A/N - Okay, sorry I know this one is short... but I have been having an argument with my friends for the past two hours and... well this is where I wanted to end this chapter anyways... I'm going to make the next chapter much longer... but this one was EXTREMLY necessary in the long run, it strenghtens the relationship of two key characters and that is all that matters... I think you might just enjoy it... Okay see you at the bottom!
~BdlL~

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Later that night after I had unpacked and Charlie and I went out to eat at a restaurant in town, I lay in bed and thought about the day's events again. Why did it feel as if I had been electrocuted when I shook Edward's hand? Why did it seem that Edward disappeared into thin air? Why did Edward look so angry that he had to be in the same room as me earlier? Why did Carlisle play it off as nothing? Why do I have the suspicion that there is something else going on here? I thought back to the questions I had asked myself earlier when I was in my office. I got out of my bed and paced for a few minutes, but I already had my mind made up, I was going to figure this out. Soon.

I walked out my bedroom door and went downstairs to find Charlie sitting on the couch watching the end of some baseball game on TV.

"Hey Dad, do you mind if I go for a drive for a while?" I asked, hoping that he would realize this was merely courtesy, as I was an adult.

"Sure Bells," he said without looking away from the TV. "Just be back before midnight, okay? You have work in the morning and you should at least try to get some sleep."

"Yeah dad, I'm sure I'll be back before then. I'll see you later." I said grabbing my raincoat and my keys from their hooks and heading out into the light shower.

I locked the front door with the key my dad hid under the eaves next to the door and replaced it before I pulled my hood up and stepped off the porch into the rain. I hurried to my truck and jumped into the cab and without a second glance started my engine and drove off down the street. I turned on the radio and found an oldies station, smiling as the soothing voices of the past met my ears. I looked at the clock, it was only four-thirty and the sun was still giving off some light behind the clouds.

A car flashed by me and sped down the road faster than I thought it was possible for cars to travel, that made a mental picture appear in my mind. Edward there one instant and gone the next. I sped up and coaxed my truck to go about seventy, which was well above the speed limit in it of itself. I saw glimpses of the car's taillights around the twists and turns of the highway. I didn't even realize when I crossed the bridge or turned down a road that said 'private drive' I just followed the car, slowing down substantially once I turned off onto the private drive, as to avoid killing myself by running into a tree. Once I got to the open expanse at the end of the road, I gasped.

A huge, white house lay before me, surrounded by the forest and more intimately by six massive cedar trees. I stopped and turned off my truck in the wide space of pavement that I assumed was a driveway. I didn't even notice the yellow Porsche parked at an angle with someone leaning against it until I had gotten out of my truck and was examining my surroundings. Only did I notice the person and the Porsche when the person shifted and made a yawning sound that sounded incredibly unreal. I looked over at the car and gasped again, I really needed to start paying more attention to who and what was around me. The small figure pushed off from the car and sprinted at me. I couldn't even move, and before I knew it, I was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug and was being welcomed with words I couldn't even make out.

"BELLA!" The person squeaked. "Oh Bella, I knew you would come! I knew you would! I can't wait for you to know. I can't wait!" they continued frantically. "Oh. Not good." They said and then disappeared for a moment and reappeared a moment later, when suddenly the house lights turned on. I could see the person in front of me now, a pale, petite girl, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, with short black hair that was in organized disarray. She took my hand and led me to the front steps, pulling me down to sit as she sat.

"I'm terribly sorry, my name is Alice Cullen. I believe you met my brother, Edward and my father, Carlisle today at the hospital." She said slowly, all the while staring directly into my eyes, which I hoped didn't show my extreme confusion.

"Um… It seems you already know who I am, but yes I did meet Carlisle and Edward today." I said nervously.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I do that sometimes, I forget that other people often don't know what I know." She said pausing for a moment, seeming to think something over and then continued, "I can see the future." This mere statement, which many people would laugh at and brush off as a joke, made sense to me. I knew you would come! I knew you would! I can't wait for you to know! I can't wait! I thought back to what she had said earlier, that coupled with the future-sight, made sense.

"Oh, that's interesting." I said, out of courtesy, I wasn't paying attention anymore, I was thinking back on the day so far, this wasn't even the weirdest thing.

"Oh, I can't tell if you are serious or not…" she paused and then continued a few moments later, "Oh, maybe I shouldn't have told you that. Hey, promise me something." She said, not as a question, it was a command.

"Okay," I said, coming back to present situation, "What do I need to do?" I asked.

"Just promise me that you won't stay up all night worrying about this! I saw what you would do tonight, and I really don't think Ed- um, anybody would be happy tomorrow if you don't sleep tonight… Take sleeping pills if you have to!" She said frantically.

I caught it when she almost said Edward, but that didn't make any sense to me, he seemed to hate me, why would he care if I slept tonight? "Okay, I'll take some cold medicine later…" I said, seriously considering it by this point.

"Oh, thank you! Ed- … Oh why not, Edward will be happy to know that." Alice said, thoroughly confusing me, but by this point I had decided to go with it.

"Um, Alice… Why would Edward be happy that I was sleeping? It seemed as if he hated me today when we were in Carlisle's office…" I trailed off at the end, embarrassed to even ask about him.

"Oh, Bella… Don't worry about Edward, you will find out soon enough…" She paused, this time I examined her pause, she seemed to zone out for a few moments and then she came back. "… Sixteen hours and thirty-seven minutes to be exact…" She said with a smile, now I had no doubt that she could see the future.

"Okay… Well, thank you Alice…" I said, not knowing what there was to say.

"Right, Bella… You had better leave now… My family will be home soon and… I'm sure you don't want to be here for that…" She said with a little smile and a wink.

"Okay, well… I guess I'll see you soon?" I asked, and she nodded. I smiled as I got up, walked over to my truck, and started it up. I waved goodbye and pulled around the loop to drive back down the private drive, which had seemed a lot shorter on the drive to the house than it did now. I made my way home slowly, thinking about what would happen in, I checked the clock, fifteen hours and forty-three minutes. I was home by now, sitting in the cab of my truck, thinking. The porch light came on and I saw Charlie's head poke out the door before he stepped out on to the porch and yelled for me to come inside. I pulled my hood up and hurried out of my truck and into the house behind him.

I went up to the bathroom and showered quickly before I downed a granola bar and a glass of water and cold medicine, went to my room, and laid down on my bed. It took a while for the pills to kick in, but once they did, I was out like a light and dreaming of what was to come tomorrow.

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A/N - Okay, how was that? did you enjoy that chapter even though Edward was nowhere to be seen? ... Well if you didn't... DON'T WORRY... As promised in the chapter Bella and Edward will have a chat... and for those who love the hospital part of the story... Well... I think I might just have to... cut back on that a little bit... I will definetly keep that as part of the story for the future... but... well... you'll see... I've got it ready to post... lets see... I think I want... TEN or more reviews... seeing as I didn't ask for any last time... Don't forget to tell me what you want... or MAYBE ask to be added into the story... as... I don't know... a Patient? You tell me! Be descriptive if you want to be added! Okay... this is getting long! SORRY!!! R&R Please!

~BdlL~