18. TGIF

BPOV

This had been the craziest week of my life. Only last Friday I had been on a plane to Forks with no idea that the fictional series I was reading was actually real. I hadn't even known my precious Edward for a whole week, yet it felt like a lifetime. In a mere ninety minutes, I would introduce him to my father as we went out for our "first" date. We had decided to go to the Italian restaurant in Port Angeles for sentimental reasons. It had been the location of our first date in the book, and I wanted to create the memory for real. I had every intention of ordering the mushroom ravioli and a coke. This time, however, things would go slightly differently. At least Edward wouldn't be desperately trying to restrain himself from killing the attempted rapists, or worrying about me going into shock. We wouldn't have the anxiety of first knowledge dangling between us either. Nor would we have to be concerned about Jessica and Angela. All in all, this was going to be a much better date than the original.

I went upstairs and gasped with surprise when I entered my room. Alice and Rosalie were sitting on my bed, waiting for me. Alice wasn't that surprising. I should have known I couldn't do anything as important as a first date without her "helping" me with my makeup, clothes, and hair. I was rather startled to find Rosalie with her though. I tried to mask my shock, but knew I was way too late. By the time my human brain could even register my own emotions, they would have already processed the expression on my face. Rosalie looked at me curiously.

"Why are you so much more surprised to see me here than Alice?"

"Umm, because Alice likes me and you don't?" Made perfect sense to me.

She rolled her eyes. "What makes you so sure I don't like you?" My jaw dropped in shock. Hadn't I just read a four book series during the majority of which Rose couldn't stand me?

"What?" she exclaimed indignantly. "I'm starting to get insulted by your attitude."

"Forgive me, please, Rose," I hurriedly explained. "I just had the impression from Stephenie Meyer that it would take more than a year to earn your trust and even longer to earn your friendship. Almost two years in fact."

She huffed, irritated. "Well, you shouldn't believe everything you read."

I gave her my best winning smile. "Believe me, Rose; I'm glad she was wrong. I'd love nothing more than for us to be good friends and eventually loving sisters."

She smiled back, somewhat shyly, which seemed a bit out of place on her perfect face. "Me too."

"Me three!" Alice shrieked excitedly, bouncing on the bed. "Now, enough jabbering. We have work to do. So much to do, so little time."

I groaned and simply turned myself over to her. I knew there would be no use resisting. My days as

Bella Barbie had begun. I decided to go to my "happy place" in my thoughts, trying to picture Edward's meadow. I desperately wanted him to take me there, and he had promised to do so on Sunday. I tried to imagine what Edward would look like sparkling in the sun. I knew that no matter how hard I tried to picture it, the reality was bound to be so much better. My thoughts slipped to the Twilight book. I remembered the description of my Port Angeles trip and considered it in relation to Rosalie's story. I was glad I wouldn't be suffering from those men, but at the same time, I hated that they were free to wander the streets at night looking for other victims.

"Hey, Rosalie, I've got a suggestion for you and Emmett if you get bored sometime within the next few weeks."

She met my eyes curiously in the mirror as she worked on my hair.

"Well, according to the book I read, my first trip to Port Angeles was nearly a disaster. I went with Jessica and Angela, but wandered off on my own. I got disoriented and found myself in the warehouse district. It would have been a few weeks from now. Anyway, there were four men who cornered me on a deserted street. Edward arrived just in time and barely restrained himself from destroying the men for what they had planned to do to me."

I had Rose's full attention, and she had started a very low growling in her chest at my words. I continued to maintain eye contact.

"I really hate the idea of men like that roaming the streets looking for victims. While I'm glad they won't ever get me, I hate the idea that some other girl may suffer at their hands."

She nodded, her growling increasing slightly.

"So I figured if you and Emmett were bored some time, you might feel like taking a walk through the warehouse district, with Emmett conveniently out of sight. If you were accosted, I have no doubt you could make the men think twice of ever approaching a lone young woman again. I'm sure you could teach them some manners, so that no girls ever need fear them again, and Emmett could help hold them still until you're ready for them. That way you won't have to bother chasing after them or worry about giving away your superhuman skills."

She stopped growling, and an evil grin crossed her face.

"I have been rather bored lately. I think I could definitely do with a peaceful nighttime stroll in Port Angeles."

"Originally, my incident was on a Tuesday more than a month from now, shortly before the Girl's Choice dance. So, I don't know how often those scum prowl the streets, skulking in the shadows. I don't want you to be disappointed if they don't show up to provide you with your desired entertainment," I warned.

She smirked. "Don't worry; I wouldn't miss this for the world. Thanks, Bella."

"Just remember, Carlisle won't appreciate it if you actually kill any of them, Rose," Alice reminded her. "Justice is one thing, but murder is another."

"Yeah, if you kill them, it'll stir up all kinds of trouble, with manhunts and investigations. But somehow, I doubt any of them would want to admit they'd been beaten up by a mere girl," I agreed, laughing condescendingly. "What a blow to their manhood. And they couldn't exactly explain why to the police either. What would they say? We wanted to rape this girl, but instead of screaming in fear and cowering while we took turns violating her, she beat the royal crap out of us. We want to press charges. Yeah, right. They'd get tossed behind bars faster than they could blink, and you'd probably get a medal from the mayor." All three of us chuckled darkly at the mental images my words evoked.

Rapists were all about control. They didn't really care about the sex. They enjoyed the idea of forcing their will on another, of taking what didn't belong to them. They delighted in being the cause of other people's pain and fear. They were the worst kind of bully.

Rosalie squared her shoulders determinedly. "Justice it shall be."

I decided to lighten the mood. I smirked at her until she raised her eyebrow, silently demanding to know the source of my amusement. I grinned.

"Just picturing you in a Wonder Woman costume, fighting for truth and justice. You could even pull off the whole 'spin around really fast clothing change' thing with your vampire speed. Maybe you should dye your hair black."

She just looked at me without commenting as Alice and I burst into laughter. As she continued to stare unsmilingly at me, I felt bad, wondering if I had hurt her feelings. I quickly calmed down and started to apologize. As soon as I did, her face cracked into a smirk of her own.

"As a matter of fact, I already have a Wonder Woman costume, complete with lasso and bullet repelling bracelets. It's one of Emmett's favorite outfits."

Now all three of us started laughing.

"Can you just imagine the men's faces if you pulled that stunt? All I can say is if you're going to do that, I'm coming along to videotape it. That's definitely going to be a 'Kodak moment'. It would be wrong not to share it with the whole family," Alice suggested.

"I'd pay to see that," I encouraged.

"It's a date," Rosalie agreed. "Do you think Jasper would want to join in the fun? It would be amusing to thoroughly mess with their emotions too."

Alice quickly checked the future, her eyes glazing over as she went into a vision.

"Yes, yes! This is going to be so much fun!" she squealed.

I shook my head in amusement. Both of them turned to me, gazes inquiring.

"Just typical vampire fun for a Friday night, right? I love you guys. I really feel blessed to be allowed to be part of your family."

Both of their gazes softened, and they each gave me a hug. "We love you too, little sister," they both whispered.

"Now back to business!" Alice demanded sternly. "We only have forty-five more minutes to get you ready. Time's a wasting."

I quickly turned my mind back to my happy place. How it could possibly take them this long to get me ready when they only spent about ten minutes on themselves was beyond me. Couldn't they do this stuff to me at vampire speed too? Did Alice deliberately draw out the torture? Or was I just so much less perfect looking than they are that it takes so much longer to artistically enhance my features than it does theirs? One of these days, I was going to get up the courage to ask, but I was afraid I might not like the answer. So today I would suffer in blissful ignorance, since I didn't want anything to interfere with my enjoyment of tonight.

They finished with fifteen minutes to spare. I heard Charlie come home and get settled.

"Come on down and see my dad," I begged. "He's going to love you, Rose, and he already loves Alice.

You all are my main excuse for spending so much time at your house. He needs to get to know you, so he'll be less suspicious. Besides, he'll probably be so dazzled by the sight of you two, that he'll forget to be gruff and overprotective when he meets Edward."

They both laughed at me and nodded. They cleaned up all of their makeup supplies at vampire speed, so they were ready before I even stepped out into the hallway.

"Hey, Dad!" I called downstairs. "I made dinner for you, but I'm going to go out tonight. Edward asked me out on a date and I accepted. He'll be here in about ten minutes."

He came to the bottom of the stairs and watched me descend. He had a look of surprised awe on his face. "Wow, Bells! You look beautiful! I mean, even more so than usual." His face started to look a bit suspicious. "You didn't tell me you had a date tonight."

"I'm telling you now," I informed him, rolling my eyes. "He asked me at school today, and this is the first chance I've had to speak to you since then."

He still looked concerned and a bit sad, as if just realizing I was all grown up now. "Where is he taking you?"

"We're going to Bella Italia in Port Angeles and then coming home. We'll be gone for a few hours, but I won't be back too late. By the way, Dad, Rose and Alice helped me get ready. They're going to leave now, but I wanted Rose to meet you before they go."

He glanced at the stairway to see them descending regally. "I've already met Rosalie," he admitted. She ducked her head and looked away in a shy maneuver. I would get the story out of her later, I decided.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Rosalie. I hope your family is all well."

She smiled sweetly at him. "Yes, thank you, Chief Swan. I haven't had any other trouble since the one time, sir, either at school or elsewhere."

He nodded, understandingly. "Don't worry, Rosalie. I know you're a sweet girl. Everyone makes mistakes when they are going through a difficult time. I won't hold it against you. I'm glad you and Bella decided to be friends." Now I was really curious.

He turned to Alice, who beamed up at him in delight. He was immediately dazzled. He blushed crimson, which caused Rosalie to smirk. She quickly moved behind him, so he wouldn't be able to read her facial expressions. Alice completely disconcerted him by giving him a brief hug.

"So good to see you again, Chief Swan!" she cried. He blinked at her sheer energy and excitement.

"Alice!" he choked out finally. He gave her a bemused smile. "It's good to see you too, sweetheart. And you can call me, Charlie."

"Thanks, Charlie, but we've got to be going now. Rose and I have to get ready too, since we're all going to Port Angeles tonight."

She and Rose danced out the door to Rose's car.

"Drive safely!" Charlie yelled cheerfully as they buckled their seatbelts.

"Don't worry, Chief Swan, I won't forget," Rosalie responded in a pleasant tone. I could tell she was irritated, but I doubted Charlie could. Alice looked like she was barely holding in her laughter, and I was sure she would let loose as soon as they were out of hearing range.

I waved goodbye and turned to see Charlie looking much more relaxed. I tilted my head inquiringly. He smiled at me.

"I'm glad you're all going to Port Angeles together. There's safety in numbers."

"Well, I certainly won't be alone," I quipped. No, I'd be with Edward. The rest of them would be in the same city, but wouldn't set foot in the restaurant with us. But I wouldn't take away Charlie's peace of mind if it made him feel better to think we'd all be together the whole time.

Just then, I heard a knock at the door. I fairly flew to it, flinging it open with a little too much force. It banged into the wall. It wasn't the first time it had happened though, so I didn't feel too bad about the little handle shaped dent in the drywall. It had already been there, though it might be a little deeper than it was before. My angel, my knight in shining armor, was there, smiling his crooked grin. I just stood there, breathless at the sight of him all dressed up in a tailored suit, until he cleared his throat in amusement.

"May I enter?" he asked formally, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh! Yes. Of course. Sorry," I stuttered incoherently, my face turning bright red. I finally managed to take a step back and to the side to allow him into the house. Once in the hallway, he produced a single red rose and bowed gallantly to me.

"A beautiful rose for a beautiful lady," he purred. I blushed even harder as I reached to take the rose.

"Thank you!" I gasped, touched. My stomach was doing somersaults inside of me. I realized my fingers were trembling slightly. "Let me just find a vase."

I dashed into the kitchen, then stopped as I remembered I had left the two men alone in the foyer. I quickly changed direction and joined them. "Before I get the vase, let me just introduce you two. Edward, this is Charlie, my dad. Dad, this is Edward Cullen, my date for tonight."

Edward smiled charmingly and held out his hand. I noticed he was wearing driving gloves, no doubt to mask the coldness of his fingers. "It's an honor to meet you, Chief Swan. My father speaks highly of you. You have a very special daughter, sir, and I promise to treat her with all the courtesy and respect she deserves."

"See that you do," Charlie growled. I could see that he was impressed in spite of himself. Wow. Edward was really pulling out the old-fashioned charm. That's probably the kind of thing he would have said back in his day before paying court to a young lady. Even I was impressed. I quickly hurried into the kitchen to get the vase, not wanting to leave the two of them alone together any longer than absolutely necessary. I wasn't worried about what Edward might do or say. I was worried about Charlie. I hoped he didn't say or do anything too embarrassing. I quickly pulled Charlie's dinner out of the oven where I had kept it warm and set it on the table for him.

"So what are your plans for the future, Edward?" Charlie asked gruffly.

"Well, I intend to go to college after I graduate high school. I'd like to follow in my father's footsteps. He's my personal hero and inspiration. So I'm considering the medical field. I would love to work alongside of him someday. I know it will involve a great deal of hard work and diligence on my part, but I think I would enjoy the challenge."

I hurried back in time to see Charlie nod thoughtfully in response. I jumped into the conversation before Charlie could continue his interrogation.

"I think we should probably get on the road now if we want to get home at a decent hour," I mentioned, going to stand beside Edward. He smiled and offered me his arm. I took it, smiling at the old-fashioned gesture. The only place I saw people walk like this was in church and at weddings when the ushers escort people down the aisles to their seats. Well, except for people old enough to be my great-grandparents. Like Edward. I stifled a giggle. I didn't think he'd appreciate that comment.

Charlie followed us to the door. "Be careful with my baby, Edward. Bring her home safe and sound," he warned seriously.

"I will, sir. I promise," Edward replied just as seriously, meeting Charlie's eyes. Whatever Charlie saw there in Edward's gaze seemed to pacify him, because he nodded and stepped away.

"See you later, Dad. Dinner's on the table. Don't let it get cold."

He smiled softly at me. "Have fun, Bells. I'll see you later."

I smiled happily and kissed him on the cheek, before heading out to Edward's car. Edward walked me around to the passenger side and opened the door for me. Once I slid in and buckled up, he closed the door and walked over to his side. He gave Charlie a brief wave before getting into the car and starting the engine. As we backed out of the drive, I watched Charlie retreat into the house and close the door behind him.

Edward grinned at me. "Well, that went well, don't you think?"

I grinned back. "Of course! You were absolutely perfect. I wouldn't be surprised to find he's half in love with you himself."

"I wouldn't go that far. Hopefully, you won't need to make a break for Phoenix tonight, like you did the first time I met him in that Twilight book. That was a disaster. If everything goes well tonight, I'll already be way ahead in my relationship with him than I was in Meyer's world. It's kind of hard to trust a boy, when at the end of your daughter's first official date with him, on the night you meet him, your daughter comes home, says horrible things to you, and then drives off into the night for Phoenix, only to end up broken and battered in a hospital bed. Not a good way to start a relationship with your future in-laws."

I shuddered. "Don't remind me. Enough of that previous future. We're here in the present, making a new future for ourselves. I don't want to ruin our official first date worrying about things that are never going to happen."

"You're right. Now keep your eyes off the speedometer and we'll do just fine."

I closed my eyes and whimpered, causing him to laugh. I opened my eyes to focus on his face and spent the entire trip lost in admiring his features. If I had to be blissfully unaware of my surroundings for a period of time, this is how I wanted to spend it.

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