a/n: sorry if you see any errors. i'm working on multiple chapters at once.

Edward's not a fan of Forks. He doesn't like parading around in a place when the benchmark of a century hasn't even passed. His graduating class hadn't even begun the downward slope of requiring an oxygen tank and yet here he was knocking at the front door of Charlie's house, waiting to see his daughter while the guy he took Calculus with delivers a pizza next door. 

The door swings open and it has that same movie-esque quality that he expects from his life now-a-days. His disgruntled ex-wife steps out onto the porch with her arms crossed as if there is a chance in hell that he's here to see her. Charlie's looming about somewhere in the background, he can sense the disappointment only getting more pungent with time. He doesn't like that they still see one another, which is rich considering how Bella was raised. 

Though, maybe it's not the co-parenting that's got his disapproval. Maybe it's the way she answers the door like she's expecting Edward to want to see her. She stares up at him like he's going to get that smitten smile on his face and forget that they'd finally found the balls to let go, like they don't do this almost every day.  He simply peers around her, waiting for their eight-year-old to rocket through the tiny opening her mother has left to greet Edward. She flies through with the gusto of someone who isn't privy to any of his mistakes. He allows himself to cherish that for the five minutes he gets to see her on weekdays. 

"Hey Rey!" He greets her as she throws herself into his arms. 

She's still learning how to speak without going the speed of light, but she gives him the run down of how her day has gone. She's extra excited about her birthday in two weeks. He can feel eyes on him. Maybe they're waiting for this little interaction to be over so they can ask him if he's coming inside or waiting for the chance to once again slam the door in his face, or maybe there is more bad news to share. If Bella's quiet simmering is anything to go by, he'd put his money on the latter.

He puts Rey down and watches as she shoots off to go babble away to Charlie about whatever it is that's popped into her head in the couple of minutes she's been away from him. He then turns to Bella and watches as she fixes her mouth as if she's been waiting all day for this. 

"I heard you went to go see Jake." Are the first words that leave her mouth.

He's not expecting that. Why would he be expecting that? Who could have possibly told her that? He'd just left Jake's house. The dust in his driveway probably hadn't even settled yet.

Also, why would she care?

Jacob and Bella hadn't left off on a bad note exactly. He'd been at the wedding. Hell, he'd only been at the wedding to make her happy. Edward could remember his face clear as day, looking like he was in actual physical pain as he sat through the vows, before sneaking out the back when it was time to cut the cake. There was no telling where he'd run off to after that, but the last time Edward had actually seen him was when word had begun to spread about Bella being pregnant. Jacob would probably never admit it, but he'd visited Bella one night, most likely to see if the rumors were true.

He hadn't thrown a tantrum, made any noise, let his objections be known. He simply just slumped off into the night like a kicked puppy. Maybe Edward had taken some personal satisfaction from that in the moment, but that felt like it was a century ago.

So, why'd she have a problem with him speaking to Jacob?

Though, maybe that was just it. Maybe it was the fact that they hadn't left off on the wrong foot. It'd only been three months since he and Bella had officially called it quits, but he's learned that that's absolutely nothing. He practically taught Bella that it was absolutely nothing. Maybe she was hoping Jacob would be standing waiting for her after ten years, ever loyal. 

For the first time in three months, he felt a flash of renewed anger. Was it anger? It felt like a distant relative. Something he hasn't felt since he was wandering around playing teenager for hopefully the last time. He's not even sure who it's for, if he's honest. 

"Yeah, work thing." He mumbles, and he can see her ears perk up at the new information. 

So, she was genuinely interested in stumbling back to the man. It was pathetic. Though, to be honest, so was what he was doing. At least whatever they had existed in the first place, he was trying to build a friendship with a man who, for the most part, seemed to only tolerate him (when he even remembered that Edward was there).

Would he agree to whatever it was that she wanted from him?

Last time he checked, she had the man wrapped around her little finger. Though, ten years was a long time. 

"Work? He works at the museum?" She asks and Edward can practically hear Charlie whip around at the change of subject. 

He's trying to let his daughter have her space, but apparently that was a work in progress as Charlie pretends not to eavesdrop while fixing Rey macaroni. 

"Yeah, security." Edward's keeping it short, but he's just as curious as she is. 

Why is she not even hiding it?

"Why would you be speaking with security? You've only been there for a week?" She's digging. 

He knows she's digging, but something in him wants to divulge more, tell her enough to leave her wondering what he's up to. Not because he wanted her worried about him, that never ended well, but because he wanted her to feel whatever he was feeling. Whatever this was that was bubbling up just underneath his skin. 

"Break-in having to do with one of the exhibits." He explains and, just like clockwork, there was that memory again. 

Though, this time he could see the sweat beading on Jacob's forehead as he scrambled past. He hadn't thought to ask more about whatever was plaguing the man when he'd visited him. He hadn't wanted to be invasive, but he couldn't help but wonder...

"Yeah, he was sick, so I had to go by his house." 

Why was he telling her all of this? He should be heading to his car, climbing inside, and going home to his too empty house. Instead, he's standing here watching her ruminate over what her rebound must be up to. 

"Anyway, I need to head out. I have to find whatever the hell they stole before Weber starts pulling her hair out." That wasn't supposed to get a reaction out of her. 

In fact, it was supposed to be his segway to getting the hell out of here, but her eyes light up anyway. Her and Weber used to be friends. Maybe she sees her as a way to get to Jacob. 

He doesn't comment on it, he just calls his goodbyes over Bella's shoulder, and puts on his best "everything's-gonna-be-fine" Dad smile as Rey waves at him with macaroni stuck in her hair. 

He climbs into his car, whips out of the driveway, and almost like clockwork, gets scared shitless by his phone ringing through the speakers of his car. He presses the green phone symbol and watches as Emmett's face pops up in front of him.

"So, you actually gonna tell me how it went this time or do you have more excuses?" His brother huffs, despite the clear amusement on his face.

Edward works it over in his head. Lying was just so much easier than hearing Emmett feed into the gossip that his brain was already mulling over. He didn't want to talk about it, but that didn't stop him from opening his mouth and spewing out the thought that just wouldn't leave him alone. 

"Bella asked about him." He mutters and watches all of the playfulness drain from his brother's face. 

It shouldn't be that big of a deal. They're both single and there clearly used to be something there, but that doesn't stop Edward's heart from hammering in his chest. 

Thing is, he'd thought it over. He'd contemplated whether he'd be able to handle Bella moving on, seeing her with someone else, and he'd determined that he was fine with that. Never occurred to him that the next person would be Jacob. Jacob that he'd just decided he'd like to resolve things with.

"Okay, what are you going to do about it?"

"What?" Edward asks, completely thrown off by the question.

He was maybe expecting a little light teasing and maybe a "Well, that sucks, buddy." 'Cause that's what you do when your brother finds himself in the dumbest fucking situations on a daily basis. 

"Well, you can't just stand around while she makes moves on your man, Eddy!"

Edward almost rams into the back of a truck at the statement. That's not the pitying 'It'll all work out's he was going for. Jacob's not his. Bella's not his. No one is his. 

"He's not 'my' man, Emmett." He huffs, but he knows the flush rising up his neck is already giving Emmett the wrong idea. 

"Well, I know you're not getting all worked up over Bella." His brother huffs and gives him a look that he knows all too well. 

His brothers had been around when he'd first started liking Bella, they saw how he'd lit up. He was dangerous, always on edge, always ready to rip someone's head off for what was his. He hadn't felt like that in a while. 

"You're jealous." He hears his brother point out with a teasing lilt and, for a brief moment, he thinks he's talking to someone on his end. 

That is until he glances down to see Emmett watching him. 

"So, what are you gonna do about it?"