"One time, okay, it was just - I wasn't planning on two of my alts having married two of his and four more dating them, okay?"
"You didn't tell me!"
"No, I didn't, it was just going to be a one-off, and for the love of sunshine and rainbows don't spread it around any farther, okay?"
"I won't, but the Joker totally knows."
"Ugh."
"Well, not for sure, but he suspects, and not just because most of you are doing most of him."
"I think your grammar implies a little too much."
"Whatever, you know what I mean," laughs Lexi. "So what're you going to do?"
"I," says Bella with dignity, "am going to think."
And she teleports to a spot in midair, high up to the point of being a speck in the sky above Forks to any grounded observers, and she murmurs "flight" as she begins to fall, and she stands in place in the air.
And she thinks.
+Brilliance?+ she asks after about half an hour.
+Good, 'cause I wanna do it lots,+ he says, curling up next to her on the blanket and kissing her some more.
But not forever.
+I should go meet Charlie and Lexi for lunch and fess up about having a boyfriend now that it has crossed into the Magical Land Of Being Their Business.+
+Uh - Charlie might want to say a few things to you - traditional you-better-not-hurt-my-daughter-stuff - which points to either yes or no, depending on whether you want to get that out of the way, continue living in the house, etcetera.+
+Um... I'd like to keep living in your house,+ he says. +I'm really not keen on your dad threatening me. If I stay away will he not threaten me, or would I have to just avoid him for the rest of his life, or what?+
+Well, if he can't talk to you he can't threaten you, but that would be kind of tense for me-and-him, if I had a boyfriend who refused to interact with him,+ says Bella. +I don't know about the rest of his life. I think the cultural standard is that he's entitled to one sorta parting shot if we get married and then he has to shut up. I don't know.+
+I really, really don't want your dad to threaten me,+ says Brilliance, shivering and cuddling closer.
+...I could maybe talk to him about it?+ Bella says, stroking Brilliance's back soothingly. +What qualifies as threatening, though, he's going to need clear instructions if he'll listen to me at all.+
+I don't know, exactly - just - even though I know he can't actually hurt me that easily, if I feel like he's saying he will hurt me if I do such-and-such, I'm going to freak out a little. Even if such-and-such is something I don't ever want to actually do.+
+He's not likely to say it outright like that. Especially since he knows it would in fact be hard to hurt you. It'd just be vague, "It'll be best for everyone if thus and so" stuff.+
+...That could be either fine, or really really awful, depending how he said it. Sorry I'm so - finicky,+ he says helplessly.
+Okay, I'll try that.+ Snuggle snuggle. Kiss on the end of his nose, see how he likes being kissed in silly places.
Aww. +I'll let you know when it's safe to be around Charlie,+ Bella says, and she runs her hand through his hair and teleports to join her folks for lunch.
Lexi has made lunch, and she has chosen for lunch to be macaroni and cheese. "Where's Brilliance?"