Hi guys, I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to get this back on the road. GCSEs are done now and I have week and weeks of Summer Holiday before me so I'm back with a vengeance…and so apparently is one Miss Isabella…..

Chapter Four-Strange

She was quiet for the rest of the day after that. Only speaking when someone asked her a direct question. She had told me she needed to be home by five because it was Charlie's 'family evening' so when I dropped her off she had a tortured expression, I knew it was because she was going to be forced to watch 3 hours of football on the T.V. at least before Charlie would let her go to bed. I couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for her but I gave her a chaste kiss-that might have turned into more of a make-out session on the back seat with groping and feeling and squeezing-but my intentions had started out purely innocently...

When I pulled into the drive-way I heard Alice ranting to Esme about how the room had to be set for the Halloween party she was throwing this coming Thursday.

"Alice, don't you think that maybe you're going a little over-board?" Asked Esme.

She was quick to defend herself, "No, Mom I don't. I just wanna throw a nice party for Bella to enjoy."

"Bella doesn't like parties of any kind. You know that, Alice. This party is for you. So that you can be in control and in charge-as per usual."

"Mooom!" Alice whined as she stormed off to her room to sulk.

I walked into to kitchen and gave my mother a kiss on the cheek. She had recently taken up baking, and right now she was trying to perfect the butter cream to go on the cupcakes. She claimed it was because she wanted to help with the catering for Alice's party, but it was Bella's favourite flavour butter cream she was whisking up so I knew better.

"Looks like you're having fun their Mom." I stated, sarcasm dripping from my lips.

"Har-bloody-har. Alice is being a complete pest. 'The piano has to move here, Mom.', 'the lights need to be blue, Mom.', 'Humans don't like small spaces, Mom.'", She mimicked Alice's voice to perfection; "If I didn't know any better I'd think she was trying to kill me." She sighed as the leaned back against the counter.

"'S okay, Esme. Jasper will talk to her-Reign her in slightly. Why are you baking cakes for Bella?" I asked chuckling; I knew this'd get a reaction.

She just punched my arm.

After I'd played my piano for an hour or so and beat Rosalie and Emmett at two games of chess each I decided enough time had passed to go and solve the what-lurks-beneath-Bella's-bed mystery.

It was 10.30 when I arrived at The Swan's. All the lights were off and there was no sign of conscious life anywhere in the building, I snuck up to Bella's open window and her deep, even breathing confirmed my assessment.

I didn't want to wake her so thank God I could see perfectly well without the lights on. I climbed over the rocking chair that sat in the corner next to the window and landed silently on the floor.

As I made it round to the opposite side of the room, crouched down so I could simply reach under the bed and take whatever was under there; I had a moment of moral sanity. What I was about to do was stealing. No, I planned to put it back-she never needed to know I looked. But it was spying. Why is Bella keeping things from me?

You need to look.

No you don't.

Don't be such a pansy, Edward. Just. Look.

Yeah. I'll look

I crouched further-almost lying on the floor-so I could see what I was looking for.

That's not right...

There's nothing here?

What?

Empty. Like there had never been anything there. Ever.

But I had seen her doing something under here.

She must have moved it-whatever it was. I couldn't even pick up a scent to try and find where she had hidden it. I could, however, detect a metallic-y, tangy, alcohol taste in the air...air freshener-out of an aerosol can. She was good. She had known I'd come looking for whatever it was that was hidden and she moved it without leaving me a path to follow.

Sneaky little Bella was hiding something from me and I needed to get to the bottom of it...

"Alice you wouldn't have happened to see Bella doing anything lately would you?" I asked my little sister the minute I got home. It seemed Jasper managed to calm her down.

"Mmmm? Why? What's going on?" She flitted through the immediate future and saw nothing of consequence related to Bella. Except for...oh!

"Seems like you two are moving around the metaphorical bases quite quickly, doesn't it." Her voice jumping up half an octave at the end making it sound like a cheeky question.

I saw Bella naked apart from her sheer black lace panties. Fists grabbing silky golden sheets. A beautiful blush running from the tops of her cheekbones and fading in to her breasts...which I was caressing...with my tongue. Her mouth shaped in a perfect 'O' and the loud moan that escaped that 'O' was by far the most erotic sound I have ever heard in my entire existence.

"God. Alice. Stop." I groaned. I probably looked like a cartoon character with my eyes bulging out of their sockets and my mouth hanging open.

All she did was giggle and say, "Sorry, I can't see anything Bella is up to that she shouldn't be."

"Do you think maybe Jasper might be able to help us?"

"And by us you mean you?"

"Yes. She's my fiancée why would she need to hide something from me? What if she's in trouble, Alice?"

"No. I would see that." She assured me. "I'll ask Jasper for you." And with that she was gone, but she still replayed the mini erotic movie in her head for me before she did.

Thinking about what Bella was hiding from me it brought to mind that I had invited the Denali's for a fortnight yet they only stayed a day. That was strange; they always stayed longer than that. The only reason for such an early departure would be that Tanya knew what Bella was hiding….

Sooo….whaddya think? Speculations anyone? Please shoot me a review. Much lovelovelove Jodie C xxx