A/N: I'll just stop giving excuses for not updating more frequently… you know what I do…
Anyway thank you for sticking with me guys! I love each and everyone of you in a friendly, non-stalkerish way…

Disclaimer: Do I really need to write this again?

Edward POV

I parked outside my house and left the car, walking around it to open Bella's and Alice's doors. I opened them both and they stepped out, Bella thanking me and Alice nodding at me. As we walked towards my house I couldn't help remember how today had went. It was obvious Bella felt a little more comfortable in our table for she talked a bit more, but she still kept a lot to herself. Another thing that's pretty obvious is how Mike and Eric swoon over Bella, not that I can blame them- I had once swooned over her… that was before finding out she's dating my best friend. Still Bella is quite a catch so it's to be expected, that's why Mark asked me to take care of her…

We reached the door and I took my key out, turning it in the lock and holding the door open for my sister and friend. They both stepped in and I noticed Bella stayed by Alice's side.

"Mom!" Alice's voice echoed through the house and in a second Esme answered.

"In the kitchen darling!" Alice took off instantly towards the kitchen, leaving Bella and me behind.

"Come on Bella." I said motioning for her to follow me to the kitchen. Bella obliged and walked beside me and into the room. Alice was standing at Esme's side smiling at her while she stirred the soup.

"Hi Esme." I said happily and she shifted her gaze from Alice and into me, smiling before looking at Bella and smiling wider. "This is Bella. Bella, my mother." I introduced them Bella took a step closer and Esme dropped the spoon she had been using to stir and engulfed Bella in a hug. Bella seemed surprised by the hug but returned it anyway.

"I'm very glad to meet you Bella. My kids here wont stop talking about you, 'Bella this' and 'Bella that'. It's nice to put a face to the name." My mother said all in one breath. Bella smiled and nodded.

"It's nice to meet you too Ma'am." She said, taking a step away from Esme and near me.

"Oh no! Please don't 'Ma'am' me, it sounds like I'm a creepy old lady. Call me Esme instead." Bella nodded once again before talking with a smile on her face.

"Ok, Esme then."

After that Esme informed us dinner would be ready in an hour, so we had a lot of free time in our hands.

"Hey Bella, want a tour of the house?" Alice asked. "I know you already know the living room and pretty much all the ground floor, but hey, what else is there to do?" My sister asked rhetorically and Bella nodded.

"A tour would be nice." She agreed and my sister clapped her hands in enthusiasm.

"Edward give Bella a tour." Alice pretty much ordered and I raised one eyebrow at her tone. She seemed to catch what I meant for she added. "I'm gonna help Esme." I nodded and Bella and I started walking around and up the stairs.

"My dad's office… Alice's room… The media room… The gym… My parents' room…" I said as we walked past doors and I opened them, showing Bella the inside shortly. After that we took the stairs again for my room. "These are the guest's rooms." I said, merely opening the door. Bella nodded and we both turned around to my room. "Well this is my room." I said, opening the door a little for Bella to peek inside. She did and then she smiled and pushed the door slightly to open it further. She looked around the room, after a few seconds she stepped outside the room and allowed me to close the door.

I smiled at her and we both headed to the stairs. Once we were downstairs I guided her to our backyard. "We'll this is pretty much the last part of the tour… unless you want to see our garage, but I highly doubt that." Bella smiled and chuckled lightly while she walked past me and stopped beside's the glass door that connected the backyard.

"It's okay… your house is like a mansion…"She mused and I chuckled at her while I walked near her to open the door.

"Come on, it's not that big." I objected and I heard Bella huff, something that only made me laugh harder as I slid the door open.

"Not that big… it's like a freaking neighborhood, all melted together in one building…" She said, moving her hands for emphasis. I laughed harder at this and shook my head.

"You're being absurd." I noted and she huffed once again as she stepped into the backyard.

"Whatever…fool yourself." She said in a resigned tone once she was outside. I took a step outside and whistled lightly. Bella turned to look at me and raised an eyebrow.

"What was that for?" She asked, obviously referring to my whistling. I simply shook my head and laughed at her. Suddenly Topaz came running up to me, he reached me and jumped so his paws were resting on my chest.

"Hi buddy." I said as I scratched his ear and Topaz leaned his head slightly towards my hand, urging me to keep scratching. I retrieved my hand from his head and his paws from my chest and he sat in front of me, looking at Bella. I ventured my gaze towards her. Bella's face showed a good amount of surprise as her lips' corners pulled up into a small smile. She had eyes for nothing but my dog. "How did you do." I asked Topaz as I scratched the top of his head. Bella took a step closer to Topaz and me.

My dog turned his head around to look at her and she smiled nervously. "Does it bite?" She asked me and I shook my head instantly.

"Never… he's a goof." I said as I continued to scratch Topaz' ears, he was still looking at Bella while he panted happily, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. Bella nodded in acknowledgement but didn't make a move to get closer to us.

Then Topaz looked back at me and at Bella, never stopping his panting and his tail wagging. After a few times of switching between looking at Bella and at me he stared at me, silently asking for permission. "You're free to go buddy." I said as I removed my hands from his ears and nudged him towards Bella who was standing awkwardly a few feet away.

Topaz turned around and walked the few steps towards Bella, she looked a bit nervous while she outstretched her hand for Topaz to smell. He totally ignored her hand and simply pounced on her, tackling her to the ground and licking everywhere he could reach. I panicked minutely when I heard Bella squeal but then I heard her laughing, the hardest I had ever heard her laugh. The sound somehow made me happy. I ran to them and got Topaz off of her.

"Topaz, leave her alone…I'm sorry, he's usually not like this… he most really like you." I said as I offered Bella my hand to help her get up. She accepted my hand but instead of lifting herself up she pulled me down with her, causing me to fall on the floor beside her.

"That's for not telling me your dog is as strong as a bear." She explained and I laughed while I moved so I was now sitting by her side. Topaz was sitting right in front of us, looking at Bella, his tail wagging. "And you…Topaz right?" She looked at me for confirmation and I nodded, smiling to myself while I watched her enjoy herself. "You Topaz, seem like a very big, strong and happy dog." She said as she extended her hand in front of herself to scratch the dog's head. Topaz took a step closer and rested his head in my lap while Bella continued to scratch his fur.

We just sat there in silence as Topaz rested on top of me and Bella scratched his fur. After a while Alice appeared at the door.

"Dinner is ready you two." She said announced happily. Bella smiled and stood up in less than a second, leaving Topaz and me behind. My dog didn't seem to like it very much because he groaned quietly. I laughed as I pushed him off of me and stood up myself.

"We'll be right back…" I said to Topaz and he simply stood up and walked towards Bella. She kneeled in front of him and scratched his head.

"I'll see you later, ok?" She said and Topaz whined once again. "You're so cute." She said sweetly before she stood up completely and walked with me to the entrance. Topaz just stared at us with his sad expression.

"Your dog is the cutest little thing." Bella noted and I laughed at her comment. "I think he's even cuter than you…" She trailed off and my breath caught in my throat. Bella thinks I'm cute? No Edward, she thinks your dog is cute. But she just said… She's Mark's girlfriend anyway… That last thought made me feel sick to my stomach and I simply don't know why. I tried hard to keep my breathing steady so Bella wouldn't notice my current situation. I looked at Bella from the corner of my eye, she was looking back at me with an emotion I can't place in her face.

"What is taking you so long?!" Alice asked from behind us, breaking the silence. Bella jumped at the sudden sound and I took advantage of the opportunity to look away and turn towards Alice.

"Topaz…" I tried to explain and Alice nodded, looking at Bella. She took Bella's hand and guided her to the bathroom so she could wash her hands. I just stood there, looking back at Topaz through the glass door as I cleared my mind from these thoughts. I quickly headed to the bathroom and washed my hands. When I arrived at the table everyone was already sitting down and chatting animatedly.

After we were done with dinner we just sat in the table, talking about school and other stuff.

"Have you liked school so far?" Alice asked Bella and she nodded immediately.

"Sure, everyone's very nice…" Bella added.

"Aren't they?" Alice said happily and Bella laughed. "Poor Topaz is all alone outside, lets go with him." Alice added and Bella and I agreed since we had nothing else to do. The three of us walked outside with Topaz. He immediately ran to us and tackled Alice. "You, big goof, get off of me!" She squealed as I laughed and Bella smiled sympathetically. Topaz left her alone after a while and Alice stood up and looked at me. "Why does that always happens to me?" She asked rhetorically and I shrugged and helped her get up. Just then Topaz returned with a ball in his mouth and looked at us happily. "I think big bear wants to play ball…" Alice noted and I shook my head… wasn't it pretty obvious.

I kneeled in front of him and asked for the ball, which he gave to me. I threw the ball away with one swift movement and then Topaz was running after the ball at full speed. A few second later he was back, tail wagging frantically and ball in mouth. Bella came up to me and asked me if she could throw it this time, I told her it was okay.

"Give me the ball sweety…?!" She ordered Topaz, but it sounded more like a question. Topaz just stared at her and teased her, coming closer to her but not giving her the ball. "Please?" She asked the dog again while Topaz walked over to her and dropped the ball on the ground in front of Bella, but just before she got a hold of the ball he took it back and ran away. I couldn't control my laughter this time.

"Give her the ball Topaz…" I warned him. He just stared at me and walked towards Bella and gave her the ball. "Good boy." I approved. Bella smiled once she had the ball in her hand and then she looked at me, uncertainty in her eyes.

"I don't think I can throw it as far as you do…"

"It's okay, just try your best… he probably won't go after it anyway…" I said, trying to sooth her.

"Why wouldn't he?" She asked me.

"He doesn't like strangers throwing his ball…" I explained and Bella smiled and nodded. I watched as she prepared herself and then threw the ball with what appeared to be a lot of force and too little technique. She moved her arm too forcefully so she lost her balance and fell. Topaz took that as his call and immediately started licking all over her arms and face while Bella giggled. I helped her up, asking her if she was ok. Once she was on her feet again I went for the ball- since she hadn't thrown it far way- noticing in my way back that Alice had left us alone. I arrived and gave the ball to Bella, who took it with uncertainty.

"I don't think this is my thing…" She said, handing me the ball back.

"Come on, just try it one more time."

Bella looked uncertain and this time she threw the ball with a little less force, managing not to fall this time. Surprisingly enough Topaz ran the little distance she managed to throw the ball and caught it. I watched with amusement as Topaz ran back to us and handed the ball to Bella happily. She smiled and took the ball from him, scratching his ear in the process. She threw the ball and Topaz ran once again.

"I think he likes you…" I said and I heard Bella laugh lightly.

"You like me cutie?" She asked my dog once he brought the ball back.

*******

"Brought chips!" Marie announced as she walked into Jakes house and propped herself on top of the sofa, besides Seth. It was already Friday and we were at Jake's for our movie-night.

"Popcorn." Jake said as he walked into the living room and handed Seth a big bowl of popcorn and Alice another before settling himself in the loveseat, Vanessa-who was holding a third bowl of popcorn- walked immediately up to him and sat by his side, leaning against his chest.

"Jake, where can I get a bowl for the chips?" Bella asked him and Jake told her where she could. I watched as Bella walked towards the kitchen, the bag of chips in her hands and I couldn't help thinking about all the progress she had made in merely a week. She opened more to us-the group- everyday; she talked more at lunch and sometimes even started a conversation. I could tell she felt at ease with the guys, or at least she didn't feel uncomfortable anymore. All of my friends liked her a lot and she appeared to like them back.

Bella came back into the living room a minute later with a new bowl of chips in her hands. She sat down on the floor by my side and handed me the bowl before opening her coke and taking a sip. Mark had told her he would come to Forks tomorrow, so she decided to come to the movie night alone.

"What are we watching, Alice?" Marie asked.

"We are watching…" My sister trailed off, handing Jasper the bowl of popcorn she had been holding and taking her purse from the table. She opened it and everyone turned to look at her in anticipation. Alice slowly brought one hand into her purse and quickly retrieved the DVD box "Scooby Doo!" She squealed excitedly and I rolled my eyes. It was fine with me, but I don't think the guys will appreciate it.

"Okay" Seth said before he ate a handful of popcorn.

"Cool." Vanessa said happily and I knew Jake would be fine with the movie instantly. He would watch 'The notebook' a hundred times if Vanessa wanted.

"I've never watched that movie." Bella announced with a smile on her face.

"I know." Alice said simply and everyone turned to stare at her. Bella was looking at Alice with a surprised expression. How could she know Bella had never seen that movie? Alice looked at all of us nervously and then added. "Isn't it cool..?" Alice said. Everyone got what she had meant and Bella relaxed. I don't trust her though…

"Okay, then lets watch this thing." Jasper said. Alice smiled as she pushed a few buttons on the DVD and the TV before inserting the CD and pushing 'play'. She then walked to the light switch and turned the lights off, immediately walking over to the couch and sitting on Jasper's lap. The movie started, the WB logo appearing in the screen.

A minute or so after the movie had started I watched as Seth handed Bella the bowl of popcorn and Marie took the bowl of chips from me. I turned to look at Bella, as she received the bowl and placed it on top of her legs. I brought my focus back to the movie, trying to concentrate in how their plan went wrong 'as usual', but I simply couldn't stop peeking at Bella from the corner of my eyes.

Every expression she made draw me to her, from the way her face saddened when Scooby asks if he should quit, to the adorable sympathetic expression when Shaggy said 'friends don't quit'. I almost laughed when she grimaced at the screen when Shaggy covered his burger with chocolate. Everything she did pulled me in and I don't know why I can't stop looking at her.

But this has been happening during the whole week, whenever she makes a clever remark or when she backtracks a joke. I ache to be near her all the time, and whenever we're together she makes me laugh and smile more than all my other friends together. The problem here is why she does that. I can't seem to place the reason why I like being with her so much, maybe it's the fact that I know I'm not intruding into her couple time, since I know Mark is far away or maybe-

I was brought out of my train of thoughts when Bella laughed lightly at something Scooby did. I looked at her discreetly; she was smiling at the movie as she held the bowl in her hands, eating some. I decided a good way to focus back on the movie was if I ate some popcorn. I reached for the bowl and retrieved a handful, popping a few on my mouth and chewing while looking at the screen, trying to focus on the scene that was playing.

But it was of no use, just when the movie was starting to get my attention again my hand touched Bella's on top of the bowl. My hand felt weird, like an electric current had passed through it. Bella's hand-however stopped for a split second but then kept moving like nothing had happened, reaching for more popcorn. Maybe she didn't feel it…

I moved my hand into the bowl once I saw Bella's was out of the way. I tried to relax. What just happened was just because of the fact that I wasn't expecting it, surely Bella expected it… that's why she only stopped her hand briefly. Yeah that's it.

I brought my focus back to the movie, trying hard to get caught in the story. They had already entered the castle and I watched the screen with all my will… more like willing myself to watch nothing but the TV. I was finally back on track when Bella laughed-hard- and threw her head back at something Fred said to Velma. I can't remember what it was, I simply couldn't take my eyes off of Bella. She was laughing and she looked so beautiful. I always loved it when she laughed or smiled, even if it was a small smile. Her laughter was the most beautiful sound in the world, it simply made me feel content.

Just then Bella looked back at me, a smile on her face while she shook with the remains of her laughter. She stared at me for what could have been half a second but to me it felt like years. Then she smiled wider and turned to look at the TV. A few more seconds passed when she laughed again, then she laughed even harder. I turned to the screen to see what was so funny. I saw Scooby being held back by what appeared to be sausages. I pretended to laugh since that's what everyone else was doing.

"This is hilarious." Bella commented and everyone just laughed a little more.

During the rest of the movie I couldn't concentrate. I kept glancing at Bella every once in a while and I couldn't stop thinking about her. How close she was to me and how she was enjoying the movie. I couldn't get her out of my head. How she wore that adorable worried look when they said Scooby would be sacrificed. Or how she laughed so much tears were pouring out of her eyes at the part when Fred and Velma have to dance with the monsters. Or how she went all 'aaw!' when Shaggy talks to Scooby about being his best friend.

After the movie was over everyone stood up and stretched out.

"Should I even ask Alice?" Seth asked rhetorically.

"Nope- When have I brought a movie with a sequel without bringing part 2…" She said happily as she moved the movie case frantically while she walked towards the DVD. We all settled ourselves and the movie started. No one complained for they were more into each other than into the movie. Bella yawned lightly as she placed the bowl on the table and opened another can of coke. She sipped the liquid and swallowed before she leaned against my side lightly and rested her head on my shoulder. I stiffened immediately, but I couldn't deny how right it felt.

"Don't you love how Shaggy sais 'like' in almost every sentence?" She asked us and I chuckled, I had noticed that the first time I watched it. "You can lean back on me if you want… I was getting a bit numb." She allowed me and I nodded curtly, leaning a little against her. She shuffled again, taking another sip of her coke. "What is this one about?" She asked us all and I shrugged, not wanting to ruin her fun. Alice stifled a giggle and answered Bella's question.

"You'll just have to wait and see…" My sister said. The movie started and we all returned our attention to the screen. I was overly aware of Bella's side pressing against mine and of her head barely laying on my shoulder. I felt the urge to wrap my arm around her, but I decided against it, it might be awkward.

"Aww… Scooby's got a fan club… and they want him to--sniff their butt…?" Bella commented and everyone laughed at her confused tone in the last part of her statement.

"Why won't Velma go with him on a date?" Bella asked rhetorically.

"Because maybe if you don't go on dates with people you merely know your life and everyone else's would be much simpler?" My sister asked her back and Bella moved slightly to look at Alice.

"But if you don't give it a chance you'll never know what it could be like." Bella objected and Alice opened her mouth to fire back, but then she stopped herself, she closed her mouth and smiled slightly.

"Bella, just do me a favor. Remember you said that yourself, later on ok?" My sister asked and Bella shrugged, mumbling an 'okay' that sounded more like a 'sure freak'. Anyway Bella turned back to the TV and leaned against me once again. We watched the entire movie in what appeared to be years as I tried to resist the urge to engulf Bella in a hug. The movie finally ended and Bella moved away from me and I instantly felt like something was missing, I wanted her against me once again. She stood up, helped clean up and thanked everyone.

Once we said good-bye we left Jake's house. I was driving Bella home and Alice was getting a ride with Jasper. I opened the door for Bella and she swiftly entered the car.

"You had fun?" I asked her.

"Of course I had fun, those movies are hilarious." Bella said enthusiastically and I chuckled at her.

"Sure they are."

"And the guys are so nice to me, they make me feel welcome…"She added.

"Told you." I reminded her just as I pulled over at her drive way. She smiled at me and took her seatbelt off. She turned to look at me and then she leaned closer and hugged me.

"Thank you… for everything. See you tomorrow." She said before she left the car and entered her house. I shook my head to clear it and drove away and to my house.

A/N: Hope you liked it…
*If anyone tells me in a review or PM what Fred said to Velma in the castle that Bella found so funny, he/she will get an exclusive preview at whatever he/she wants to know about this story (except the obvious 'how will they get together' question)

*You should totally follow Peter Facinelli in Twitter so he can win a bet and we get to see a really funny video… just do it ok?

This chapter's 'MUST-READ-FAN-FIC' suggestion is
'Life aint been no crystal stair' by XDCaramel
(Wow! No other way to describe it…)

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