Disclaimer:

Stephenie Meyer created Twilight and its characters.

I'm just trying to purge a plot bunny.


Thursday…

8:51 AM.

It never failed. Every morning since I had returned to work, my eyes somehow knew when to hone in on the damn clock when those three numbers appeared on the display.

I hated it.

I tried to channel my attention by organizing the stacks of work into a coherent chaos but I quickly lost focus.

It had been a little over a month since Charlie's death. I had taken bereavement leave, and then when that ended, I had impulsively taken some vacation time. I was hopeful the extra time off would give me the space I needed to figure out how to find my way in a world no longer occupied by my father. But instead I felt more lost than ever.

My phone rang and I looked over at the display.

Jane Volturi

My supervisor and mentor. I picked up the receiver before it could ring a second time.

"Hi, Jane."

"Bella, can you come to my office for a few minutes? We're having a marketing meeting and I need your input."

"Sure. I'll be right there."

I quickly gathered the essentials – a pen, a notepad and my portable calendar - and exited the office. As I strolled through the cubicle maze, I exchanged a few friendly greetings with co-workers, and as I approached the desk of Jane's assistant she looked up from her work just long enough to smile. Jane and I had worked well together over the years and I was one of a select few who had a standing invitation to enter her office without official clearance.

Jane gestured to an empty chair near her desk and I eagerly jumped into the brainstorm session, happy to realize I had something positive to contribute to the day.

Thirty minutes later, the meeting concluded and everyone stood to make their exit.

"Bella? Would you mind if I took a few more minutes of your time?"

"Sure. No problem."

Jane smiled and indicated that I should take a seat at a small table near the window. I occupied myself with the commanding view as she followed the others and closed her office door behind them.

When she took her seat next to me, I instantly understood this would be a personal conversation. Her eyes scanned my face intently as she began to speak.

"How are you doing, Bella?"

I let my carefully enforced professional side down slightly, allowing my posture to relax into a more casual position. I stretched my legs out and crossed my feet at the ankles and leaned back into the chair as I considered how to answer my boss. I couldn't tell her I was fine, but I couldn't say I was miserable either. I opted to shrug my shoulders as I answered her question.

"I'm coping."

She nodded.

"You've lost some weight."

I knew there was no point in denying it, so I didn't attempt to fight Jane on the matter.

"I know. I've seen a doctor though and I've had some tests."

She nodded again, this time tilting her head slightly in a show of concern.

"Do you have plans for the long weekend?"

I shook my head.

"No. I thought I would take advantage of the time and try to catch things up here."

Jane frowned, crossing her arms as she reclined in her chair, just as I had anticipated she would. During regular office hours, Jane was all business and demanded the best from her staff, but off time was off time and she demanded that it was enjoyed.

"I hope you didn't cancel other plans to do that, Bella."

I assured Jane that I hadn't and explained how important it was to me to get things back on track by the time the holiday weekend was over.

With her arms still crossed, Jane tapped her fingers against her arm as she thought over my plea carefully. I sat patiently and awaited her decision.

"Just Saturday, Bella. Take Sunday and Monday off. If you feel like you're still behind on Tuesday, let me know and I'll get you some extra help for the week. Sound good?"

I nodded in agreement immediately. I wasn't interested in creating new struggles for myself.

"Ok. I promise. Just Saturday."

"Great." Jane rose from her seat and I followed her to the door.

She patted me on the shoulder as I stepped through the doorway. "Take care of yourself, Bella."

The interaction with Jane had sparked something in me. I felt a motivation that had been lacking since before Charlie's death and I took full advantage of the energy boost. I worked my way happily through the morning. I felt so good I decided I would pause for a quick break and work my way through lunch. I rationalized I could leave work an hour early so skipping yet another meal would be alright. I would reward myself with a good dinner.

I stood up from my desk, stretched, grabbed my favorite coffee mug and ventured to the break room. I enjoyed a few minutes of social time and then returned to my office.

What I found waiting for me on my desk instantly destroyed my good mood.

A stack of files had been set down right on top of the assignment I was in the middle of. Resting on top of the stack was a post it note. I wandered over and read it without touching the files.

Bella,

I need correspondence sent out to these clients ASAP.

Let me know if you have questions.

Victoria

"Pardon me?" I spoke to an empty office.

Victoria was not my supervisor or my friend, and this wasn't the first time her brash behavior and lazy tendencies had interfered with my work day. In the past, I had put aside personal irritations for the sake of the office but I was no longer in a giving mood. She had made one too many assumptions about my obligations to her and I chose that moment to draw the line in the sand. My irritation flared and I sat down to my computer, quickly drafting an email.

Victoria,

May I remind you once again that I am not your secretary.

You've been here for several months now. If you know what you need to do with these files, then I suggest you do it.

If you sincerely need my help to complete this task, it will have to wait until Tuesday.

I simply don't have the time.

I didn't bother to alter my default company signature which included my usual, friendly closing, and before I could reconsider my words I clicked on the Send button.

And then I shoved the offensive stack of files to the very corner of my desk before returning to my own project.

I was just becoming reabsorbed in my work when I heard the approaching sound of fast, angry clicking heels.

When Victoria barged into my office, she erupted.

"Don't you ever send me an email like that again! Who in the hell do you think you are?"

I was momentarily stunned by her entrance. It was not in my nature to be confrontational and I immediately regretted the result my impulsive email had generated. The woman clearly had delusions of grandeur in the work place for her to react this way.

A flashing image of Victoria being fired and escorted from the building carrying her belongings in a cardboard box while the rest of us enjoyed a celebratory ice cream cake was too difficult to shut out. The seething, furious woman in my office quickly brought me back to reality.

I sat back in my chair. My blood was boiling already, but I was very aware that I needed to maintain my control in the moment as she had clearly lost hers.

"Like I said…it's not my job, Victoria." I waved my hand at the files resting on my desk. "As you can see, I have work of my own to do."

"You know I've been so busy with meetings that I haven't had time to receive the full training on the database software. There are simply things I can't do yet, Bella."

Internally, I was dying to point out that she seemed perfectly capable of opening and reading her e-mail. Drafting a few letters certainly shouldn't be out of the scope of her abilities. Even if she was still unfamiliar with the software our company used, it probably would have taken her less time to read a quick tutorial than it would have to storm across the office to pursue an argument with me.

But ultimately, I was tired of Victoria's excuses and her assumption that I would step in to fix things for her every time needed to end.

"Again…that's not in my job description." I could actually feel my ears heating up.

Victoria surprised me by storming around my desk, placing herself firmly next to my chair. I was uncomfortable with her invasion of my personal space and stood to face her, hoping she would retreat. She didn't.

I recognized the move for what it was. Ever since her first day in the office, Victoria had been overly aggressive, trying to claim her own territory. She had made a terrible first impression on nearly everyone, myself included, but I had been trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. I had hoped with enough space and time, she would calm down and figure out that our work culture didn't operate under the philosophy of a pissing contest.

But given all that I had been through the past few weeks, I felt my patience diminishing rapidly.

"Just what I am supposed to do, Bella? Huh?"

The argument was ridiculous and I was growing angrier by the second. If Victoria would have asked for help, gaining the instruction she needed to complete the task on her own, I would have been receptive. The mere fact that she simply expected me to do everything for her without hesitation, hit the rawest of my nerves. Victoria's sense of entitlement infuriated me.

It felt like nothing more than an excuse for her to pick a fight with me. My mind was racing as I tried to understand her exact motivation. My father had always told me when something didn't make sense there was always more to the story, that it was time to stop and investigate. There was certainly no logic to this moment, but as my anger elevated I knew I was lacking the clarity I needed to see through the whole situation. So I decided to end it by leaving my office. I stepped around her and just as I reached my door, she did the unthinkable.

Victoria grabbed me by the arm and told me that I wasn't going anywhere.

Her grip was strong, her fingers were digging into me and it took every ounce of control I had left to resist the urge to push her away from me. I turned to face her. I needed her to see the anger in my eyes as I spoke.

"Let go now." My voice was low. My tone was deadly serious.

For the first time since she had burst into my office, Victoria seemed to understand things had gone too far. She immediately released me and before she could speak one word, I made myself clear.

"Don't ever touch me again."

I watched Victoria's expression carefully as my words sank in. With that one careless movement on her part, I had a case for harassment, possibly assault. Before I made a final decision on how to handle the incident, I needed to know if she was capable of altering her behavior. Her eyes squinted in response and there was a new consideration behind them. It was as though she had decided to accept some sort of a twisted challenge. In the heat of the moment, I didn't know how to interpret the look. I simply wanted to be away from her.

I walked out of the office, and to my astonishment, she followed me. Victoria was intent on pursuing me in a threatening manner. She wanted to win the argument, regardless of the costs.

"Don't you walk away from me, Bella."

She spoke loudly enough that all activity in the office paused. Everyone turned their attention toward the unusual scene. Normally, I would have been mortified by having such a large audience for such an ugly moment, but I was suddenly thankful for the pool of witnesses.

I paused and turned to face her once more. I didn't respond; I waited to see what she had to announce to the office next.

"You and I are going to Jane's office. Right now. She'll deal with this." I had to bite my lip in order to avoid laughing at Victoria's ridiculous suggestion.

I was battling with the temptation to give in to Victoria. Why not let her march us into Jane's office? I was certain that Jane would see my side and I was willing to bet money that come Tuesday, she would find herself assigned to assist me. Of course, it was the last thing I wanted to happen but it would have been worth it to see the look on Victoria's face when her inane plan backfired on her.

But in the end, I had too much respect for Jane to drag her into such nonsense.

"The hell we are." I scoffed. "This has nothing to do with her."

I waited for Victoria to make her next move. I recognized that even though her frustration was mounting, there was not much fight left in her. I sensed she would be fleeing the scene at any moment and she did not disappoint me.

With one final huff and an enraged glare meant to frighten me, she stormed off in the direction of her own office. Seconds later, everyone jumped as her door slammed shut.

I waited until I imagined she had time to sit down before I yelled down the corridor.

"You forgot your files!"

Dead silence.

We all waited for Victoria's door to open. Off in the distance, a phone began ringing.

Just when I thought she didn't hear me or was choosing to ignore me, she swept into the hallway and marched towards my office. She didn't look at me. She didn't look at anyone and was out of sight just long enough to reclaim her files. Victoria stared straight at her door as she returned to her office. Someone off to my right snickered. This time when her door shut, it barely clicked.

Suddenly, I felt very sorry for her.

Feeling everyone's eyes focused on me, I wordlessly returned to my office and quietly closed my own door before returning to my chair.

I recognized the familiar sensation as I was compelled to open the top drawer of my desk, and although I had been successful fighting the urge on other days, there was no point this time. I pulled it open and reached inside for the card I knew was waiting for me.

It was a simple, although elegant note card. My fingers traced the successive letters that formed Edward Cullen's name scripted in black on the cream colored paper as my eyes reread the message I could recite by memory.

Bella,

I admired your strength at the funeral but I know my insensitivity at the hospital might have caused you undue distress, so I wish to apologize for that first and foremost.

I would also like to thank you for the opportunity of participating in a law officer's memorial. It was a true honor.

And for whatever it's worth, I wanted to let you know that my hand, my shoulder and my heart are here for you if you need someone.

Regards,

Edward

The card had appeared on my office desk the morning after I returned to work. I knew Edward must have passed it along to Alice for safe delivery, but she and I had not yet acknowledged its existence.

And I was somewhat grateful for that. I was still trying to figure out if accepting Edward's offer of friendship was something I wanted to do.

Could I really subject Edward to all my turmoil?

My life was a mess. The personal wound of losing my father so suddenly had now festered into my professional world. I had never fought with anyone at work and even though I felt Victoria had overreacted to my email, I had to acknowledge I had set the argument in motion by acting so impulsively. And there would be no ignoring Victoria and wishing the problem away. I was going to have to find a way to end the dispute between us.

But first I needed to calm down and so that was how I found myself reflecting once more about my father's funeral and my introduction to Edward Cullen.


I spent over an hour talking with the people who had come to the graveside service and the reception that followed at the Elks Lodge. It had been rented for the occasion, as we knew Charlie's house would be too small to host everyone. They had such wonderful remembrances of Charlie, recalling sweet and funny stories. I was feeling the effects of constantly keeping my composure and I needed a little quiet.

I carried my dish into the kitchen area and with some guilt discarded the uneaten portions of my lunch into the garbage disposal. The noise of the appliance caught Alice's eye and she scolded me as soon as I turned my attention to cleaning my dish along with a stack of others that sat inside the sink.

"Bella, stop. It's all taken care of. Go and sit and try to relax."

"There isn't much here. I don't mind. In fact, I'd like something…"

She didn't allow me to finish my thought.

"Scoot. Jasper and I have this all figured out. I don't want you to worry about anything here. Go."

I had known Alice long enough not to argue when she was the one running the show. I retreated from the kitchen and feeling reluctant to return to the reception area to socialize, I opted to find a seat outside on the observation deck.

It was a warm day and the sun was occasionally peeking through the clouds. The temptation of settling into a spot and enjoying warmth was too much to resist. I dusted off a neglected deck chair before sitting down.

As I listened to the chirping of birds and the engine noises of passing cars along the main highway, I reflected on the graveside service. It had gone well and I was certain that my father would have approved. Although I had been teary, I had surprised myself by keeping my grief largely in check, mostly I had concentrated on how Charlie would have been uncomfortable by anyone displaying public tears over him. I could imagine his awkward stance, his avoidance of eye contact, his pained smirk and I smiled at the memory of my father.

It was only when a young man, dressed impeccably in his military uniform, began performing "Taps" on his bugle that it became very difficult for me. I couldn't look at Charlie's flag covered casket. I couldn't look at my mother because I could hear her quiet sobs increasing with intensity. But I needed to look somewhere, to distract myself somehow and when I lifted my head, I made eye contact with Edward Cullen for the first time. For some reason, he was watching me intently.

It should have made me feel self-conscious, but instead I felt an odd sense of peace encircle me even as heavy tears spilled down my cheeks. I bit my lower lip in an effort to control myself. After the events of the past few days, it was an exercise I was beginning to master.

As I drew in deep breaths to begin to the process of calming down, I noticed Edward lift one side of his mouth in a small but friendly smile. I reciprocated the gesture before returning my attention to the service. It was a brief exchange but one that grounded me and made it possible for me to hold myself together.

And it had reminded me that I needed to speak with Edward before he left. I needed to thank him for his assistance – both with Charlie and with me.

I was just standing up to go back inside when coincidentally Edward appeared on the deck.

"Hello."

It was the first time I had heard him speak since that afternoon in the hospital. His voice was soft and thoughtful. The magical tone of just that one word was enough to make my heart stutter. I was momentarily mute from the effect and he continued.

"My name is Edward Cullen. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself before the service began."

I nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm Bella Swan. Your father treated my dad at the hospital…" I trailed off, not knowing exactly how to finish the sentence.

Recognition flashed across Edward's features and I understood that he had heard my breakdown from the other side of the door. He looked apologetic as he spoke.

"My father asked me to send his regards. He's working today, otherwise he would have attended the service with me."

"Be sure and tell him I said thank you for everything he did for Charlie. And for me."

"Sure." He slid his hands into the pockets of his suit pants and shifted his weight slightly from one foot to the other.

"And I want to thank you, too. I was…surprised when Jasper told me you would be helping with the service."

Realizing that Edward knew who I was and how I had broken down at the hospital made me wonder why he had made the trip to Forks at all. I was quite certain I had embarrassed him and made a fool of myself.

He shook his head and began to speak, presumably to say it was not a big deal, but I interrupted him.

"You had to take the day off from your job, travel all this way to help a family you don't even know. I don't know how to thank you." I took a deep breath and steadied my gaze into a pair of eyes that were as green as the trees all around us. "…but thank you."

He swallowed and glanced around at the scenery before looking at me once again. For a moment it made me wonder if he could read my mind and he somehow knew I was just comparing the color of his eyes to the forest.

"You're welcome." He opened his mouth to speak, reconsidered his question and then reconsidered again. "Are you returning to Seattle today?"

I shook my head. "No. I still have some business to wrap up here. I'll go back in a few days."

I wasn't sure, but he appeared to be disappointed by this revelation. I quickly attempted to refocus the conversation back onto him.

"What about you? Will be going back today?"

"It looks that way. I'll follow Alice and Jasper back."

"You didn't drive over with them?"

"No. Initially, Alice wasn't sure how long she would want to stay here so we thought it was better to bring two cars."

It was unusual for me to act impulsively, especially when it came to men I had only just been introduced to, but something about Edward was different. I acted before I could spend two seconds trying to talking myself out of what I was about to do.

"Would you be willing to do me a favor?"

He responded so quickly I wasn't sure I was even finished asking my question when he answered. "Yes."

"Would you mind driving me back to my father's house? It's not too far. It's just that everyone else is so busy making sure I don't have anything to do here that I'm just kind of sitting around. I think I'd like to just go home and try taking a nap. I haven't slept well the past few days."

"I'll bet. Sure. As soon as you're ready."

"Wonderful. Thank you. I just need to gather a few things. I only need a minute."

"Of course. Take your time. I'll just let Jasper know and then we'll go."

"Great."

Once back inside the lodge, Edward migrated to Jasper while I collected the only three items I needed to leave with – Charlie's flag, a photo collage I had given to him years before as a Father's Day gift and my purse. Everything else would be left for Alice to collect, just as she wished. I found my mother and Phil conversing with a group of her old friends and said my quick goodbyes, promising we would see each other for breakfast the next morning. Then I flagged down Alice, who was in the midst of tidying up the food table, and told her Edward was going to see me home. To my surprise, Alice did not seem to find anything unusual about the development.

When these things were done, I found Edward waiting patiently by the main door of the reception hall. As I approached him, he stepped forward to meet me.

"Can I take something for you, Bella?"

I handed him the collage, certain he would not be thrilled with carrying my purse and equally certain I wasn't ready to let anyone else take custody of Charlie's flag, even for a few moments. We walked outside and he led me toward a car definitely out of its element in small town Forks - a silver Volvo.

He opened the passenger side door for me and I settled into the seat, resting my purse and the flag on my lap before fastening my seat belt. Edward carefully set the collage in the backseat before settling in behind the wheel.

I directed Edward through town and the task at hand cut down on our ability to engage in small talk. A few minutes later when he pulled up to a stop sign, Edward reached for something in the center console and held it out toward me. It was a small bag of peanut butter cups.

And I am deathly allergic to peanuts.

I knew what would happen next if I mentioned my allergy to Edward. He would become embarrassed, he would apologize, he would ask if he should just chuck the bag out the window and then he would feel terrible for offering me such poison. And the rest of the car ride would be awkward for the both of us.

I knew we were just a minute or two away from home and I didn't know when or if I would have the opportunity to spend time with Edward again, so I simply declined the offer and hoped it would be the end of the issue.

It wasn't.

I watched with growing unease as he drew two of the chocolate candies out of the bag with his long and practiced fingers. He expertly unwrapped their foil wrappings before popping them both into his mouth and the closed cabin of the Volvo quickly filled with the scent of peanut butter. I was stuck and felt my body begin to react to the trace amounts of the overpowering substance.

My body tensed and I instinctively pulled away from Edward, placing myself as close to the passenger side door as I dared. As the scent lingered and intensified, I felt my throat constrict in response and my mouth began to water in an attempt to flush the microscopic elements of peanut butter from my system. I needed fresh air quickly, so I lowered my window and covered my nose and mouth with a clenched fist in a futile attempt to keep the scent from further invading my senses.

I was trying to be subtle and I was failing miserably, a suspicion that was confirmed when I surreptitiously turned my head only to observe Edward sniffing himself with a baffled look on his handsome face.

Moments later, the car pulled up to Charlie's house and I hopped out into the open air before Edward could turn off the engine.

I stood frozen on my side of the car and watched silently as he emerged from the driver's side. When his confused eyes met mine, I smiled nervously and turned my attention to gathering my things from the Volvo, holding my breath once again as I quickly ducked inside.

I waited for Edward to ask what was wrong, but he didn't. He just recovered the photo collage from the backseat and walked to the back of his car. He didn't take one step onto my father's property.

I decided that I would invite him inside to explain my idiot behavior and hope for the best. When I approached him, he held out the picture frame, and by doing so dashed my plans.

Even though my stomach sank in disappointment, I couldn't really blame him. What he said next truly surprised me.

"I hope you sleep well, Bella." My oddball behavior aside, I understood his sentiment was genuine and I felt a warmness seep through me. I knew if I lingered much longer, I would be blushing under his stare.

"Oh. Thank you." I reached out to take the collage and felt a tinge of sadness when our fingers neglected to brush one another.

I could see he had decided to overlook my actions in the car and his green eyes reflected the concern and compassion I recognized in his father's expression. On any other day, I would have found a way to draw out more time with Edward but I had to admit my physical and emotional exhaustion was catching up with me quickly.

"Drive safe, Edward." In the wake of Charlie's death, I felt compelled to issue sentiments of my own. I felt my eyes water up yet again and drew in another deep breath to control my tears.

"I will." His voice was close to a whisper. "You too."

Throughout the day I had felt myself forming a bond to Edward, and as we stood next to his car in my hometown of Forks, I began to understand the significance it was going to have over me.

Suddenly overwhelmed, I nodded. Not knowing what else to say to him, I took a step back toward the house.

"Bella?" My stomach fluttered once again.

"Yes?"

"You work with Alice, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, maybe after a week or two, when things settle down…would it be okay for me to see how are you doing?"

I felt excitement well up within me upon hearing his question. There was no doubt how I would answer.

"That would be nice."

He nodded with satisfaction and strolled back to the driver's side of his car. As he opened the door, he waved and smiled.

"Bye."

"Bye, Edward." I waved as I turned toward my father's empty house.


The soft knock on my office door pulled me out of my reverie, returning me back to my hellish day.

I assumed the gentle knock would not be Victoria's and announced that it was alright to come in.

When the door opened, it was Alice who entered. The look on her face told me she had come here with a purpose.

I slumped forward, placing my elbow on the desk and resting my forehead into my palm.

"Yes?"

"You're taking the weekend off, Bella." Alice was commanding me and I was not open to it.

"No. I'm not. I'm working on Saturday." My voice was tense but controlled. I would not lose my temper a second time in the same day.

"Jane says you're taking a long weekend…starting tomorrow." The trump card had been played and I ran my hands through my hair in frustration.

"What? Jane knows?"

"Bella, the whole floor knows."

"Great. Just fucking great." My embarrassment was complete.

"Don't worry, Bella. You're not in any trouble. From what I hear and knowing your temper, I'm surprised it wasn't more of a blow up. But the point remains, you're taking a few days off and we need to figure out what we're going to do."

"I don't want to do anything, Alice." I grumbled.

"Sounds like a perfect weekend for the cabin then. Jacob emailed me and said his family would be at their cabin too."

The cabin. I should have known Alice would look for any excuse to spend the weekend up in the mountains at Charlie's cabin. I had taken her and Jasper there several times during the course of our friendship and she was in love with the place.

We all were.

It had been several months since I'd been there, the last time being on New Year's Eve with my father. I struggled with the prospect, knowing that no matter how long I waited my first visit back would be difficult. But it had only been a matter of weeks since he died. Was I ready yet?

"I don't know, Alice. I'm a mess as it is."

"What did the doctor say?" I could already see where her line of questioning was heading and I became irritated that I was about to help Alice close her own deal.

"He says I have an ulcer. That's why it's hard for me to eat. It's stress induced."

"So what was his advice?"

"He says I need to find a way to relax, to cut out the stress."

Alice's eyebrow arched in victory. The cabin had a long standing reputation as the ultimate form of relaxation.

I shook my head. "If we go up there, I'll have to start committing to a bunch of stuff, plan a bunch of meals, keep a lot of company…"

"No, you won't. Bring some books and some movies. Commit to nothing. No one is going to force you into anything. They'll just be happy to see you there. Leave it to me. I'll make sure you're left alone if that's what you want."

I glanced back at the work load on my desk and shook my head again. "I just took a bunch of time off and I have way too much to catch up on as it is."

"Bella, no one is going to be at work tomorrow. No one is coming in again until Tuesday and no one is going to put one ounce of new work on your desk between now and then. If Jane says you're taking the time off, that's the end of it."

With Jane on Alice's side, there was no use putting up a fight.

"Ok. The cabin it is." I tried to make my tone sound positive but it was obvious Alice didn't believe me.

"I think it's a great idea. I promise. We'll get you to relax, you'll start to eat, and you'll feel your strength pick up again. You have to start somewhere, Bella."

I nodded at my best friend. I felt her radiating confidence and truly wanted to believe she was right.

"Why don't you see if Rosalie and Emmett want to come up too? The more, the merrier."

"Really?" Alice clapped in delight.

"Sure. Dad put the finishing touches on the new addition last fall. There are five bedrooms now, so there's more than enough room for all of us."

"Excellent. I'm all over it. You finish up here, go home and start packing. We'll leave first thing in the morning and get there ahead of everyone else. That way you can get settled and I can organize dinner."

She jumped up from her chair suddenly, her party planning mind racing a million miles an hour.

"I just thought of something. I need to call Jasper. We'll talk in the morning."

And with that, Alice was gone, leaving me to wonder what kind of a weekend I had just signed up for.


NOTES:

Thank you to Gothic Temptress and Ishouldntbehere for their incredible beta skills. And thanks also to MOG, who sat by my side as he preread this chapter.

My apologies on taking so long with this update. Unfortunately, we experienced a real life family emergency on May 27th and it kept me away from the story for a few weeks. Thankfully, things are alright now. I want to thank everyone who sent along their thoughts and prayers to help my family. I greatly appreciate it and know it made a real difference.

I also want to say thanks for the warm reception my story has received. I was astonished when it found an audience so quickly. If you are interested in discussing Restless, you can visit the thread set up by GT on Twilighted. You can find the link on my author's page.

I already have a good start on the next chapter so I hope to be able to update again within a couple of weeks. I'm aiming for Friday, July 8th.