Disclaimer: Twilight reference belong to Stephenie Meyer

There are times in a girl's life… when she wishes she was taller than five-foot four, and there are times when weighing less than one hundred-twenty pounds can be a definite disadvantage.

Times when a girl thinks about all the other girls she knows, tall, athletic girls, who can go about their days without beings mashed by a bookcase. When she forms these thoughts she suddenly realizes that… she has somehow gotten the short end of the stick.

Yes, there are times like that and right now this happens to be one of those times.

I shoved my shoulder into the soft padding and pushed as hard as I could using all my strength. I pushed with my legs which appeared to be walking-in-place. "Ughh", with a final grunt I applied full force. The traction on my shoes slipped and my feet flew out behind me, dropping me belly flop style to the hardwood floor.

Once the wind returned to my lungs, I sighed, and then blew my sweaty hair out of my eyes. "So you want to play rough do you?" I glared at the mattress with loathing, and squeezed past it through the doorway where it had become stuck. Now I could see the problem, the rug from the hallway was bunched up beneath it acting like a break, preventing me from moving it. I seized the rug in two tight handfuls and pulled, nothing happened. "Grrr," I leaned back putting my weight into it. The rug came free in a rush, I was not prepared, and I landed flat on my butt. This was the pits! I'd spent half of the day flat on my rear-end. I was seething with frustration. "You… stupid piece of…"

"Bell?" I felt my anger turn into surprise at the sound of Edward's voice.

"Edward?" I said getting to my feet, and hopping into the air so I could see over the mattress, which was propped up long ways so it would fit through the doorway.

"What…what are…what are you doing?" He was standing by the window, surveying the wreckage that was my bedroom, his expression confused and mildly alarmed. The floor was coved with clothes, blankets, CDs, boxes, loose papers, books, dresser drawers, and a variety of other nick-knacks. The areas of flooring that were bare were coved, with cobwebs and dust bunnies. A plate-sized, dark stain of unknown origin tarnished the north corner where my bookcase used to stand. Martha Stewart would have gone into a seizure at the sight.

I was embarrassed; he wasn't supposed to see my room like this. "Er.. Um…my room hasn't been really cleaned since; well…I don't really know when. Ooff!" I had been pushing passed the mattress, but it chose that exact moment to fall over, and it pinned me against the doorway.

I heard Edward snort with amusement. I managed to turn my head to the side and saw him wadding through the debris, with the intent of coming to my rescue.

"So, I thought that if I rearranged the furniture then I could clean everything," I explained. "Thanks," Edward lifted the mattress and since it was no longer squishing me and I could finally take a deep breath. "I don't think Charlie's ever cleaned up here, and I didn't realize how much stuff is stashed in here."

Edward walked down the hallway with the mattress propping it against the wall. "You could have called for some help." He sounded a little irritated, that I had not recruited him for my project, but then he snickered. "Wouldn't it be rather humiliating to die, by being helplessly smothered by your own furniture?"

"I'm not helpless." I rolled my eyes, and then glared indignantly.

An amused smile crossed his face and he cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, okay, compared to your standard I may be helpless. But I can do this myself." I gathered a box of hard backed books and staggered towards my closet.

"You're not helpless, just…human." He pulled the box gently out of my grasp; I wanted to beat that grin off his face.

"Thanks for that," muttered my voice thick with sarcasm. I was not thanking him for taking the heavy box, but for reference to my weakness as a human.

Edward immediately looked alert, "We'll later, Charlie." With those words he pulled open my closet door and let out a low hiss, it was full of boxes, and junk. Then he was gone, the swaying of the curtain in the light breeze the only indication that he had ever been here.

I heard Charlie's heavily booted feet clomp up the stairs. His steps stopped, and I heard him chuckle. "Bella, why is your bed in the hallway?"

"I'm cleaning," I called. I knelt on the floor and used a dust rag to wipe out the drawers from my dresser.

Charlie appeared in the doorway, "I see." His eyes scanned the disaster zone. "It looks like ground zero. What brought this on?"

"When was the last time you cleaned this room before I moved in?" I challenged.

"Point taken," he nodded his head.

"Bella," he was suddenly very excited, "I've got something for you." He produced a long slender package, wrapped in brown parcel paper.

"But, Charlie-dad, it's not my birthday or anything." I was surprised, I felt a slight flush fill my face.

"Oh, I know but you'll need this, I can't wait until your birthday. Come on open it."

I felt my skin crawl, as I remembered the tragedy that occurred the last time I had opened a gift. I wondered if Edward was outside my window also obsessing over the event as well. With exaggerated slowness I untied the twine that wrapped the package, and the paper fell away to reveal a long white tube that looked like a pipe with two caps on it. I stared at dumbfounded.

"This comes off," Charlie pulled one of the caps off and handed the pipe back to me.

I felt my face warm with embarrassment, that I hadn't realized this gift was more than just a pipe. I looked inside cautiously, but I could not see anything but darkness. I tentatively reached in with a finger and felt something smooth. I tilted the pipe and a glossy red and blue stick slid out.

A stick? Charlie had given me a stick? "Wow, dad. Um, thanks." I rolled the sleek wood through my fingers still feeling perplexed. "Ah, what is it?"

"It's a fly reel," he made this announcement with an animated extension of his hands. A large smile graced his face and his eyes were positively shining.

"A fly reel?" Where had I heard this term before? What was a fly reel? A hazy image associated with my work at the Newton's outdoor store was coming to mind.

"Yes! And it came with this really great case." Charlie had snatched the white tube from me and was unscrewing the bottom part, "the reel is detachable so it's easier to carry. It won't get tangled up on your way to river." He pulled out a metal case and began unwinding a thick yellow cord.

Then it came to me. It was a fishing reel! I felt my eyes grow large in horror. "Charlie? You bought me a new fishing reel?"

"Well, yeah, you out grew your Snoopy fishing pole a long time a go." He excitedly began putting the contraption together in fever movements.

I was thrown into a flashback of my experiences fishing with Charlie as child. He had bought me a tiny fishing pole, about 3 feet long, it was orange and had a picture of Snoopy on the side of the reel. I had carried it over my head as I followed Billy and Charlie through the brush towards the river. Brief images of tangled lines, snagged fishhooks, smelly bait, and impaled worms filled my mind. "Charlie I haven't been fishing in years!"

"Oh, I know. Back when you were… well less happy, I was trying to find some way to help." His eyes looked cloudy when he said this. "I called the school and asked when your spring break was. Then I called one of my friends from the forest service and got reservations for a cabin up by Aldwell Lake. He promised it would have great fishing this year. I just couldn't stop remembering how happy you were as a little girl, and we were fishing. I thought that maybe we could recapture that."

"But Charlie, I'm happy now. I'm all better; you don't have to take me fishing- if you don't want to." I felt a twinge of panic bubbling up. I had to get out of this. "This is…"

I looked into Charlie's eyes and saw sadness, and disappointed "This is one of the best gifts you've ever given to me." I blurted out.

"Bella," he reached out with one arm and hugged me to his side. "We will have so much fun."

I forced a smile, "but…spring break isn't for another week."

"That's why I gave the reel to you today, fly fishing takes some practice, and it's more dynamic than regular fishing." Charlie could be a college professor in the art of fishing I realized. "I remember you once said you thought fishing was boring, but fly fishing is a lot more exciting. I'll set up some targets in the backyard so you can practice your casting. It's a little late tonight, but tomorrow after work I'll show you how to do it." He cast his glance around the room, "where are you going to sleep tonight? Since your bed is in the hall?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I'd better get started on this mess. Do you think you could make your own dinner tonight?" I had not realized how big this undertaking would be when I began my quest to rearrange the room.

"Oh, of course, I'll just fry some eggs. Do you need any help?" I could tell by the way he bit his bottom lip, that cleaning was the last thing he wanted to do.

"No, I think I can manage," I shrugged.

"What would I do without you to take care of the house?" Charlie sighed as he trucked down the stairs.

I sagged to the floor in a dejected heap, sprawling across a pile of clothes. This was nightmare! I can't go fishing! And I knew Charlie wouldn't be keen on the idea of Edward coming with us. That would mean I would be without Edward for a few days! Oh the horror!

"I didn't realize you were such an avid outdoors woman." Edward's velvet voice cut through my despair. I looked up to see him perched on my windowsill.

"You know better," I mumbled. I sat up and stared at the floor. "This is a disaster!"

"Yes, it is," he mused. "But don't worry we'll get everything in here straitened up in time for you to sleep tonight."

"Not the room! The fishing trip!" I snapped exasperated.

Edward sat on the floor next to me, and pulled me onto his lap. "Then why did you agree to go?"

"He just looked so excited, and I couldn't disappoint him like that."

"You're just too nice for your own good." He mumbled into my ear.

"I mean what if I drown, or something." I asked.

"You won't drown; I'll be there to save you."

"Um, Edward… I don't think Charlie knows your coming, and I don't really know how he will react to that. – I mean I would love for you to come and all- but..."

"Oh, No! He would not like that at all. But what he can't see can't hurt him right?"

"So you'll come?" I was feeling much better about this fishing trip.

"Well, yes, I promised I wouldn't leave you, remember. I'll just have to stay out of Charlie's sight."

I threw my arms around Edwards's neck and knew that whatever happened I would be able to handle it because he would be there.