Author's Note: Thanks to all who reviewed and favorited this story. I love getting your feedback. My updating schedule for this story is up in the air at the moment. I'd like to say I'll update at least every other day, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that commitment yet, since I'm moving in the next month. Still, I'll do my best to keep this updated regularly. Anyhoo, here's the next chapter. I love the Bella-Edward talk here, and I hope you will, too.

Disclaimer: Rhyme time! I do not own Twilight. I do not make money. Disclaimers can get boring, so I try to make mine funny. =D

I laid back down on my bed, letting my thoughts have me for a while. I now knew that I would be pursuing Bella, no matter what. That led to a whole new batch of problems. First, I had no idea how to contact her. Second, I was fairly certain that she held feelings for Jake already. Third, I had exactly no experience with wooing women.

So I finally surrendered to what I knew to be the only option if I wanted to succeed.

"Carlisle!" I called as I walked out into the hallway and down the stairs.

"What's on your mind, son?"

"I'm going for it," I couldn't help but smile at how happy my own words made me feel. "I talked to Jake, and I think we're cool, but I know this will still be hard. I…"

I hesitated and Carlisle, of course, noticed. "What is it, Edward?"

"I have no idea what I'm doing," I confessed. "I mean, how do I get her to like me?"

"Edward, son," Carlisle started with a sigh, sitting down with me on the white living room sofa, "If this Bella truly is as wonderful as you seem to believe, then you won't have to do anything to get her to like you. You just have to show her who you are, and if she's smart, she'll appreciate that."

"That's it?" I asked, amazed at how simple it sounded. Surely wooing her couldn't be that easy.

"That's it," Carlisle said as he nodded in confirmation.

"Okay," I breathed. "Now I just have to find her."

Carlisle laughed at my predicament, obviously amused that I was a few steps ahead of myself in my planning. I couldn't help but join in with him. My situation was rather ridiculous.

"Ask Esme," Carlisle suggested. "You know how they gossip at those garden parties. I'm sure she knows where the new girl is living."

I didn't even bother to hide my excitement at his words. "Carlisle, you're brilliant!"

I jumped up quickly and ran to find Esme, while shouting back a quick "thank-you so much" at Carlisle.

I found Esme in the kitchen, preparing a roast in the slow-cooker for the night's dinner. She was slicing up potatoes and carrots when as I approached her, picking up a knife to assist her.

"Need some insider info?" I laughed. She knew everything. I decided to play along with her apparent new fascination for spy lingo.

"It seems a certain new subject has made an appearance within our district," I said seriously. "She may be in danger of enemy attack and capture, so I've been put in charge of protecting her."

Esme just smiled knowingly, clearly understanding the meaning behind my words.

"Bella is Bella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter," she reported like the magnificent spy she is. "You do know where Chief Swan lives, don't you?"

I nodded and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, Esme."

Within seconds I had dropped the knife and darted out the front door, just barely thinking to grab my keys off the hanger by the door.

Once I was on the road, I started to work out the details of my plan. I would arrive at Chief Swan's house, politely ask Bella if she would like a tour of the town from a slightly different perspective, then spend the afternoon and evening showering her with all the affection she deserves.

It seemed fool-proof. But it soon became obvious that it was anything but fool-proof.

As I neared my destination, Jacob's Rabbit came into view. "He didn't," I muttered bitterly to myself, but it was quite transparent that he did.

I pulled in anyway, reasoning that if Jake was just hanging out with her as a friend, I could follow suit. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but I'd get to be with Bella and I'd get to prevent some Bella-Jacob alone time. Two birds with one stone.

Approaching Bella's front door, I couldn't help but get a little nervous. Chief Swan's police cruiser was parked in the driveway next to Jake's Rabbit. I wondered briefly what he would think of the feelings I had toward his daughter, what his reaction would be when I took her out for our first official date, but I quickly shook off those thoughts. I was getting ahead of myself again. Bella had yet to fall for me. She didn't even know how I felt about her… yet.

I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. "You can do this," I chanted to myself.

As the door opened, I was greeted with the beautiful sight of Bella herself, now clean and wearing jeans and a simple blue t-shirt that looked amazing on her, looking surprised to see me, but still smiling. That was a good sign.

"Hi, Edward," she started hesitantly, as she blushed. Oh, I would never get over how beautiful that blush made her skin look. "Come on in."

"Thanks," I replied stupidly, still in awe of the magnificence before me. She was more perfect than I remembered.

There was an awkward moment of silence between us as I noticed Jake and Chief Swan shooting daggers at me from the small living room, where they appeared to have been watching some sort of sports broadcast. Pulling myself together, I decided I should probably address them. I didn't want to give a bad first impression on Bella's father.

"Hello, Jacob," I nodded in his direction, then stepped into the living room, approaching the Chief's recliner, where he sat, making no move to stand for my introduction. "Chief Swan," I started, "I'm Edward Cullen. As a new friend of Bella's, I wanted to formally introduce myself." I extended my hand out for him to shake.

"Funny," he said, while grabbing hold of my hand and giving it two firm shakes, "She's never mentioned you as a friend."

Well, that was awkward. I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that one. I guess, in reality, Bella and I had just met that morning, and I was a far cry from a friend by normal standards, barely making the mark for an acquaintance, but I felt as if I'd known her forever. I felt like we had a connection even stronger than friendship, but I couldn't exactly tell that to Chief Swan who was eyeing me warily.

"Well, I'm a new friend," I corrected, hoping my long pause didn't seem too suspicious.

"Okay," he said easily, shifting his eyes back to the television set. I noticed it looked rather old, like a nineties model.

I shifted my attention back to Bella, who, much to my appeasement, seemed to have been staring at me. Once my eyes met hers, I felt a jolt of something I had never experienced go through me. I wondered if this was the chemistry people were always raving about. If it was, then they were right. It was amazing.

After a few moments had passed, Bella's eyes left my gaze and she blushed deeply, shifting uncomfortably. I walked toward her, wanting nothing more than to close the distance between us. I stopped about a foot away, although I would have loved to move in closer and hold her in a tight embrace, but I couldn't come off too strong.

"Since it seems your father and Jacob are rather preoccupied with their television program, would you be interested in visiting with me in the kitchen for a while?"

I winced inwardly at how formal that sounded. I sounded like a turn of the century romance novel, not a seventeen-year-old guy in the twenty-first century. She probably thought I was a total loser.

"Sure," she said shyly, making me question whether or not she actually wanted to talk with me. Maybe she was just trying to be nice. As we walked toward the kitchen table, I noticed the tattered copy of Wuthering Heights that sat on the window sill. Maybe my turn of the century romance novel talk wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Bronte?" I inquired.

"You know Wuthering Heights?" she asked, seeming quite surprised.

"Sure, although I'm not a huge fan," I admitted. Carlisle said to be myself. I wouldn't pretend to love a novel I didn't really enjoy just to impress her. At least, I wouldn't do that until all else had failed. I noticed that she frowned at the discovery that I was not a fan.

"I actually prefer the works of Jane Austen," I continued. "Her writings seemed to teach a lesson, like she was passing on personal bits of wisdom through each tale."

Now she was smiling brightly. Perfect. I felt my heart speed up just at the sight of that angelic smile.

"Well, you're wrong about Bronte, but you're right about Austen, so I guess I'll let it slide this time."

"And what of next time?" I couldn't help but question. She said this time, and that implied that we'd be having a conversation like this one again. That meant we'd be having a conversation again. She wasn't repulsed by me, and just that revelation was enough to make me ecstatic.

"Next time," she started, pausing dramatically, then leaning in toward me. I couldn't help but think of what it would be like to kiss her as her our proximity became closer. "I will sick Jake on you."

Oh. Jake. Well, that caused all of those thoughts I was having about kissing her to disappear. Although I would kiss her if it would make her forget about Jake- if it would make her think of me and only me. I shook my head to make thoughts like those go away. I needed to stay focused.

She was laughing quietly at her threat, and her laugh sent shivers down my spine. She was flawless, a perfection amongst a broken humanity.

"So then, Mr. Literary," she said, and she seemed like she was having fun with our conversation. "What is your favorite book?"

Uh oh. Was this a test? Be yourself. Be yourself. I kept chanting to myself, so I wouldn't just blurt out some romance to try to find the key to her heart.

"Treasure Island," I responded truthfully. "I love the adventure of it. It really lets you live a life that you would never have dreamed up on your own, you know?"

She was thoughtful for a moment, while I died in suspense. Finally, after what seemed like hours, but was probably only seconds, she nodded her head in agreement and smiled at me. If I wasn't aware of it before, I was most certainly aware now that this wonderful woman before me had my heart. She had my everything with just that smile.

"Hey, Bella?" Jake called from the living room. I had nearly forgotten his presence. "You ready to go to that movie?"

That got my attention. That sounded like a date. Too much like a date.

"Sure, Jake," Bella replied easily, and I instantly hated how close they were. "Let me just go grab my jacket from my room, and we can take off, okay?"

"Sure Bells," Jacob called back. I didn't much care for the way he was just talking to her from across the house. He should have paid her the respect to at least make eye contact with her for their conversation.

"Oh, E?" he asked. I was wary of what was coming next. "Do you need a ride home, man, or did you drive yourself?"

I was telling myself not to freak out. He was trying to be subtle, and I had to give him credit for that, but that didn't mean that I was okay with him taking my Bella on a date. Even if she wasn't my Bella yet, she could be someday, and I didn't want Jake tainting her into believing that the way he treats a woman is the right way. She deserved better than Jacob.

Really, she deserved better than me, but at least I was the better option of the two of us. I could at least give her that.

"Actually, Jake," Bella interjected while making her way down the stairs. "I was thinking Edward should come with us."

It's official. I love her.