57. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

BPOV

Edward helped me prepare dinner for Charlie. Well, actually, he kept me company while I prepared it. He stepped up behind me, his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on my shoulder to watch me putting things together. When it came time to cut the veggies to be included in the sauce, he insisted on being the one to wield the knife. I giggled at the expression on his face when he saw the knife in my hand. I had to admit his precautions were reasonable, considering my accident history. The funniest part was watching him slice and dice at vampire speed. It made me think of a commercial—Don't have a food processor? Just use your handy dandy neighborhood vampire!

I chuckled to myself. It was a good thing Edward couldn't read my mind, or else he'd be scared away by all the random, bizarre thoughts that pass through my head in the course of a day. Sometimes I even scared myself.

As I started making the layers, he moved his hands to my hips, started humming, and helped my hips move to the rhythm. I moved in place enjoying the contact of my body with his. Well, since I had committed myself to attend Prom, I guess I needed to learn how to dance.

As I placed the lasagna into the oven to bake, I heard a gentle knock on the kitchen door. Edward smoothly went over to open it.

"Who is it?" I asked, closing the oven.

"Surprise!" Alice shouted, bounding into the room and giving me a big hug. "We came to keep you company for a bit."

"Good evening, Bella," Jasper greeted me, strolling calmly and quietly into the room.

"Hey, Alice and Jasper!" I smiled and nodded, amused by the contrast between the two. They were definitely a case for those who believed opposites attract. Come to think of it, so were Rosalie and Emmett. But Carlisle and Esme were a case for those who believe like attracts like. In some ways, Edward and I were opposites now, but we wouldn't be once I was changed. Huh. I wonder if that will make a difference in the way Edward feels about me. Well, according to Meyer, we become even closer after the change, so I'm not going to worry about it. We were opposites in superficial ways: predator vs. prey, vampire vs. human, dead vs. alive. I chuckled internally again. Let's not forget our most significant opposite: man vs. woman. That's what it all boils down to in the end. I love Edward the man, who just happens to be a vampire, and that's why it doesn't matter what he is. All that matters is that he is Edward, and there is no one else for me, nor will there ever be.

"Soooo," Alice began, then looked at me expectantly.

"So what?" I responded, deliberately pretending to be obtuse.

"So is there anything you want to tell me?" Alice demanded.

I pretended to think. "Hmmm, nope, can't think of anything."

Alice sighed in exasperation. "Obviously, I know all about your little talk in the meadow, Bella."

"Uh, huh," I agreed as if I were merely humoring her.

She waited for another minute, but I just stared at her wearing a peaceful smile.

"Uggghh! You are so frustrating!" She raged.

My smile became a little smug. "Me? Frustrating? I can't imagine how you might find me frustrating. How about having a best friend who forces you to go shopping when you hate it, buys you clothes when she knows you hate her spending money on you, drives more than double the speed limit when she knows it scares you, dresses you up in fancy clothes when she knows you are more comfortable in jeans and sweats, carries on silent conversations with her family members, which she knows annoys the heck out of you, answers questions before you ask them, and makes you suffer through repeated makeovers. None of that is frustrating, right?"

Alice scowled at me, knowing I had a legitimate case, but not wanting to change her ways. "Isabella Marie Swan, make a decision on the theme for the after-Prom party right now, or I will give you a makeover before school every morning for the rest of the school year!"

Oh, my. Alice was looking a bit frightening. Maybe I shouldn't push her anymore.

"Only if you can block your thoughts," I conceded. She was all smiles again as she solemnly swore to keep her vision from Edward. Once she indicated she was successfully blocking, I made my final choice. She received the vision, her eyes glazing over. She came out of it with a squeal of pure delight.

"That's perfect! Absolutely brilliant! Oh, we are going to have so much fun!" She rushed over and spun me around in a circle, radiating her glee. Jasper picked up on it, and sent it out to Edward and me, so that we were all dancing around the kitchen like we had just won the lottery and been granted world peace all at the same time. It was into this chaos, that Charlie bravely entered, pushing Billy Black in his wheelchair.

Jasper and Alice were toe steppin' Texas style, with a lot of fancy moves, while I was wrapped around Edward, my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, as he spun effortlessly in circles, making me dizzy. All four of us were laughing loudly, caught up in the moment. Alice was the first to notice Charlie and Billy staring incredulously at the four of us.

"Charlie!" she shrieked, running over and grabbing him up in an embrace. He appeared completely bemused. "Your daughter is a genius!"

"Really?" Charlie asked. "Well, you know, she gets that from my side of the family." He winked and chuckled, hoping he could help diffuse some of the tension.

"Thanks, Dad," I said, wanting to roll my eyes, but realizing I hadn't quite recovered from all the spinning yet. I laid my head on Edward's shoulder and closed my eyes, hoping the dizziness would pass quickly. Edward placed a gentle kiss on my neck, and I heard a hiss from the doorway. Edward tensed, and I lifted my head to locate the source of the noise. Billy was staring at the two of us with wide, fearful, angry eyes. He turned and looked in disbelief to see Charlie with his arm around Alice's small shoulders.

"In or out, Charlie!" Jacob called from the hallway. "You're blocking the doorway!"

"Sorry, Jake!" Charlie quickly rolled Billy over to the table. "Sorry to surprise you, Bella, but Billy was hoping to catch the game with me tonight. I invited them on over, but forgot to let you know. If you haven't made enough for all of us, I'll be happy to call for pizza."

"Something sure smells good!" Jacob exclaimed as he sauntered into the room, wrinkling his nose at the scent of so many vampires in such a small space. I laughed, as his expression was the complete opposite of his words. He grinned at me, having guessed at the source of my amusement. "Well, it smelled better by the front door. In here, it's mixed with an overwhelmingly sickly sweet smell. Maybe it's time for you guys to stop wearing such a noxious perfume." We all grinned.

Charlie looked at us in confusion. "It smells just fine in here to me."

"Me too," I agreed with a smirk.

"So, what's up, dog?" Edward asked Jacob.

"Hey, that's Alpha dog to you, leech," Jacob taunted playfully, drawing himself up to his full height.

Edward set me gently on my feet, steadying me to make sure my dizziness had passed. I flung myself into Jacob's arms, and he gave me a bear hug like Emmett usually does. After he released me, he did the same for Alice. I was watching Billy now, and his eyes looked like they were about to bug out of his sockets. Then Jake bumped fists with Edward and Jasper.

Billy couldn't take it anymore. He began rapidly speaking to Jacob in Quileute. Jacob shrugged and grinned. He answered in Quileute. Billy looked shocked and horrified. At one point, both of them looked at Edward and me. Billy was gesturing and his tone was hostile and angry. Jacob remained calm, even though his father was clearly trying to provoke a fight. Billy began to appear uncertain as Jacob remained calm and rational in his replies. He finally fell back in his seat with an air of confusion, carefully looking at all the people in the room.

"Why don't we just enjoy the evening together, and you can judge for yourself, based on your own observations?" Jacob suggested.

"Is this about those superstitions of yours, Billy?" Charlie growled. "I'll have you know that I've grown rather fond of that family in the past two weeks, particularly Alice and Edward. Edward and Bella are perfect together, almost as if they were made for each other, and Alice is Bella's best friend. Bella has even participated in a sleepover at their house with some other girls, and they all came home safe and sound. If the Cullens wished her any harm, they've had plenty of opportunity. She goes over there every day after school. Blind prejudice doesn't do anybody any good. I would think you would already know that."

Billy nodded, slightly embarrassed.

"Okay, well, there's about fifteen to twenty minutes left on the lasagna," I announced, hoping to smooth over the awkward moment. Charlie left to turn the game on the TV. Billy took advantage of Charlie's absence to call Sam.

"Hello, Sam, this is Billy Black."

"Hello, Billy, what can I do for you?"

"I just found out that Jacob has been hanging out with the Cullens."

"Yes, I know. They are such a nice family, really. They're not at all like others of their kind. Emily spent four days with them this weekend."

"She did?"

"Dr. Cullen performed reconstructive surgery on her face for free. He fixed everything so you can barely even tell something happened."

"He did?"

"Yeah, she and I are both so thankful. Emily doesn't feel so self-conscious anymore, and I feel so much lighter too."

"Oh, well, that's great, Sam."

"Yeah, we've worked out a better treaty arrangement too. The Cullens are our allies. They work to protect the local humans from vampire attacks like we do. We'll be working together against the human drinkers."

"Um, okay, so, we need to talk about the new treaty arrangements with the tribal council tomorrow. When did you work all this out?"

"Yesterday."

"Oh, well, a heads up today would have been nice."

"Sorry, Billy. I was so caught up in Emily today that I didn't even think about telling anyone other than the wolves."

"Okay, well, please don't make any other changes without alerting the council first."

"Sure, sure. I'll hook up with you tomorrow, Billy. Thanks. Bye."

Billy pressed end with a dazed look in his eye. His world had just been turned on its head.

"So, I guess I just need to make my own observations."

"Good for you, Dad!" Jacob encouraged.

I called Charlie back in from the living room as soon as the lasagna was ready.

"Wow, homemade lasagna! This is quite a treat, Bella," Billy remarked politely, but sincerely.

"Yeah, I bet Charlie's really glad she decided to move here," Jacob teased. "Though his uniform might start getting a little tight in another couple of months if she keeps feeding him like this. I do think it may be our solemn duty to share his burden by relieving him of some of the delightfully delicious meals she cooks."

Suddenly, Jacob's cell phone went off, exposing his new ringtone.

Little Red Riding Hood, You sure are looking good. You're everything that a Big Bad Wolf could want. Arroooooo.

Jacob practically ripped his own pants off trying to get his phone out of his pocket. He blushed so red I could see it even with his skin tone. He flipped the phone open and practically growled into it.

"What? …Yeah, I know. Thanks for the heads up though. …Okay, see you tomorrow. Bye."

I couldn't help laughing at the perfect irony of choosing to use that song as his ringtone for Sam. He glared at me. "Way to be supportive, Swan," he growled.

"Sure thing, Jake. Anytime," I replied.

By the end of the evening, Billy was much more comfortable around the Cullens. He at least agreed to keep an open mind and continue his observations another day.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sadly i can only give yall this much right now, BUT! Im gonna try and uplaod again tomorrow! FOR the smal price of..... 50 votes.

50 votes in 24 hours and you get it tomorrow! Otherwise.... I guess ill just be lazy.... :P

Sorry for delay!

<3 Y