A/N: I want to thank you all who were so patient me with me! As you can tell, Alphonse is up and running and here is your chapter 4! This chapter leads us into a part of the story I'm sure some of you have been waiting for. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I heart you guys!

Questions

BPOV

Finally Edward's fever had gone down and that seemed to have diffused Alice's suspicions a bit. After I sent Edward upstairs to shower and change, Rosalie came over and sat in his spot. She put her hand on my shoulders and turned me to face her.

"Bella, you've known me for a long long time,"

Oh Lord.

"So you know how I am when it comes to you guys. And you know I don't like it when you guys lie to me."

Oh dear sweet Lord…

"Is there something Edward isn't telling us?" Rose fixed her violet eyes on me and stared me down. Rose couldn't tolerate being lied to. And I know how protective she is of us. What could I possibly say to her? Would she know if I lied? The others were looking at me waiting for me answer. But fate must be on my side today because someone started knocking on my front door.

"I'll get it!" I jumped off the couch and ran to the door.

"Hi, Bella honey!" Esme gave me a big hug and I couldn't be happier to see her. I hugged her back and then she made her way to the others. They all hugged her and then she sat down in between Alice and Rose much to my insistence.

"Alice told me that Edward was sick. I figured he would be here so I came by to see him." She smiled. We all loved Esme. It was impossible to be anything other than happy when she was around. I've never known anyone that can love so unconditionally like she could.

"He's upstairs right now showering. Let me go hurry him up." I dashed upstairs still feeling Rosalie's probing stare on my back.

EPOV

I decided to put my mother's message to the back of mind and not worry about her until I absolutely had to. I stepped into the shower and turned on just the hot water and let it assault me. I winced a bit as the scalding hot water hit my bruised and cut skin. But it felt good. And so few things ever feel good. I stood under the heated deluge for a long time and then I heard someone knocking at the door. I shut the water off and automatically missed the sensation.

"What?"

"I can feel the steam from here!" Bella giggled, "Hurry up in there. Esme is downstairs and wants to see you. And I laid out some clothes for you on my bed." I heard her walk off. So Esme was downstairs, the woman who should have been my mother. I used to call her Mommy Esme… but that stopped being cute as I got older. Though I know she wishes I still called her that. I wrapped a towel around my waist and went towards Bella's room. There were some clothes on her bed as Bella promised. I was just about to drop the towel but…

"Edward, let me have your…" I turned around reflexively and there was Bella in the doorway, stopped in her tracks. Her big brown eyes were opened wide and her face was about 8 shades of pink. I was frozen in my spot. My bruises, the cuts, she would see all of them. But I couldn't speak. I couldn't move.

BPOV

I was heading back downstairs when I realized I should take Edward's fever-ridden clothes and add them to the laundry. I turned around and ran into my room.

"Edward, let me have your…" but I couldn't finish my sentence. For there was Edward standing in the middle of my room wearing nothing but a towel around his waist… very low on his waist mind you. He was also dripping wet.

I stood there and felt my face get hot. He turned around and froze. It's not like I haven't seen Edward wet before. Esme and Carlisle had a big pool and went spent nearly every weekend of summer vacation in it. But, he always wore a wife-beater to cover the bruises and cuts from us. But now he was half naked… in a towel with nothing underneath…in my room.

My eyes looked him up and down against my will and then I came to his eyes. They were filled with fear. Then I looked closer and saw what was scaring him. So much of him was covered in bruises. And there were shallow gashes on his chest. Soon, instead of feeling shock I was feeling sorrow. I shook my head rapidly to gain control myself. I looked down before speaking to him.

"Um… Edward… let me have your dirty clothes so I can put them in the laundry." I nearly whispered. He thawed from his spot.

"They're still in your bathroom," he said just as quietly. I nodded and left my room closing the door behind me. I got his clothes and put them in the laundry room. I slid down to the floor and leaned against the washing machine and pulled my knees to my chest. I needed to sort out the sudden onslaught of thoughts that were going through my head.

So I saw Edward nearly naked. And damn what a nice sight it was! Edward was gorgeous. No he wasn't as chiseled as Emmett or as lean as Jasper… but he was a very happy medium. His muscles had perfect definition to them, and the fact the he was dripping wet in nothing but a towel… I had the strangest impulse to walk up to him and just run my fingers through his wet hair and explore his chest with my hands and then pull him close to me and lean against his hot, wet naked body and…

Bella! What are you thinking? I thought to myself. I couldn't possibly think of Edward like that! Of course I couldn't deny that he was quite nice to look at… but to think of doing anything like that with him was just plain wrong! I could never want Edward that way… though it was getting harder and harder to believe every second I thought it. Have I just been lying to myself? Have I been in denial all this time? Did I want Edward like that? Did I like Edward like that?

EPOV

Bella ran off and closed the door. I slowly sat on her bed and put my head in my hands. Bella saw me. It was one thing that she knew… but now she saw me. She saw the physical aftermath of my mom's hatred toward me on my body.

But I wasn't ashamed. I was just scared. I never once believed that Bella or anyone would care for me less because of it no matter how much my mother said it to me. I didn't believe that I was damaged or anything like that. I was hated by the one person that should have loved me above everything else. That's bound to do something negative to anyone's self-esteem. But I was sure it would about 10 times harder for Bella to keep her promise and not tell anyone.

Though, it didn't look like she noticed at first. She seemed to be in shock… and she was blushing.

And, if I saw correctly, it looked like she was checking me out. Now, like any hot blooded male, being checked out is a great ego-booster. And any ego-booster for me is a welcome one. But it shouldn't have made me happy that she was checking me out and didn't seem to notice the hate marks on me. It shouldn't have made me happy that Bella was looking at me that way.

But it did. But why? Why would it make me happy that Bella looked at me like that? Did I want her to look at me that way? Why I was so thrilled that she could find me attractive? Sexy, possibly? I might… no. No. It couldn't be that. Could it? Have I been lying to myself? Did I have…feelings for Bella?

A/N: So that was shorter than most of my chapters... but I couldn't drag this out. They'd never thought of each other that way until now.... And as promised... the next chapter will be immediately posted after this one. Thank you all again so much. Review please!!!