Heyy! I wanted to thank you guys for your awesome reviews…I loved hearing what you had to say. It's nice to know some people are still reading.

So, I learned that a few people forgot what the story was about so I wrote a quick summary below. And I also learned that there wasn't a smooth transition between the last few chapters so I'll try to go and fix that soon. It was the result of infrequent updating.

Summary: Bella's dad visited her at her place, initially to tell her that her mom had cancer, but he got side tracked when he witnessed her little scene with Edward…and chickened out. The rooming situation that put Edward and Bella in the same room is solved and Bella got a new place as well as a new room mate. That night her dad called her and yelled at her because she'd lied about living with Edward. Due to stress about the family's current situation, he presents an ultimatum and she stubbornly declines. The next day Bella isn't feeling well and after her first class heads over to Edward's place. She calls her mom and finds out the reason for Charlie's visit and his reaction. She tells Edward, he promises to tell their friends later, and they go to the living room and watch the news about a burglary. Edward then takes Bella back to her place, where Tanya later warns her that Lauren had been over there and had done something, but she doesn't say what. We later find out that the result of Bella using her body lotion, shampoo, body wash, or make-up would have been the appearance of an 'oompa-loompa.' The next morning Tanya wakes Bella up to watch the news because a girl she knew was killed on campus. Later, Edward picks Bella up for class and his behavior is a little iffy…especially when he tells her that they're leaving for Phoenix early.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight Series and all its characters.

Meet the 'Rents

That entire day, all everyone seemed to talk about was the murder…which I guess was normal.

There were some rumors that attendance to classes would not be mandatory until the case was solved, but I soon found out they were just that…rumors. We were repeatedly assured that the school was 'safe.'

All of my professors seemed to be on edge as they went about their lessons. Apparently, this was the 1st time something like this had happened at the university and no one knew how to handle it.

There were those of us who acted like nothing had happened…

When I'd gone out for lunch with my friends, they had completely ignored the subject; which was perfectly fine by me. I know it was a little selfish but I already had enough problems on my plate…and a dead girl added onto it would really ruin my appetite.

And there were people like Tanya, who were persistent in talking about and finding out what happened to the girl.

Every time I came back to our room, she was already there watching the news to find out the latest discovery in the case. There weren't many. The autopsy showed a stab wound but without the weapon, there was no hope in tracing the killer.

It was an odd murder and was quickly attracting the attention of the public.

It is needless to say, that I was actually relieved to be leaving for Phoenix early. When Thursday finally rolled around, I was more than ready to go.

"Why are you leaving again?" Tanya asked, watching me intently as I zipped up my duffel bag for the week.

"Family problems," I answered, barely glancing up at her.

"When are you coming back?"

I slipped my hands through the sleeves of my jacket and picked up the bag.

"Next Wednesday." I answered, finally looking at her. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, signifying her lack of sleep the past couple of days.

"Don't miss me too much okay?" I teased, turning around to head for the door –but not before I caught the look of disbelief on her face as she rolled her eyes.

"I'll try not to." She replied, sarcasm dripping off every word.

I slipped my shoes on by the door and stepped into the hallway, making my way to the elevator.

After pausing in the lobby to bid Ed goodbye and strict instructions on what to do with my car once it got here, I stepped out to the patiently waiting Volvo in front of the building –ignoring the impatient honk from the rumbling jeep behind it. I set my bag next to Edward's in the backseat and we were soon on our way.

The drive to the airport was quiet but that was fine by me. It was barely five in the morning and all I really wanted to do was sleep.

-L-

"BELLA!"

A scream I didn't know was in me escaped my lips as I was startled awake.

I placed my right hand over my rapidly beating heart and scowled at the grinning face above me.

Emmett.

Who else?

Thwack.

"You idiot! We're supposed to bring her to him without a scratch...what do you think he'll do to us if we bring her and she's not alive?!"

I watched his face contort in pain as he raised his hand to rub the now sore spot on the back of his head.

"You can't scare somebody to death Rosie." He stated this as if was the most common thing in the world and she had been stupid to even suggest it.

I glanced behind him to find her raising her arm again and giggled.

"Okay! Okay! You win!" He resigned, wearily watching her as she lowered the arm.

"I always do," she smirked, taking a step back. "Now let's go."

Emmett turned to me once more and I watched in confusion as he gently placed his arms around my waist and lifted me out of the car.

"What are you doing?!" I asked, when instead of placing me on the ground, he slowly slung me over his shoulder.

"Just following orders! Edward's in there checking in for you guys with Alice and Jasper and he said to bring you in 'unscathed'."

I glanced down at Rose walking silently behind us, my eyes pleading, but she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"It doesn't mean you have to carry me!" I whined, avoiding the curious look of a little kid and his mom as they crossed in front of us.

I mean, sure it was a little dark out, but really?

"Have you seen yourself walk Bella?! Plus, apparently he knows every 'boo-boo' on your body…how he knows that, I don't want to know…but I'm not taking any chances!'

He boomed the last sentence as we stepped into the building and I felt my face color with embarrassment. There were far more people in here than there were outside and judging from the strange looks on their faces, they had heard Emmett loud and clear.

"Put me down Emmett!" I hissed into his ear, furiously struggling to wriggle out his grip.

He complied, and gingerly set me down on the floor, watching me as though I would fall over at any moment.

As If.

I huffed, not about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall and searched with my eyes for Edward.

I saw him sitting in one of the lounges with a few papers in his hand and deep in conversation with Alice and Jasper.

My excitement at finding him filled my mind and I, forgetting my previous resolve, quickly turned on my heel to his direction to make my way towards him.

I realized all to late my mistake, when the ground quickly rushed up to meet my face. There was a soft thud as my body hit the floor.

"Man already!" Emmett guffawed as he bent down to offer me a hand. I glanced at the laughter in his eyes and took Rose's out stretched hand instead. I could tell she wanted to laugh too but at least she was trying not to.

I ignored the stares of those around me and pulled myself up before quickly straightening my clothes.

"Uh-Oh. Well…see you later Bella! Have a safe trip!" Emmett said, leaning down to pick me up for a hug before quickly pulling Rose after him. I waved uncertainly to her as they left and turned back to my previous destination –immediately understanding Emmett's reaction.

Edward had gotten up from his seat and was already halfway on his way to me. The look on his face was laughable as he glanced at the door Emmet had just pulled Rose out of.

"Are you okay?" He asked upon reaching me, his eyes already checking my body for injuries.

"I'm fine." I answered, waving off his concern. I'd fallen so many times my body was practically immune to 'boo-boos'.

Okay…maybe not.

"First call for flight 261 to Phoenix, Arizona."

The male voice over the intercom blasted out the first warning for our flight and I easily welcomed the distraction as Edward reluctantly pulled his eyes from the rapidly swelling spot on my arm.

I glanced behind him to see Jasper and Alice patiently watching us.

She caught my eye threw me a tentative smile.

"I'll see you soon Alice." I said, pulling her into a hug.

"You better hurry back! We haven't been shopping together in a while," she said, her mood immediately lifting.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the small ball of energy and turned to smile at Jasper; but surprised to find myself pulled into a hug.

"Something's still bothering you Bella. I don't know what it is, but we're your friends and are here to help you…okay?" He'd whispered so softly and quickly, I wasn't sure if I'd heard him properly.

I pulled back, the question no doubt evident in my eyes.

How did he know? Wait, he said he didn't know…but still.

I nodded and stepped back as Edward handed Jasper his keys. He then took my hand in his and I followed him through security and soon, onto our plane.

As he graciously offered me the window seat and we sat next to each other, I couldn't help but remember the last time we'd been on a plane together.

"What's so funny?" he asked, looking down at me with amusement. I hadn't realized I was laughing out loud.

"Do you remember the first time I met you on the plane?" I asked.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before I saw what looked faintly like the color red, tint his cheeks.

"I was so rude to you," he muttered, glancing away somewhat embarrassedly.

"And cocky." I added triumphantly. "Because I fell asleep on your shoulder."

He shook his head slowly and I could see he was laughing. He put his arms around me and laid my head on his chest, before placing a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Well you can fall asleep on me anytime you want."

It must have been my twisted mind, because I don't think he meant that the way it sounded. But I loved teasing him with things like this.

I pulled back slightly and looked at him, eyebrows mile high.

"Really?" I asked, putting as much surprise as I could into my voice.

He seemed confused at my reaction and was almost quick to reply before realization covered his features.

It was priceless.

---

A few hours later, around the late afternoon, we arrived at the familiar airport. We got our bags, hailed a taxi, and after giving directions to the cab driver, were on our way to my house.

I leaned back into my seat and watched the familiar streets fly by. It felt so good to be back in the city, even if it wasn't for a great reason.

About 20 minutes later, the familiar, boring, suburban neighborhood I'd grown up in… where all the houses looked the same…came into view. I glanced at Edward to find him watching the passing houses as though they were the most interesting things in the world. I could only imagine what he was thinking.

The cab finally stopped in front of my house and I realized, much to my dismay, that he had already paid the driver before hand.

"So this is where you grew up?" he asked, staring up at the small brick house ahead of us as the taxi drove away. I had a feeling he had seen my facial expression and was only making conversation to avoid a fight.

I nodded and quickly stopped my gaze from wandering to the house next door.

"Come on," I said, gently tugging him towards the front door.

When we were finally there, I reached up and rang the doorbell. After what seemed like a few minutes, I heard heavy footsteps padding towards the door, the sound of a lock clicking out of place, and the door opened.

My father looked at me, surprise evident in his features before it was soon replaced with contempt as he realized I was not alone.

I was pretty sure that if my mother hadn't come trailing after him in her night gown at that precise moment, he would have slammed the door in our faces.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, her weary face immediately lighting up.

Momentarily forgetting my partner, I dropped my bag on the porch and quickly pushed past Charlie to give her a hug.

"I missed you so much." I mumbled, holding her as tightly as I could.

She returned the pressure and pulled back to look at me.

"Did you grow an inch since I last saw you?" she teased.

But I wasn't laughing.

Had it really been a couple months go that I'd seen her at the hospital? She looked like she'd lost so much weight since then!

"Wasn't there someone else with you?" she asked, looking over my shoulder.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and turned around to find my dad with his arms crossed, and a satisfied look on his face as he surreptitiously glanced at the closed front door.

I threw him a look of disgust and quickly hurried to open it.

"Sorry about that Edward." I apologized, letting him in.

"It's alright," he replied sincerely.

I watched as his eyes surveyed the house before him and tried to look at it from his point of view.

The interior of the house was much more spacious than it look on the outside. As soon as you stepped into the large entryway, there were three directions to go. Left took you into the living room, right into the dining room, which had its own entryway leading to the kitchen, and a few steps forward eventually led you to the stairs which took you to the bedroom upstairs.

Average furniture filled the house, but occasionally your eyes would stumble over the many antiques decorating it. Some had been handed down from family and others my mom had taken upon herself to buy.

My favorite part of the house however, was the music room, which wasn't visible from here.

"And you must be Edward."

I watched as my mother smiled at him, ignored his outstretched hand, and pulled him in for a hug. It reminded me so much of my encounter with his mom.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again Mrs. Swan."

He threw her that crooked grin of his and it seemed to have its desired effect on her.

I glanced at my father and watched his frown deepen as he watched their interaction. I was almost tempted to warn him that his face would remain that way permanently if he kept that expression up.

"You too Mr. Swan," Edward finished, turning to greet my father.

He simply grunted in response and retreated to the living room. At least he'd acknowledged him.

"Show Edward to the guest room Bella and I'll make us dinner…we weren't expecting you this early."

I shook my head furiously and stopped her as she headed towards the kitchen.

"I'll make our food mom…"

"Nonsense!" she said, shrugging me off. "Now go clean up."

She threw me a meaningful look and I sighed, knowing there was no way to win this one.

I took my bag from where Edward had dropped them and led him towards the stairs. As we slowly began our ascent, my face immediately began to color. I had forgotten about the countless portraits that told my life's story as you made your way up the stairs.

"You were a cute baby."

I turned around on the landing to catch Edward gazing at one of my earliest pictures, his lips twitching. I knew exactly which one he was talking about.

"You mean I was a fat baby," I stated.

A burst of laughter escaped his lips and he continued after me.

"Is that what they call it these days?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I wanted so badly to wipe that smirk that was slowly etching its way onto his face.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you…I'm going to see your baby pictures very soon."

He shook his head laughingly and followed me down a hallway.

"Not if I get into my house first."

We reached the end of the hallway and I opened the door to my left.

"This will be your room," I said, leading him in. It was an averaged sized room with a full bed, closet, and because it was the guest room, void of any other objects.

"And your bathroom…" I pointed to a closed door next to those of the closets.

He nodded his head in approval and dropped his bag onto the bed.

"And where would your room be?" he inquired, already headed for the door.

I walked out after him and pointed to the door across from his.

"Right here."

The room was exactly the way I'd left it a few months ago. The high queen bed I'd had so much trouble getting into at night was in it's exact same corner, my ancient computer was still situated next to it, there were quite a few stuffed animals littering the floor, and thankfully, because I hadn't had an obsession with any movie stars or singers like Zac Efron and the Backstreet Boys, my deep blue walls were bare.

"I like it," he murmured from behind me.

I dropped my bag at the foot of my bed and turned around to face him.

"Why?"

He shrugged his shoulders and stepped closer to me, his arms encircling my waist.

"It suits you."

"Right." I smirked. He was just being polite. The reason this room was so bare is because I'd spent much more of my time somewhere else…but he'd get to see that later.

"Really…blue suits you."

I stood up on my tip-toes and placed a soft kiss on his lips, quickly pulling back when he tried to deepen it.

"We'll have time for that later," I said, in reply to the confused look on his face. "Right now, we have to get cleaned up for dinner."

A dinner I was sure would be a disaster.

This story is going to be completely different from This Lullaby, in case you haven't noticed, but I'm still going to keep the musical element. In fact, it will play a very big part.

Also, I was going to include the rest of the day in this chapter but that would have made it too long...hopefully you don't mind.

So please tell me what you thought. :)

jojoStarr

P.S. No, Edward is not the murderer. Lol.