graduated, refusing to let the failed business hinder their happiness. They decided on a long engagement, but things changed when Alice became pregnant a few months before I received my hiring papers.

Jasper convinced himself that he couldn't raise a baby on a hair stylist and a tattoo artist's salary, and after a lot of deliberation, he enrolled in the navy. They thought they would have time before he was whisked away, but with training and everything, he'd missed almost everything. The money he was making made it all worth it. They were married two weeks before he was deployed overseas and the only communication they'd had since then was via cell phone or webcam. Alice was staying on the base in Texas, but when Jasper was deployed, she decided to move home to be around our parents. I accompanied her to all of her doctor's appointments and checkups, but she wanted her husband and Edelyne's father here instead. If I could, I'd switch places with him at this moment.

"I know, Alice." I sat at the foot of her bed with my niece in my arms. "She's beautiful. Just like her momma."

"Thanks. I feel a little less than beautiful right now," she sighed. "Sort of like a deflated balloon. I can't wait to hit the gym." We shared a laugh before Edelyne started crying. Alice hit the nurse page button and I excused myself so that the nursing assistant could help her set up for their first feeding.

Emmett had Michelle on his shoulder, her crinkly curly blond hair a giant mess as she slept, drooling down her father's shoulder. Rose was flipping through a camera catalog. They'd gone to school together for film and directing, but Rose was the only one able to succeed. She'd done a bunch of low key movies when she found her niche in commercializing. After they eloped in a small chapel they decided they wanted a baby and Michelle arrived eight months later. Emmett decided that filming wasn't for him, and Rose made more than enough money with her career, so he became Mr. Mom. He started a small daycare in their home and babysat ten children from around the neighborhood after school or while their parents were at work.

"How's she doing?" Emmett asked, toying with his phone.

"Fine. She's missing Jasper a lot, but they are both doing fine. Did she tell you what she named her?"

"Yeah. That poor kid," Rose snorted. "How are you doing? I was worried about your drive over here after I hung up."

"Good. It was a little hectic and I was still too late, but we can't change things can we?" I shrugged.

We sat together in the hallway. Michelle woke up and asked for hot chocolate. Rose pawned her off to me, so with a handful of quarters, we headed down to the cafeteria. She swung on my arm like a little monkey jabbering about her new little baby she was going to play with as soon as mommy let her in to see Aunty Alice. I just chuckled and tried to keep up with her once she ran off. She had just made it to the double doors leading to the cafeteria when she ran into a short, brown haired woman wearing hot pink scrubs. Immediately the woman picked up Michelle swinging her in her arms while the tot giggled away.

"Aunty Bella!" she sang as Bella kissed her cheek.

"Hi Miss Michelle. I heard you had a baby? Boy or a girl?" Bella asked, sending me a smile.

"Yep, her's is a girl. And I'm gonna dress her up just like Aunty Alice dressed me up when I'sa baby," Michelle rambled, jumping around as soon as Bella sat her on her dainty feet.

"Wow! Sounds exciting! I remember when you were just a little baby. I would hold you in my arms and you'd just fart all over my arm." Bella crinkled her cute nose.

"Ew, that's gross. Momma said girls don't fart. We fluff," Michelle corrected.

"Well then, you fluffed all over me," Bella laughed. "Are you going to buy me some hot chocolate?"

"I dunno. Uncle Ed do you have enough quarters?" Michelle asked thoughtfully.

"I'm sure we do," I nodded. Michelle decided that she was old enough to get her own, so we stood a few feet behind her and supervised while she placed the quarters into the slot and pressed the button. She chose cappuccino accidentally, so I took that one, not wanting Rose to kick my ass when she found out her kid had caffeine.

"How's Alice doing?" Bella asked, bumping my shoulder with hers. "I didn't find out they were here until after the baby was here and this is the first break I've had in twelve hours. I hope she doesn't think ill of me. Without caffeine, there is no way I'm going to last another twelve hours," she yawned loudly, covering her mouth with her hand.

"She's good. The baby is beautiful. Edelyne Grace Whitlock."

Bella snorted into her hand. "I didn't think she was going to take me serious."

"You're the one that gave her that name?" I asked incredulously.

"Well yeah. We were talking one night and she said she wanted to pay tribute," Bella shrugged. Michelle kicked the machine, screaming for it to give her more marshmallows, so Bella stepped in, grabbing her by the hand and leading her over to the small nurse's lounge that was attached to the cafeteria. I watched as they filled Michelle's cup the rest of the way with marshmallows out of a bag from the pantry.

Bella hadn't been in school for less than two weeks before she called me crying over a little girl who'd been hit by a car outside the apartment she lived in during college. Bella had witnessed the entire thing and did everything she could, holding the little girl while the driver ran and left her to die. The ambulance had arrived a few minutes too late. The little girl died in Bella's arms and it hit her hard. I offered to come down and be with her, but she declined.

Two weeks later she was changing her classes and going into nursing. She believed that had she been properly trained, she would have been able to save the little girl. Despite the fact that the girl's parents had told her otherwise. The little girl wouldn't have lived even if she'd been hit by the car right in front of the hospital. Her injuries were too serious. She graduated with a nursing license and started working for the hospital in Florida that she did most of her on the job training.

We continued our long distance relationship the entire time. Not once did we question the other or the fact that we lived clear across the United States. As soon as I graduated and returned home trying to find a job, Bella told me that she wasn't signing a contract with the hospital and that she wanted to be where I was.

When I got my job at the elementary school, she contacted the hospital in town and two months later, she moved from her small apartment into the tiny house I'd started renting once I came back. We made up for lost time, enjoying a month of nothing but each other, ordering out and refusing to leave the house, more like leaving the bed or answer the phone.

When Alice moved home, she started staying at our house on the weekends to give my parents a break. Alice wasn't a polite pregnant woman; her hormones deviated quicker than you could blink. One second crying, the next screaming her head off, then back to bawling before you could even try to console her. It only grew worse when she realized that Jasper wouldn't be back in time for the birth. With Bella by my side we managed. Turning the small spare bedroom in our house into a bedroom/nursery for Alice and the baby. We moved all of her stuff out of my parent's house and offered her a place to stay until Jasper returned.

"What are you smiling 'bout, dork?" Michelle asked, jumping into my lap. Bella laughed and sat the marshmallow filled cup on the table.

"I'm happy, geek. What are you smiling about?" I pulled a messy curl.

"'Cause I just had a baby," she said, ending her sentence with an eye roll. Definitely Rose's child.

"Oh, well, I guess that would make me smile, too."

"Then why don't you and Aunty Bella have a baby?" she asked, bouncing a little as she sipped her hot chocolate. Bella snorted and coughed on her drink, getting up to get a napkin to wipe her nose.

We'd talked about getting married, starting a family and living the American Dream. We wanted to do it the smart way, so once I had been working at the school for three years and Bella at the hospital for the same amount of time, we'd start planning our wedding.

Just like Bella made the first move asking me out on a date all those years ago, she also jumped the gun about proposing. I'd come home surprised to find all of her bags in the living room and found her sitting on my bed. She wasn't supposed to arrive for another three days, but she said she was too excited. She got down on one knee and asked me to marry her. I said yes. Obviously. After we get married, Bella would stop birth control and we'd see what hand life dealt us.

"Someday, princess," Bella answered simply, sending me a sly wink.

"Someday," I agreed.

I Want To Save You: Ch 16

Chapter Sixteen

"My apologies," I stammered, letting my hand drop to my side. "Chief Swan."

"Daddy, stop being such a dick., Bella scolded, swatting her father in the chest.

I don't know what surprised me more. The way Chief Swan welcomed me or the way Bella was talking with her father. I stood there awkwardly while the two of them stared each other down. It lasted for about a minute before Bella cracked a smile and the Chief's booming laughter made me jump in surprise. A few people glared as they walked by and I'm sure I heard a baby cry, so his loud guffawing didn't scare just me.

Bella pulled my hand up and placed it in her dad's as he calmed down. "It's good to meet you, Edmund. I was just fucking with you. You can call me Charlie." He gave me a kind smile and squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"It's Edward, dad." Bella corrected. "Not Edmund, Ed or Eddie. Edward."

"Yes ma'am," Charlie mumbled sarcastically before letting go of my hand. "Let's get out of here. People are starting to stare and it's making me feel uncomfortable."

"Yeah, because you just hate attention." Bella rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand. "My dad is the king of karaoke night at The Lodge. He's an attention hog and loves to make an ass out of himself."

"Only when it comes to embarrassing you, Bells. Speaking of karaoke night, we're going tomorrow night. I've already told the guys at the station that I'm not to be bothered and I just had my suit dry-cleaned," he smiled wickedly.

"We're going to be busy," Bella groaned, rolling her head towards me. "Trust me when I say you'd choose a lobotomy over karaoke night."

"I think it sounds like fun," I told her, shrugging my shoulders, trying to get on the Chief's good side even though he seemed pretty cool. Bella glared at me while Charlie whooped loudly and started doing what I'm guessing was his very own touchdown celebratory dance in the middle of the airport. I'm positive that if we weren't in baggage claim, security would have come and taken Charlie into the little interrogation room, Meet the Parents style. From the horrified look Bella was giving her father, I'm pretty sure she would have left him there.

"Let's go take your medication, dad," she said loudly, giving apologetic looks to the people passing by. We finally made it out to the parking garage, bags in tow. Bella laughed at me when I yelped as the cold air hit me. Charlie offered me his police jacket, which I politely declined. I couldn't tell if it was a test or not, and from the way he'd been acting, I'm sure I'd never live it down had I taken him up on his offer.

Bella wrapped her arm around my waist and whispered her promises to warm me up later as we tried to find the car, the car being a police issued cruiser, complete with the red and blue lights on top and about a million buttons on the dashboard. Charlie and Bella argued for a good ten minutes about where Bella would sit, while I sat in the back seat separated from the front by the steel barrier. Bella wanted to sit up front with him, but he wanted her to sit in the back like a criminal. The argument was resolved when I told Bella that I wanted her to sit in the back with me to keep warm. They'd been fighting forever and I was freezing my nuts off in the backseat because Charlie hadn't started the car yet.

"Hands where I can see them boy," he threatened half-heartedly as we made our way down the gloomy streets. "Don't make me pull out my handcuffs."

"Dad..." Bella warned.

"Oh, is that something you like to do? Eww, never mind. I don't want to know," Charlie back pedalled and started talking to himself about not wanting to hear about his daughter's sex life.

"Eww, dad! Stop it please!" Bella pleaded, burrowing her head into my neck. I could feel the heat of her embarrassment on my skin. "This is ridiculous."

"I think it's fun," I whispered. "I can see why he and your mom got together. They're both absolutely insane."

"Well, we all can't have perfect families," Bella giggled. "Seriously, your family is straight out of a magazine or something."

"Hey, hey, hey! Secrets don't make friends," Charlie pouted. "Unless it's personal. Then I don't want to know."

"We're just talking, dad," Bella sighed.

"Well, you get to talk and hang out all the time. Include your old man."

"Oh, we're just talking about how we're going to sneak off to the courthouse and elope the first chance we get," Bella snorted.

"Hmm... well I'm off for the next three days, but Wednesday I have to go into the station from noon till midnight," he pondered, before smiling widely, his moustache shaking in excitement. "Or better yet we can just swing by the little chapel on the outskirts of town right now. How bout it?"

I was starting to realize that Charlie Swan could not be taken seriously. At all. I was positive until Charlie pulled over on the side of the road and got out. He then walked over to my door and opened it up, while I froze in fear thinking he was going to leave me in the middle of nowhere.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked curiously.

"I'm letting Edward drive home. My legs hurt," he shrugged, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the cruiser. "Keep it under eighty-five."

"No!" Bella cried at the same time I started to refuse, but her reasons were entirely different. "That's not fair! You never let me drive the cruiser."

"Oh, hush you." Charlie said. "This is my way of interrogating your boyfriend. Or should I wait until we get back to the house and I can pull out my hunting rifles?"

"Do it now," Bella and I said at the same time. My reply came out as a yelp, hers a sigh of defeat.

Charlie sat next to me in the front of the cruiser. My hands were shaking like a leaf as I twisted the key in the ignition, firing the car up. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was scared shitless. Charlie pointed out a couple of things on the dashboard, showing me how to properly turn the lights and siren on, even though I had no plans on using them. As soon as I pulled off the shoulder on the road, he started with the questions.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?"

"Dad!" Bella protested from the backseat.

"Um... to date her?" I answered. "Maybe go to prom."

Charlie snorted. "Good luck with that. Bella's got two left feet. Inherited it from me sadly. Where you going after graduation?"

"I want to be a teacher. I plan on going to the community college in town before moving onto a university."

"What grade?"

"Elementary," I replied, watching the road intently, scared out of my wits that I would wreck this car or god forbid get pulled over.

"So you like kids?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Are you planning on knocking my daughter up?"

"Dad!" Bella yelled, punching the barrier.

"I don't plan on having children until I've already gotten an established career," I replied coolly.

"So you're admitting that you're sexually active with my daughter?"

"NO!" Bella and I yelled at the same time. I could hear her pulling on the steel bars between us.

"Good. Now pull over here, Edward," Charlie instructed, pointing to an empty 7-Eleven parking lot. "Chinese fire drill!" he screamed before jumping out of the car.

And just like that. A nerve wracking interrogation turned into something completely ridiculous. I had a feeling that this spring break was going to be chaotic.

Two days later, Bella and I were sitting in the old Chevy truck she used to drive before she came to live with her mother. We had gotten off to a late start today because Charlie kept us out at The Lodge until four in the morning, while we watched him make an ass out of himself. He dressed in a black zoot suit and impersonated The King very, very badly. We were forced to endure three hours of people singing badly, but every time Charlie got on the stage, it was a riot. He sang 'Hound Dog', 'Heartbreak Hotel' and a few I can't remember, partially because I was practically on the floor in hysterics.

I was glad that we'd had fun the night before because now Bella was suffering. She sat two feet away from me on the bench seat, wearing all black. Laying on the seat between us was a giant bouquet of hydrangeas. Her eyes were closed and she was shaking with anxiety. Seeing her in this state of distress reminded me of her first day of school, minus all of the bruises, cuts and the crutches.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" I asked softly, taking her hand in mine. "We could always go see Billy first and then come back."

"No. I want to do it this way," she replied, grabbing the flowers from the seat and opening her door before turning to me. "You're coming right?"

"Where else would I go?"

It was raining lightly in Forks. Something I'd grown used to in the three days I'd been here. Everything was green and as we made our way through the cemetery, I noticed that many of the tombstones were covered almost completely with algae-like growth. Bella had a death grip on my hand as we made our way through the rows reading the stones as we went.

I found what we were looking for before Bella. As soon as she noticed the giant dual tombstone, she froze almost taking a step back as the air was knocked out of her. Vanessa and Jacob's graves were covered with flowers, not one wilted or dead, so it was obvious that someone came daily to visit them. Bella let go of my hand and walked up to the stone, resting her hand on top of it with her head bowed. She spoke softly to them before placing the bouquet of flowers between the two of them and kneeling on the ground. I watched her talk softly as she pulled the necklace that held the engagement ring Jacob had left with her for safe keeping out of her shirt. She unclasped it and slid the ring off of the chain.

"Jake would want you to have this," Bella cried, digging a shallow hole in the spot above where Vanessa was buried and dropping the ring inside before covering it back up. She then stood up wiped her hands on her pants. "I can let the two of you go now, but I promise that I will never forget you, and I'll come see you again. I promise."

She cried for a while longer before kissing her hand and placing it over each of their names. Turning to me, her eyes swollen and red from crying, she smiled despite all of the pain coursing through her. I held my hand out for her to take and together we walked out of the cemetery.

"That hurt a lot more than I thought it would," she sniffed, wiping her nose with a tissue from the glove compartment.

"I'm sorry," I murmured.

The rest of our trip flew by. Bella introduced me to Billy Black. They had an emotional reunion, but it quickly turned to sentimental and sweet. I listened to them share stories of her childhood with his son and we learned that Vanessa's parents had moved. They weren't able to cope with the loss of their only child in such a small town, so almost overnight, they snuck away without telling anyone where they were going. Billy said it was like he woke up one morning and they were gone. The house across the street vacant except for the 'for sale' sign in the front yard. He'd tried to get a hold of them, but gave up, respecting their choice in grieving manner.

Charlie dropped us off at the airport, giving us both giant hugs and, much to my despise, kisses. He mentioned something about coming down to spend some time with Bella, refusing to miss her graduation, so we'd be seeing him in less than two months. I was looking forward to it.

Everyone returned to school the following Monday. Alice had bad sunburn, almost to the point that she had sun poisoning from her Disneyland vacation. Her chorus group won second place and she was proud of the small trophy she received in the mail a few days after she came home. Our bathroom smelled like Easter eggs for a week because of the vinegar baths she had to take to try to calm her burning skin, and she was completely miserable when she started to peel, claiming that she'd rather burn than itch all of the time.

She started eating lunch with us again in the cafeteria and actually tried to join in on conversations with the group, even though she had her moments. She no longer tried to avoid Jasper, but they still hadn't talked. Emmett and Rose ended up being shown on MTV's Spring Break Special on TV, resulting in them coming home as celebrities. Everyone wanted to talk to them after seeing them on TV, but they just shrugged and told people that they'd had fun and that they'd definitely do it again.

Prom was a disaster. It rained the entire night, ruining Alice's expensive dress and resulting in her crying almost the entire night over it. She didn't go with a date and Jasper didn't show up at all. Emmett got wasted less than twenty minutes in on the spiked punch, so Rose took him home, pissed as hell. The captain of the football team and head cheerleader were crowned Prom Queen and King but that was no surprise to anyone. Bella and I danced three dances before she twisted her ankle in the high heels that Alice forced her into and we spent the rest of the night dressed fancy in the hospital waiting room, waiting for her to be seen.

We had study parties before the five of us took our SAT test. The week of finals were hectic, everyone scrambling to get last minute projects done and cram for the exams that would depict whether or not we'd graduate. Bella and I had almost every class together, so we were able to spend time with each other, even if it was to study until our vision blurred and our heads pounded. The last day of finals was also the last day of school for seniors.

A group of boys were arrested the following morning, before graduation practice could take place, for their version of a senior prank. All we found out was that it involved every fire extinguisher in the school and the cafeteria. We practiced the ceremony three times before they deemed us perfect enough and released us for a few hours to go home and get ready. Bella went with Rose and Alice to get their hair and nails done for the ceremony, while I went out to lunch with Jasper and Emmett.

Dressed in our dark blue cap and gowns, the girls in white, we all waited for our names to be called and walked across the stage to receive our diplomas. Charlie had arrived just in time and, much to Bella's dismay, brought with him an air horn, blowing it obnoxiously when her name was called. The girls cried when we finally met up after tossing our caps into the air.

We'd all received our college acceptance letters in the previous weeks. Rose and Emmett were headed to California for filming school, claiming that they'd be the next Michael Bay. Alice was going to a local cosmetology school for hair and makeup. Jasper had informed us that he was staying close to home to intern at a local tattoo shop. Bella had received a letter from a school in Florida, offering her an entire scholarship for the classes that she would have to take to make her dream possible. My plans to just go to the community college in town had been thwarted and completely forgotten when I received a scholarship and acceptance letter to UAA (University of Alaska Anchorage). It would be hard, but after a long discussion with Bella, we decided to try a long distance relationship.

Fifty blue and fifty white helium filled balloons floated into the sky as the crowd cheered for the graduates. A pair of familiar arms wrapped around my waist and I turned to find my beautiful girlfriend smiling up to me.

"I LOVE YOU, EDWARD CULLEN!" she squealed loudly over the loud noise around us.

"I LOVE YOU, TOO, BELLA SWAN!" I yelled just as loudly before kissing her.

It had been the first time we said those three little words aloud to each other and it couldn't have been more perfect.

I Want To Save You: Ch 15

Chapter Fifteen

"How's she doing?" Bella asked, kissing my cheek as she walked into my house. I closed the door softly, sighing as I did so. Bella toed off her shoes and took her jacket off, hanging it on the coat hanger before turning to me. "Still nothing?"

"Not a damn thing," I muttered, rubbing the spot on my forehead where I could feel a migraine coming in. It had been a month since Jasper and Alice broke up and my little sister wasn't taking it well. At first I thought that maybe she was upset because Garrett had shot down her advances, but that wasn't the case. Yes, she'd made the wrong choices by going after an older man, but she still had feelings for Jasper and he refused to look at her, let alone listen to her.

Things were tense once she came back to school. Jasper asked for seat changes in the classes that they had together. Alice tried to talk to him in the hallway one time and he looked straight through her as if she wasn't standing right in front of him. He stopped shutting the rest of the group out and talked to us when Alice wasn't present, and we were smart enough not to bring her up. Alice started to pull away from everyone as the days progressed. She started losing weight because she couldn't eat and at night I heard her crying, but she wouldn't unlock her door. I heard my mom ask my dad one night if he thought she was developing an eating disorder, but he said Alice would grow out of it.

Then she started to crawl out of the shell she'd formed. She started coming out with Bella and I on the weekends and even went mud bogging with Emmett and Rose, something that she and Jasper used to do with them.

Bella and I started going to the cafeteria for lunch to keep an eye out for her and there were times that we caught her staring across the room at the small round table in the corner that Jasper sat at with a few of his buddies from the track team. Alice had been out of town last week because her chorus group had a state championship. Rose and Emmett decided to take advantage of off campus lunches, so Bella and I tagged along each day. Had we stayed at the school and eaten in the cafeteria we would have known. But how could we?

Bella decided that she wanted to show off her bowling skills the night that Alice came home, so the entire group, minus Jasper, drove to Port Angeles and rented shoes and a lane. Alice and Rose fought over the only hot pink eight pound ball, while Emmett and Bella gave us each goofy names on the electronic score card. I had trouble bowling because my left arm was still in a cast, but we managed to have fun and not let it bother us too much when Bella kicked our asses the first game.

Rose had went on the hunt for a different ball, claiming the banana yellow one she'd been using was bad luck, while Bella continued to flounce around, gloating on her supposedly epic win. Rose came flying back over to our lane, looking as if she had just seen a ghost and telling us that we needed to leave. We refused to leave because we had paid for three games, but Rose was adamant, pulling the woman troubles card so we changed our shoes and headed for the front door, just thirty seconds too late.

Jasper was standing at the counter explaining that he'd been given two different sized shoes. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alice freeze up and Rose started to shuffle her out shoving her shoes into Emmett's hands. Just as Jasper turned and caught the five of us staring at him, Maria Rodriguez came into view and threw her arms around his waist and called him 'baby'. Jasper didn't acknowledge our presence as he grabbed his correct shoes and led Maria back to the lane that they were obviously occupying.

Alice remained absolutely silent the entire drive home. She left the four of us sitting in the living room and walked up to her bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. I hadn't seen her for five days and if it weren't for her breathing or nightly trips to the bathroom, I would have thought she died. My mother and father argued what was best for her, seeing as she refused to leave her bedroom, eat or go to school. My father won out, giving Alice an ultimatum, either she ate or she went to a doctor.

He knew that she was hurting, but he refused to watch her kill herself over some boy. Alice got angry, screaming that Jasper wasn't just some boy, but ended up promising to eat, so long as she was allowed time. My father compromised that if she ate two meals a day she could have one week off from school, but after that it would affect her graduating on time and he refused to let her bury herself.

"She still won't talk to me because she thinks I knew that Jasper was dating Maria, so she refuses to talk to me," I explained to Bella as I led her to the living room. We cuddled together on the couch and turned on a movie even though we wouldn't watch it. We'd been together for over a month and a half, but sometimes it felt like she'd always been by my side. She knew exactly what I needed, sometimes before I even knew. We hadn't said those three little words yet, but we both knew how we felt. It was almost as if we were afraid to say it out loud after watching Alice and Jasper's relationship implode on itself. We were young and we couldn't promise that we'd be together forever, but I couldn't see myself without her.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" Bella asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. She tangled her left leg with my right and began scratching my scalp, an act that she knew I loved.

"Everything."

"Hmm... sounds interesting. Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really. It's nothing we haven't talked about already. Why bring up boring mundane topics when we can just sit in silence?"

"You're so dumb," she laughed, pulling lightly at my hair. "Do you mind if I bring up a topic that we haven't talked about yet?"

"There's actually one of those?" I joked, earning a slap to my chest. "Kidding. What is it?"

"Well, my dad wants to see me."

I froze and it didn't go unnoticed by Bella. "Oh, stop it. He offered to come down here, but he and mom are still weird with each other after the divorce and everything. They try to act civil, but it's still weird."

"Well, he's still in love with her," I murmured.

"Yeah, anyway I don't want him to have to come out here because he'll be uncomfortable and hotels pretty much suck balls. Sooo..." she took a deep breath. "Iwannagotoforksforspringbreak."

"I'm sorry, what?" I sat up a little.

"I'm thinking about going to Forks for Spring Break," Bella explained slowly, her eyes downcast. "I need some closure that even the best grief counselor here can't give me. I need to see Billy and I need to visit them. I couldn't before, but now I feel that I can't fully let go of the guilt until I do that. Why are you being so quiet? You think it's a ridiculous idea?"

"No, baby. I'm so proud of you." I kissed her surprised 'O' shaped mouth. "I think it's a really good idea and I'm going to miss you."

"Well that's the thing." She sat up so that we were almost nose to nose. "Rose told me that she and Emmett are planning on going somewhere for Spring Break and Alice is going off with her chorus group thingy down at Disneyland. Since you're gonna be alone, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go with me? I mean, you can say no, but I'd like you to come with me. You don't even have to answer me now. We have time. Not a lot of time because plane tickets are cheaper if you buy them in advance, even though no one wants to go to Washington for spring break but stil-"

"I'd love to," I cut her off, smiling.

"What?"

"I'd love to spend Spring Break with you and your dad in rainy, dreary Forks, Washington. I have to ask my parents, but I'm pretty sure they aren't going to care."

"Really?" Bella asked in disbelief.

"Yeah."

"Are you serious?" she smiled.

"Yes Bella. I'm going to go with you to Forks," I laughed out. "Do you want me to paint you a picture. Should I learn sign language? What will it take to get it through your head that I'd follow you to the end of the world?"

"You're so friggin' cheesy," she laughed, throwing her arms around my neck. "You make me so happy."

"Ditto."

We shared a kiss filled with as much love as we could muster. We didn't have to say it. We knew.

My cast was removed two weeks before Spring Break. The insurance finally came through and Bella accompanied my father and I to the dealership where I picked out the same Volvo I had before. They didn't have it in silver, so I decided to go for a sleek black. Later that week, when it arrived at the house, I went and picked Bella up from her house and we drove down a dirt road and made out until our lips were numb. After the cast was removed, I was finally able to hold my girlfriend properly, something I'd been dying to do.

We'd managed to convince my parents into letting me go to Forks. My dad took me aside after we initially asked them and gave me the safe sex talk, despite my argument that things weren't like that between us. Even so, he wasn't comfortable sending me off for a week with my girlfriend without a giant box of condoms and spermicidal lubricant. Later that night I told Bella what had happened and she pulled out a small baggy of some herb that she said her mother been trying to force feed her that would prevent pregnancy, despite the fact that Renee had been taking it when she got pregnant with Bella.

Alice was doing better. She returned to school after her week and threw herself into schoolwork and chorus, staying late for tutoring and going in early for practice. She eventually forgave me, even though I hadn't done anything, but I couldn't argue because she was talking to me again. She started hanging out in the library with a few of her friends from chorus instead of coming to lunch and when she was in the hallway, she purposely went another route to steer clear from Jasper. She wasn't her bubbly self anymore and she could care less about her appearance, a trait that I'd always believed would follow her to her grave. Nowadays, she spent less time in front of the mirror in the bathroom than I did. Jasper broke up with Maria the day after Alice returned to school.

"Hey babe, did you pack enough warm socks? It's freezing in Forks compared to here," Bella asked, tossing her carry-on bag into the back seat of my new Volvo.

"Yes, I did," I answered, laughing at the giant winter coat she had hanging over her arm.

"You laugh now, but just wait. I grew up there and I'm still not used to it. You've grown up in the sun; you're going to freeze your ass off."

"I guess you'll have to keep me warm." I waggled my eyebrows.

"Oh god! You have to stop hanging out with Emmett!" she giggled.

We'd already said goodbye to Renee when I picked Bella up earlier in the day. She gave us each a small herb pillow she'd sewn that was supposed to bring us home safely or something. I'm pretty sure I saw Bella toss hers out the window as we drove down the highway. My mom insisted that we come back to the house to eat lunch before heading to the airport. She made sure that we were thoroughly stuffed before deeming us ready to travel. She hugged the both of us and went to her room sniffling the entire way, so we decided to make a quick escape.

"You ready?" I asked.

"Yep!" Bella beamed.

Bella and I had a rule that we wouldn't listen to music when we were together in the car. Instead we talked about the most random things. Topics were casually thrown around quickly and there wasn't a dull moment the entire drive to the airport.

We parked in the short term parking lot and walked hand in hand into the airport to retrieve our tickets. I laughed when Bella grimaced when we had to take our shoes off at security. She muttered the entire time about germs and athlete's foot as she walked through the metal detectors. I almost dropped to the floor when she pulled a fresh pair of socks out of her bag and changed the ones she'd been wearing, before putting on her shoes.

We didn't have to wait long before our seats were called. After an intense game of rock-paper-scissors, Bella won the window seat. We shared iPods during the flight and played cards with a tiny little travel pack she'd thought to bring. We'd managed to get a straight flight to Washington without having to worry about layovers, so the flight was long. Bella fell asleep while I watched The Nightmare Before Christmas,which she had downloaded onto her iPod. The pilot came on over the intercom to inform us that we'd be descending shortly and that we needed to put our seatbelts on, so I shook Bella awake, chuckling at the sleep marks that marred the side of her face.

"What's so funny?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Nothing, beautiful. We're landing soon though, so you need to put your seatbelt on."

"'Kay," she yawned, doing as she was told before leaning back against me. "Planes always make me sleepy."

"Yeah, I noticed. You wasted a window seat, that's what you did," I accused.

"Whatever," she smiled.

Thirty minutes later we exited the plane and headed for the baggage claim. Bella gripped my hand tightly because she was afraid she'd lose me in the throng of people trying to get their bags. We'd just managed to get our bags off the conveyer belt when Bella squealed and let go of my hand. I watched her run to an older man dressed in a police uniform. His Chuck Norris moustache was almost comical as he swung his teenage daughter in the air, pulling her into a fierce hug and talking the entire time.

"I'm so glad to see you, kid," he said, setting her on her feet and making sure that she was steady.

"I'm glad to see you too, daddy." Bella kissed his cheek before turning back to me. "Edward, come here."

I pulled both suitcases over to the duo and Bella grabbed my arm. "Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, this is my dad, Charlie Swan."

"Mr. Swan," I greeted, holding my hand out for him to shake.

Instead he looked down at my hand as if I'd just wiped my nose or something and looked up at me. "That's Chief Swan to you boy."

Oh shit!

I Want To Save You: Ch 14

Chapter Fourteen

"And then Garrett said that I should maybe go to the place where Edward crashed, and I was like 'no way,' and then he was like, 'yeah you should, it could help you get over your guilt.' I dunno though," Alice rambled about her appointment with Garrett down at the Community Center. "Then we went and made hot chocolate, and Garrett was like, 'I don't think you should put so many marshmallows in the cup before you put it in the microwave. It might explode'. But I told him he didn't know what he was talking about, and guess what? I exploded the marshmallows in the microwave. I tried to clean it up, but Garrett told me to run, so I did."

Everyone was sitting around the coffee table playing Monopoly World Edition. The cool one with the credit cards instead of the paper money. Alice had been seeing Garrett Damon every other day for about a week now and he was all she ever talked about. She and Bella were talking again, so things were smoother when Bella came over after school. That also meant that Rose and Emmett were practically living at my house again.

We had a three day weekend, so my parents decided to take off to Alaska to visit the Triple D's and my aunt and uncle. Alice refused to go because she'd miss not one, but two meetings with Garrett, and I wanted to stay because my girlfriend was here.

Bella and I went to dinner Wednesday night while everyone else went to the football game at the high school. For our first date, we kept it particularly low key, choosing to go to a chain food burger joint and then to the drive in. I had to drive my father's car because the insurance hadn't come back on mine yet. We couldn't remember the beginning, middle or the end of the movie we watched because we couldn't figure out how to get my dad's radio to work. Instead we sat in the back seat and made out like, well, teenagers.

My parents gave us permission to have friends over, trusting that we'd be safe and responsible, so long as everyone's parents were okay with it. Rose, Emmett and Jasper were always allowed over for unsupervised sleepovers, and we thought Renee was going to start up a fight, but instead she just gave Bella what I'm guessing was a sex talk and a birth control tonic. Neither of those were necessary. We'd only been dating for three weeks and that was a huge step that neither of us were ready to take. Besides, my arm was still in a cast for another handful of weeks and it already got in the way.

"And then, we went to this small room and I thought he was going to treat me like a patient. You know, like in movies where psychiatrists make their patient lie down on a chair and talk about their feelings," Alice continued, before the entire game board and all of its pieces went flying across the room.

Aside from the shock, I watched Jasper stand up, his nostrils flared in anger. "HE'S NOT EVEN A DAMN DOCTOR ALICE!" he yelled, his southern accent coming out even more with his hostility.

"Yeah, but he's working on it. He's going to the university and he is graduating next year, so he's, like, almost a doctor," Alice defended proudly.

Jasper just stared down at her for a couple of seconds, probably wondering the same thing I'm sure the rest of us, besides Alice, were. Did she not see that he was pissed as hell?He grabbed his empty soda can and stormed into the kitchen, the heavy door swinging three times with force.

"Hmm... who wants to play Uno?" Alice asked, pulling the game out of the cabinet under the coffee table and smiling. "Garrett and I played it the other day and I think he let me win."

Everyone just smiled and I could tell that we were all getting a little uncomfortable. After a few minutes, I realized that Jasper hadn't returned, so I excused myself using the excuse that Bella needed another soda. She seemed to know what I was up to and went along with it, handing me her still full can as if it were empty. Jasper was sitting at the kitchen table, pulling the end of his short ponytail in frustration. I sat across from him and waited for him to calm down, but he didn't.

"What the fuck, dude? How in the hell did you put up with Bella talking about that quack twenty- four-seven when she was seeing him?" he demanded, standing up and pacing.

"I... Bella never talked about Garrett with me. She just told me that she was seeing a grief counselor and that the two of them were meeting at the community center," I replied, shrugging my shoulders, not seeing the point of his question.

"Did he ever make her hot chocolate? Did he take her to a fucking small ass room where they talked? This is bullshit! I'm so sick of hearing about what he did to make her feel better!" Jasper yelled, slamming his hands on the table and making me jump.

The kitchen door swung open and Alice danced in completely oblivious. "Jasper, come on. You can be on my team." It was then that she noticed there was some tension. "What's wrong?"

"I um... I'm going to get back to Bella with this soda." I grabbed a Coke out of the case on the counter and made my exit just as Jasper started to let his frustration out on my little sister.

"You want to know what's wrong? You couldn't come to me and tell me about your issues, but you'll go talk to a goddamn strange-" I probably should have stayed and made sure that everything would be okay, but I knew that Jasper was all smoke and no fire. He'd say his peace and Alice would say hers, and the two of them would be making out and hooking up tonight. It's happened more than once.

Bella was still sitting on the floor putting the pieces to the Monopoly game back in its box, while Emmett and Rose looked over the movies they'd picked up from the rental store on their way over. I picked up stray pieces of the game and helped Bella put them back in the cabinet, before pulling her over to the recliner.

"Are they okay in there?" she whispered, pointing her chin towards the door that lead to the kitchen.

"They will be. Jasper's just having some issues with Alice being so cozy with Garrett. He asked me if I had an issue with the way you talked about your meetings, and I told him that you never talked to me about them. Why is that?" I asked, playing with a loose curl that had fallen out of her clip.

"Um... well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't as close to Garrett as Alice seems to be," Bella shrugged. "I mean, he's a friend now, but the way she talked about him is how I talk about you when I'm on the phone with Angie and stuff from back home. Do you think it's possible that Alice has a crush on Garrett?"

"No. I mean, she and Jasper have been together forever," I scoffed and then backtracked. "I dunno though. Maybe. I mean, she talks about Garrett constantly, even to my mom and dad. I just thought it was because he was helping her, but I guess it could mean more to her."

Bella opened her mouth to say something, but the door to the kitchen flew open with a bang, scaring the shit out of all of us. Jasper's face was beet red and his hands were in tight fists as he walked across the room and picked up his bag. Alice stood in the doorway holding the kitchen door open as we watched him leave the house, slamming the front door so hard that a picture fell in the hallway.

"What in the hell was that?" Rose asked, while Bella hugged me tightly.

"Jasper and I broke up," Alice said simply, before sitting down on the love seat. "What movie are we watching?"

You could have heard a pin drop, it was so quiet. Emmett's mouth hung open mid chew, showing off the mouth full of Skittles he'd been eating, while Rose froze in front of the DVD player with the same shocked look on her face.

"Did you already pick one? If not we should watch something good, like Zombieland or something funny," Alice said pulling a bag of Sour Cream and Cheddar chips off the table and stuffing her face with them, as if nothing had happened moments ago.

"Oh yeah, we, uh, picked The Hangover. Is that okay?" Rose asked a little hesitantly.

"Oh yeah! I love that movie!" Alice squealed, fist bumping. Bella hadn't said anything, but she kept giving me a weird look as if to silently ask 'When the hell is it going to hit her?' Truth was, I couldn't answer that question any better than Alice could.

About five minutes after Rose had just hit the play button on the menu screen, we heard laughing coming from the love seat. Bella froze against me and my hand stopped rubbing her back. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Emmett and Rose had both frozen, too. The giggling continued throughout the movie, until we realized that instead of laughter, we were listening to Alice's hysterical sobs.

"Hey Albo? You alright over there?" Emmett asked, sitting up a little.

"Yeah, that was just so sad. I mean, she doesn't even know where her fiancé is and they're getting married in like hours and, yeah, his friends can't even find him," Alice sobbed, while the rest of us just stared at her like she'd grown a third eyeball. "I'm going upstairs to get my blanket. Does anyone need anything?"

"Um... no," I answered, followed by everyone else. Alice wiped her eyes and ran up the stairs quickly.

"What the fuck was that?" Bella asked, sitting up. "Seriously, should someone call Jasper or something?"

"No. Maybe this has to do with her mental thingy. Should we call Garrett?"

"Garrett? Is he coming over?" Alice asked, causing all of us to jump. When did she come back?

"No, uh, Rose was just asking when you were going for another meeting with him," I covered.

"Oh, not until tomorrow morning. He asked if we could meet tomorrow morning at the hospital instead because he's doing some charity thing. He's such a good person," she said, smiling dreamily.

"She's totally into Garrett," Bella whispered in my ear. "Dude, he's like twenty-seven, I think. That's so gross."

"Yeah, well, this shit isn't going to fly." I muttered

"I'm going to bed. Rose, I set up the guest room down that hall for you and Emmett," Alice said after the third movie was over. We'd all been ready to go to sleep after The Hangover, but were too afraid to leave Alice alone. Bella was passed out and I felt a moist spot on my chest where she was drooling in her sleep. Is it weird that I thought it was cute?

"Is Bella sleeping with you in your room, Edward?" she asked, her head tilted to the side.

"I, uh, don't know," I stammered. "If not, she can have my room and I'll sleep down here."

"I'm not taking your bed," Bella mumbled, sitting up. "We can sleep together without sleeping together."

Emmett giggled like a school girl at her answer and Rose smacked him upside the head before leading him down the hall. Alice just smiled and left the room carrying an arm full of garbage. Bella stood up and straightened her clothes.

"Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, it's just like sleeping down here, but with a little bit more room," I shrugged. Bella changed in the bathroom while I put on some sleep pants in my walk in closet. She knocked before she walked into the room and nervously stood by my bed that I was already laying in. I lifted the blanket and she slowly slid in next to me, wrapping her arm around my waist.

"Do you think that everything will be okay? With Alice and Jasper?" she asked tiredly.

"I don't know. She's acting weird and that's a lot to say when talking about Alice," I yawned. "We'll just have to see how it goes."

The following day Rose, Emmett, Bella and I went out for breakfast. Alice had been long gone when we woke up, leaving behind a note that said she didn't expect to be back until after lunch, so we were on our own. We ate our pancakes and walked along the strip mall, hitting the local arcade and making asses of ourselves on the Dance Dance Revolution game. Bella was surprisingly good, despite having a walking cast on her foot.

"How dare you doubt my expertise?" she argued, slapping me when I voiced my thoughts.

"I'm just saying," I laughed, holding my hands up in surrender.

We had just made it home and were in the kitchen making sandwiches when the front door slammed shut and a high pitched sob rang through the house. Alice came storming into the kitchen, dressed in a skimpy dress with a large amount of makeup that was practically melting off of her face from the amount of tears pouring from her eyes.

"What happened?" I panicked, rushing over to her.

"Garrett... Ugh... I... stupid," she blubbered, throwing her arms around me as she continued to wail.

"You're going to have to calm down, Alice."

"I thought he liked me," she sobbed. "But no, he's engaged and I, ugh! I thought he liked me. So I dressed nice and he even complimented me. He took me out to lunch after we were done at the hospital and I thought he was trying to kiss me, so I kissed him."

"Oh god," Rose groaned.

"Yeah," Alice hiccupped. "He was just reaching for napkins. He told me that he couldn't help me anymore and now I'm...ugh. I'm going upstairs. I just want to be left alone. I've ruined everything!" She pulled away from me and left the kitchen, leaving the four of us just as confused as we were when Jasper left yesterday.

"Should someone say it or shall I?" Emmett said. "What in the hell was that?"

"I don't know," Rose, Bella and I said simultaneously before turning back to our sandwiches.

"Maybe we should go home and let you be here for Alice or something," Bella said a little while later. We had just finished playing poker, Emmett had ran to get Mexican for dinner and Alice was still holed up in her bedroom, blaring girly love songs and refusing to come out. Rose was currently knocking on her door, trying to give her a bottle of water and a sandwich.

"No. We planned this weekend to hang out and stuff. She's the one that made bad decisions. Let's just hope that she can live with them," I shrugged. "Emmett called Jasper and he's having a hard time, too. Apparently when he confronted Alice about Garrett, she told him she wanted to see other people and that's when he left the house."

"What? Just a week ago she told me that she'd tell you to fuck off if you ever told her to stop being with Jasper," Bella said, her eyes brimming with tears. "What if that happens to us? I mean, my first boyfriend, but I don't want to turn out like them."

I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tight. "That won't be us, Bella. I promise. Things will work out with the two of them, and if not, we'll all have walked away having learned something. Don't let their drama ruin our weekend. Stay please?"

"Alright," she sighed. "It's going to be weird having to leave tomorrow though. I liked spending every waking moment with you yesterday and then our sleeping moments together,too, last night."

"I know. I liked it, too."

Rose came downstairs carrying the tray with her. "She's not opening the door and I can hear her talking to someone on the phone. It sounds like she's maybe leaving Jasper some voice mails or something. I dunno," she rolled her eyes. "Lunch is going to be awkward on Monday, eh?"

"Hmm... there's a reason Edward and I go to the library," Bella laughed.

"Oh no, you don't!' Rose cried. "The two of you are coming to suffer right alongside me tomorrow. Please don't do this. I thought you loved me, Ed."

We finally agreed to eat lunch in the cafeteria with Emmett and Rose on Monday, but it was all in vain. Alice cried all weekend, which resulted in her having a hell of a sinus cold, so she was home sick for the day and Jasper ignored everyone, including our teachers. Bella called Garrett, but he didn't pick up, so she started to feel that maybe he blamed it on her because she was the one that referred Alice to him. All in all our awesome parent-less weekend ended on a pretty sour note.