A/N: Okay… I have a good reason for the week late update…. *crickets* Wanna hear it? LOL. I've started writing something new. So with the new fic project and this one, I'll be updating every two weeks so it gives me plenty of time to dedicate equal time to this one and the new one. Sooo… I'll shut up now and let you go read.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I'm just playing with them a bit.

Chapter 5

Stepping out of the shower, Bella ran to answer her cell phone that kept ringing and ringing. She grabbed onto her desk as her feet slid on the polished wooden floor so she wouldn't go crashing into it. Fumbling with the phone to stop it from chirping again, Bella hit the accept button without looking at who was calling.

"He-hello," she answered breathlessly, finally finding her footing. She walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Well, dear sister, have I interrupted anything important?" the silky voice asked in response, giving a little laugh.

"Rose!" Bella exclaimed excitedly. She hadn't heard from her sister since she got here and was missing her. The only time they had been apart from each other was when Rose went on her honeymoon with Emmett—they hadn't been separated since Rose was born. Bella's little sister was the spitting image of their mother while Bella had taken after their father's side when it came to looks. However, when it came to personality, Rose was a whole other entity.

"Hey. So did I interrupt anything?" Rose asked again in a husky voice. "You know, with your man?" Rose cracked up laughing again.

"No, I'm at the house getting ready for the big date. Thank God Kate has been running interference with Alice. She wanted me all decked out in these high-end clothes, but I just want to be comfortable, and for once, I don't have to be Princess Isabella. I can just be Izzy, plain old Izzy," Bella said while putting lotion on her skin, looking at the outfit she had picked out after her call with Edward.

He said to dress comfortably but casual. They were going to go horseback riding this morning and then he was going to show her around the little college town. The end of the date was going to be a quiet dinner at his residence, since it would give them some privacy.

Because of the crisp morning air, Bella had picked out a pair of jeans and her favorite dark grey cable-knit sweater, and her riding boots for this morning. She had a pair of black flats packed in her bag since she didn't want to wear her boots around all day.

"Bella? Helloooo," Rose said quietly.

"Sorry, I'm here. So why is my little sister calling me? What's so important for you to be calling me this early?" Bella asked, quickly pulling on her clothes.

"Can't your sister just call to wish you luck? You've got to be a nervous wreck—this being your first date ever. I still can't believe our father wouldn't let you experience those things and you went along with it," Rose stated, letting out a huff.

"Rose," Bella replied in irritation. "You know those reasons. I've been in this arranged marriage since before I was born. The King didn't want anything to defile me. He wants me pure for my future husband. You know his thinking is very old fashioned. I swear he should have been born centuries ago," Bella said, laughing.

"I think you're right, but he wasn't that way with me. I mean, I got to date, kiss, and enjoy myself. But you, Bella… Christ, you weren't allowed to do any of that; No trips to the mall with your friends, and absolutely no group dates. Jesus, I'm surprised you're not rebelling now. I know I would be," Rose stated..

"Rose… You really don't have to remind me. I was there, remember? I was the one sitting in my room reading or drawing while listening to you and your friends. But now that I have seen Edward and have hope, I can't say it wasn't for nothing," Bella explained as she applied her makeup.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Rose said with a sigh. "I just want you to make sure this is what you want. I know no one has ever told you this, but after hearing that Prince Edward doesn't want to honor Daddy's agreement, I need to tell you that it's okay to tell him no. You don't have to go along with his plans, you know."

"I know, sis, but it's all I've ever known. It's the only thing that kept me going all those years when I could have been a normal teenager and through my college years, and now I'm so close. So very very close. I gotta see this through even if in the end, he still doesn't want me," Bella explained, getting quiet toward the end. Bella let out a shaky sigh as she thought about how she was going about this to get what she was brought up wanting. Shaking her head, Bella put Rose on speakerphone and started pulling her hair up.

"Bella," Rose scolded. "I know that sigh. What's up? Why wouldn't he want you?"

"Oh, God, Rose," Bella groaned as she buried her face in her hands. "I'm not sure if I can go along with Dad and King Carlisle's plan. I love being able to be myself, to be Izzy, but he doesn't know. Edward doesn't know that I'm Princess Isabella from Voltura, the woman he's been arranged to marry," Bella informed her sister, already cringing in anticipation of Rose's reaction. But as the silence droned on in ear, Bella became a little worried. "Rose?" Bella asked quietly. She knew this deathly silence was not a good sign. Rose's temper was bubbling, and it wouldn't take long for her little sister to explode. Bella stifled a giggle as she thought of how overprotective Rose was even though it should be the other way around since Bella was the older sister.

"Bella, what do you mean he doesn't know?" Rose questioned through clenched teeth.

"Uh… Edward knows me as Izzy Swan, Junior year transfer student. We're in some classes together. Dad and King Carlisle came up with the idea that maybe if he met me without knowing who I am, he would be more willing to marry me after he found out who I was because he'd already know me, the real me," Bella explained carefully. She winced as she heard the plan come out of her mouth.

"You do know how ridiculous that sounds. First of all, he is gonna be pissed, Bella, pissed. P-I-S-S-E-D. He's gonna feel humiliated and duped, especially if it gets to the point where he's in love with you," Rose shot back.. Bella could feel the anger through the phone which caused her already building level of guilt to rise even higher.

"Bella, come clean. Tell him today. Don't start this off on the wrong foot. I don't care how you do it, but tell him who you are. I swear it'll be better in the long run. You can't honestly sit there and tell me that you're perfectly okay with this?" Rose questioned earnestly, hoping that her sister wasn't that devious.

"No. No, Rose. I'm not okay with it, but what if I tell him and he doesn't give me a chance just because of who I am. He won't meet with me as a Princess. Dad has tried, but he refuses, making excuse after excuse. What if being undercover is the only way for me to have a real chance with him?" Bella asked, sighing heavily. "I feel like whichever way I go about this, I'm gonna lose."

"Why don't you let him make that decision? And no offense, but I wouldn't want to meet my betrothed in a room with both Kings present. That's huge pressure right there," Rose stated. "Now that the wise little sister has spoken, I'll let you go. I doubt you want Emmett to hear this and he just walked in. Good luck, big sis, and remember what I told you."

"Thanks, Rose. I'll call you later to let you know how it went," Bella said, hanging up and turning to stare at herself in the mirror, repeating Rose's words over and over in her head.

~*TA*~

Standing outside the address Izzy gave Edward, he glanced around the little cottage. It looked much like the rest of the ones on the block. Ivy and other tangled vines growing up the side of the house and onto the roof, little flowers peeking out here and there. Knocking on the dark blue door with a curtained window, Edward felt nervous, sweaty palms, dry mouth nervous. He'd been on plenty of dates, but this one is different. This one he cared about and wanted to impress her. He still didn't know why, but something about her called to him, made him want to take that chance in a relationship. The door creaked open to reveal a little blond hair thing, her gaze raking over him, making him feel like he was under the microscope. He had the urge to slouch under this woman's gaze; instead, he straightened up and cleared his throat. No one intimidates a Prince.

"I'm here for Izzy Swan. I was told she lives here," Edward announced, not waiting for the woman to acknowledge him.

"She does. And you would be?" Kate asked, keeping the smile off her face that desperately wanted to peek out. Kate knew who he was, but she was hoping to make him squirm just a little especially. Can't let him think it was going to be an easy ride on the first date.

"Edward. Prince Edward of Ardania. She's expecting me," Edward answered, taken aback that she was so informal with him.

"Just moment. Let me see if she's ready," Kate replied, and shut the door on him, leaving him standing outside. Edward looked back at the car and then stared at the door completely dumbfounded. No one had ever treated him so casually, like he was nothing but a commoner.

Kate stifled her giggles as she walked through the house to Bella's room. The moment she opened the bedroom door, Kate bust out laughing. She was in a fit of laughter as she fell onto the bed, tears falling from her eyes.

"Kate?" Bella asked as she tucked a stray hair into place.

"So-sorry… Edward… Oh god… Priceless," Kate stammered out in between fits of laughter. Bella looked over at Kate, handing her a couple of tissues and wondered what in the hell was wrong with her.

"What about Edward?" Bella asked, waiting for to calm down. Her friend took a couple of deep breaths, trying to compose herself before answering the Princess.

"Edward is here. I left him outside on the stoop," Kate managed to say before breaking into another round of laughter.

"You did what?" Bella exclaimed as she hurried out of the room to the front door. Pulling the door open quickly, Bella saw Edward standing there with a dumbfounded look. "Shit. She did. She really did," Bella whispered before shaking her head and looking up to meet Edward's eyes. "I'm sorry, Edward. God, she can be so… well, Kate."

Edward looked down at those apologizing eyes and blinked. He really had no idea what to say to her. He wasn't mad, far from it actually. He just didn't know what to say, so he let out a chuckle which led to a deep laugh. The sound went straight to the pit of Bella's stomach. It turned her to puddle.

"Edward?" Bella asked, a look of concern on her face. Why is he laughing? God, this is so embarrassing.

"Bella, it's all right. I just wasn't expecting that. I have to say that that was the first time I've ever been left outside waiting," Edward said, shaking his head while still laughing.

"God, I'm so embarrassed. She's not normally like that. I'll speak to her about it at once," Bella replied, her cheeks flushing with her embarrassment as she turned to go yell at Kate, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She turned her head to meet Edward's jovial gaze.

"Why don't we start our date and you can yell at her later? Maybe some silence from you will make her worry about what she did," Edward suggested as he removed his hand from her arm but held it out to Bella.

"I doubt Kate will worry, but starting our date sounds like a good idea to me. Let me just grab my purse," Bella said, smiling as she stepped into the living room. Her purse was sitting on the couch next to her school bag. Grabbing it, she quickly rummaged through it to make sure she had all the important things. Lip gloss: check. IDs: check. Cell phone: check. Money: check.

Walking back to the door, she shut it firmly behind her as she stepped next to Edward. He grinned down at her while he led her to the car that was waiting for them. Sam opened the door for her as they approached the car, and she quickly slid in, moving over toward the other door as Edward climbed in after her.

Looking over at her date sitting next to her, Rose's words came back to her, "Tell him today. Don't start this off on the wrong foot. I don't care how you do it, but tell him who you are. I swear it'll be better in the long run." Bella took a deep breath, knowing her sister was right. She slipped her bottom lip between her teeth, biting on it as she debated mentally whether or not she should listen to them.

Noticing the faraway look on Bella's face Edward asked, "Everything alright, Izzy?"

"Edward, there's something I need to tell you."

A/N: Dun, dun, dunnnn… So what did you think? Think she will tell him or keep holding out? Hit that pretty little reply button and let me know your thoughts. Until next time, bunches of love! ~ ATaletobeTold