Title: Parent Talk
Pairing: Mentions of Jacob/Bella and Edward/Bella
Timeline: Eclipse.
Summary: Somewhere along the lines of Jacob kissing Bella and her graduation party.
Author: Rainypromise (ff.net) Borntobewild13 (Livejournal)
Disclaimer: If I was Stephanie Meyer, Breaking Dawn would never have happened. And I would be so rich, it wouldn’t even be funny.
“What?” Her knees week, Renee sat down carefully.
Charlie’s gruff voice eased out of the phone and reached her ear. “Bella broke her hand. Well, more like sprained it.”
“How?”
“Yeah, that.” She could almost see him tipping back his chair and scratching his head. “She hit something. Intentionally.”
“She hit something? Intentionally?” That didn't sound like Bella. “Hit what?”
“Jacob’s face.”
She could almost hear a hint of humor in his voice and she couldn't understand what was so funny about it because she was shocked. “She hit Jacob?”
“More like punched him.”
“And punching Jacob broke her hand?”
“Sprained it.” He corrected. “ I've always known the kid had a hard head but I didn’t know it was that hard.”
“Charlie Swan, are you laughing?”
She pictured him shrugging and aiming a grin at her. “Well, it is kind of funny.”
“It’s not funny. Our daughter broke her hand assaulting her best friend. What’s so funny about that? Besides, why did she punch Jacob?”
Charlie coughed and muttered something.
“What?”
“He kissed her.”
Renee’s jaw dropped. It took her a moment to find her voice. “Jacob kissed Bella? Since she hit him, I’m assuming without her permission?”
“Yeah.”
“And what did you do about it?”
“I sat him down, threatened him a little. Made him promise not to do it again.” He paused. “Made him clean my guns.”
Renee rolled her eyes. “And?”
“And what?”
“Charlie, he kissed our daughter without her permission.”
“He’s young. He’s a kid. He’s embarrassed enough already. You should’ve seen him when I showed up. And when I asked what was wrong, he fessed up. You gotta admit it took some balls to admit that to a father, especially when said father owns a variety of guns and just happens to be the Chief of Police.” He paused as he spoke to someone. “ And your father’s best friend.”
“If this wasn't Jacob you would have to arrest yourself for murder. At least admit that.”
“The boy got his wires crossed. He knows that now.”
“Is Bella all right?”
“He gave her a graduation present and she’s wearing it and never takes it off so I guess they made up. I told you, they don’t stay mad at each other for long.”
“Huh.” She went to the kitchen and got herself a can of soda. “Does Edward know?”
“I had to break those two up before they start something right in front of the house.”
Renee reached for a bag of cookies. “How mad was he?”
“You remembered when I punched Matt Riley when he tried to grope you at the office Christmas party?”
“How could I? You knocked off three of his teeth. I think he swallowed one of them.”
“Yeah, well.” Renee could almost see him getting all puffed up in his uniform. Men. “Anyway, if I hadn't stopped it, it would probably end up just like that.”
She tried to imagine the pale, slim, quiet Edward throwing a punch. “Do you really think Edward would do that?”
Renee jerked in her seat when Charlie burst out laughing. “What?”
“I was more worried about Jacob throwing the punch rather than Edward. You should see the size of this kid. Here, I’ll send you a picture.”
Renee picked up her laptop and opened her email. She clicked on the email titled: Sunday morning at the Blacks.
The first thing she saw was Bella’s glowing face. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks were flushed, her smile was wide and her head was tossed up as whoever took the picture caught her when she was laughing. She was holding up a plate of spaghetti over her head while several hands, each holding a fork, appeared from every corner of the picture, heading for her plate.
Renee felt her lips twitch into a smile and the smile changed into bemusement when she saw that Bella was leaning against a wide shouldered, grinning man with dark longish hair, dark deep eyes and gorgeous colored skin.
“Is that—is that Jacob? The one she’s leaning against.” She spoke into the phone.
“Yup. Big, huh? You understand why I worried about him taking a punch at the Cullen boy.”
“He looked like he’s in his twenties.”
“All his friends are just as big. I swear, there’s something in the water back at the reservation.”
Renee couldn't take her eyes off her daughter and the boy-man-boy beside her. She looked so comfortable with him, as if she was use to their close proximity. Surprising since Bella wasn't the touchy feely type. They were sitting on a blue plastic tarp on the ground with their legs tangled up together and their feet bare. One of his large hands was on her waist, steadying her, while the other was outstretched over their heads as if he was protecting Bella (or her plate) from the fork-wielding hands. The scene looked fun and homey and …
“You’re right.”
“Of course, I am.” He waited a beat. “About what exactly?”
“She’s different with him, too.” But in a good way.
