A/N: I'm really really really really reallly really really really really sorry to everyone for the lack of updates. Long story short... varsity tennis team + Freshman year of high school + homework + babysitting + teenage life very little time to write. I've been working very hard on updating at least everyone of my stories that I get a lot of readers for. This is the last one I needed to update and this is my best number of readers. So, again I'm sorry and I hop this chpater will make up for the entire MONTH i didn't update. Maybe? No? Okay, fine.

Disclaimer: I didn't come up with any of these characters. THey all belong to Stephenie Meyer. All i have a pizza crust and two (K)ProOpen Racquets sturng at 62SEN Tensions :)

BELLA'S POV

Have you ever truly wondered…Honest to God wondered…what exactly vampires did when they were in love? Well, I knew it wasn't like what we humans did when we fell in love, but I knew I had to imagine…to make something up. It was the strangest thing I'd ever wondered about, or at least it was near the top of that list, and for it to be the first thing I questioned when I woke up that morning, well that was just the icing on the cake of ridiculousness.

So, before my eyes even opened, I was thinking of nothing other than vampire love, and when I did finally open my eyes, the headache that was throbbing in my forehead from the light that shown through my window, erased all those thoughts. I always forgot how strange my thoughts were in the morning when I'd had a hang over. But, then again, I was writing a story about vampires in love and this was something I needed to think about, so maybe the thought wasn't as strange as I thought it was to think it, I think.

I carefully got up from my bed, as not to worsen the already painful throbbing, and went to by dark bathroom. I stumbled around in the pitch black room, thankful I'd closed the blinds yesterday, and finally got to the medicine cabinet. I ran my hands over the bottles, searching for that magical Advil that would get rid of this pain, somewhat, only to knock every single bottle into my sink with a loud clatter that had me wincing in a high amount of pain.

"Fuck!" I whisper-yelled. I didn't even know what time it was, but I hoped that if anyone was still asleep, that I hadn't woken them up.

I decided to turn on the lights, thankful for the dimmer that meant I could turn them on so that they were just light enough for me to find what I was searching for. Squinting in the newly acquired visibility, I hunted through the medications that sat in a pile in my sink. When finally I found my Advil, I popped the cap off and dumped three into my palm, knowing that was all I could take for now. I grabbed my water glass off the counter and filled it with water, chugging half before tossing back the three tablets in my hands.

Now, satisfied with my medication, I took a look at my horribly grungy self in the mirror. I looked terrible, as expected. My hair was a rat's nest, my clothes were wrinkled, though I wasn't even wearing any pants. Hmm, wonder where those went. My small amount of make up that I'd applied yesterday was now horribly smudged.

I took everything out of the sink that had fallen into the marble hole and set them on the counter. My eyes had adjusted and I could see things very clearly now, even though hardly any light lit the room. Turning the faucet to an ice cold temperature, I grabbed a hand towel and placed it next to me on the counter. I grabbed my cleanser from beside my shower/tub and set that beside the hand towel. Finally, I got cotton balls and toner and set those just behind the faucet of the sink.

I splashed cold water onto my face, effectively waking me up to the point of no return, and then grabbed my cleanser. I scrubbed my face harshly to get rid of as much make up as possible, though it mostly did nothing more than smudge it further while lightening it slightly. Splashing my face once again, I rid the cleanser from my skin and then shut the water off. I dried my face with my hand towel and looked in the mirror to assess any remaining damage. Could do better.

I grabbed the toner and cotton balls. Every tells me to just get cold cream or make up remover, but I didn't see the point. I rarely wore make up and the toner worked just as well as any make up remover. I'd been doing this since I was a teen, and by using it as a make up remover I was easily killing two birds with one stone.

I rubbed the toner over all the make up stains until they were impossible to see and then went once over the rest of my face before finally deciding I was finished…with that.

My hair looked terrible, and I decided that brushing it out would do nothing, so I just ran my finger through it a few times before throwing it into a mess of a bun.

Won't get any better right now, I thought before departing from the bathroom and entering my brightly sunlit bedroom. Perfect. I shielded my eyes from the light as best I could while I walked over to my bedroom door. Thankfully, it was shut…Unfortunately, I tripped at the last second over my jeans from last night and banged my already pounding head into the wood.

Scrambling to my feet, I grabbed my robe off the hook. I had two, one was my fluffy plush bathrobe, the other was the short silk one that Rose insisted I keep in my room, for those just-in-case occasions that never seemed to happen. When I couldn't find my fluffy bathrobe on the door, I sighed and settle for the silk one. I threw off my grungy t-shirt that I'd slept in and slipped the so-called, barely there robe on. It felt nice, though, I had to admit. It was also nice to be able to remove my shirt without having any pain in my shoulder, although I'd probably piss Edward off by having done so myself.

Hmmm, Edward.

I walked out of my room and downstairs. I was desperate for some coffee. I was adjusting to the light, once again, but there were spots in front of my eyes as the headache changed to a migraine, despite the Advil I'd taken.

When I got into the kitchen, Rose and Alice were sitting at the table sipping coffee, Jasper at the counter eating a bowl of cereal.

"That's a nice look, there, Bella," Rose teased.

"Yeah, whatever," I grumbled, heading straight for the half filled coffee pot and grabbing up my mug.

"Did we have a just-in-case occasion last night?" Alice asked knowingly.

Of course, she obviously didn't know. "No we did not. We have a hangover and couldn't find our other robe in all the bright sunlight," I replied.

Her face, which had carried a smirk only minutes ago, dropped before she turned to Rose and they both smiled at each other.

"So, nothing happened last night, other than your fluffy robe disappearing…"

I realized that they knew exactly where my robe was, and Alice's knowing smile was not because she thought she knew that I'd gotten some last night.

"You didn't!" I cried out.

"We did," Rose chirped.

The both of them starting laughing evilly and Jasper looked to me with an apologetic smile.

I groaned. "You didn't have to burn it, you know. You could have at least donated to a homeless shelter or something."

"But…What's the…fun in that?" Alice asked between laughing fits.

"You would have found a way to get it back if we did that anyway," Rose added after she and Alice had calmed.

"I'll get my revenge," I said, though they both knew that if I did anything, it really wouldn't be a big deal. I sighed before pouring a cup of coffee for both myself and Edward, who I would be waking up in a few moments. I went into the medicine cabinet we had in the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of Advil for him and slipped into the pathetically small pocket in the itsy bitsy silk robe I was wearing with next to nothing underneath.

"I dare you not to change before waking Edward up," Jasper said to me, which honestly surprised me that he'd say such a thing.

I smiled deviously. "That's not a bad idea," I called over my shoulder as I walked out of the room and upstairs.

"Go Bella!" Rose shouted, causing me to wince at the loud out burst. You'd think I'd have been used to that when I had headaches, because after all I'd been living with Emmett for three months now and he was twice as loud as Rose was a moment ago.

Alice, at least I thought it was her, whistled as I stepped up the stairs. By the time I'd reached the tops of the stairs, all was silent except for Emmett's beast-like snoring.

I approached his closed door and knocked with my bare foot, unsure if he was already up and maybe getting dressed or something. There was no response, so I set one of the coffee cups down, opened the door a smidge, picked the coffee cup back up and then pushed my way through the door.

I looked at his alarm clock first that was on his bedside table. It was just after 9:30. Wow, Alice, Rose, and Jasper were getting a later start than usual. They usually leave by 7:30, if not earlier, like at dawn.

I set both coffee cups down on his nightstand and turned his lights on a small amount, keeping them on a dim level, knowing he drank even more than I had the night prior. I sat on the side of the bed, laughing silently at how he was tangled in the sheets and sprawled out on the mattress. His chest was bare and so were his legs, and I couldn't decide whether I'd rather he was wearing boxers at the moment or not. His mouth hung open and his head was sideways, facing toward me. He looked peaceful, though he did snore softly.

I couldn't help but giggle, he was just too cute.

I decided to wake him the same way as he had with me yesterday. I leaned over so that my face was inches from his, then leaned just slightly forward, my lips brushing against the skin of his forehead, a few strands of hair hanging over and into his eyes, and then a gave his skin a quick chaste kiss before pulling back.

He stirred slightly, and I waited a minute for him to awaken, but he settled back into sleep with a serene smile on his luscious lips. So, he wasn't a light sleeper in the mornings like I was. Sure, maybe he was in a deeper sleep than normal because of the alcohol, but still, he wasn't a light sleeper at all, I could tell.

I kissed him again, this time fully on his lips. I don't know why I'd done it, I didn't think about it, but I did, and before I could pull back, Edward's arms wrapped around me, holding me in place. I smiled against his lips, and before I knew it, he pulled me on top of him.

"Edward," I said with a giggle against his lips.

"Yes Bella?" he asked, finally opening his eyes and looking at me drowsily.

I smacked his bare chest playfully. "What do you think you're doing, mister?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he countered with a raised eyebrow.

"I was trying to wake you up, but you didn't wake up when I kissed you on the forehead like you did to me yesterday, so I resorted to plan B. Look where that's gotten me," I said, looking down at his very muscular chest that I was pressed up against, his arms still wrapped tightly around me, holding me in place.

"Yes, look where that's gotten you indeed," he replied with a smirk, looking in the same place.

"Now, may I ask why it is I was pulled on top of you in your bed?" I asked, not really realizing where we were until I said this. I blushed as the realization hit me. This may be fun, but it's still a little…what's the word…I don't know if embarrassing is quite right, but I don't know what other word I could use to describe it.

"You are on top of me because I felt like pulling you on top of me. Need I have any reason for doing so?" he asked me.

"Dunno. Do you?" I countered.

He chuckled, his chest vibrating beneath me, which caused me to giggle. Jeez! What's with all the giggling?

"No, my dear, I do not need a reason other than there was a beautiful woman sitting on the edge of my bed, kissing me. That is the only reason I need to take said action," he replied before giving me a peck on the lips.

"Hey, I have another question for you," I said.

"And that would be?"

"How come you're not as hung over as I was when I woke up about an hour ago?"

"I've had a lot of hangovers," he answered. "I've been to too many wild parties in my days."

I laughed. "Okay. So, I think it's time you let me go so you can get out of bed."

His crooked grin practically had me drooling as he responded. "Who says I want to let you go or get out of bed?"

"Nobody said you wanted to, but you and I have a few errands to run today, if I do recall correctly," I said, looking down at his beautifully toned chest as I drew a random pattern into his skin with my finger.

"You're right, we do," he sighed sadly. I wondered if he actually enjoyed sitting here in bed with me.

Okay, don't go there Bella.

I squirmed on top of him as I tried to get loose from his grasp, but I stopped at his intake of breath. He grabbed onto my waist tighter and held me from my wiggling. "Please, don't do that," he said.

I didn't quite understand at first, but quickly understood when I felt him against my leg. I blushed a deep crimson and looked off to the side of the room. "I, um, oops. Sorry," I choked out in my embarrassment.

He just chuckled. "It's alright Bella," he said before he leaned forward and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Um, what, may I ask, are you wearing?"

I giggled nervously. "Rose and Alice took advantage of my intoxicated state last night and burned my nice plush bath robe and so this is my only other robe. I was still a little out of it before I got my coffee and couldn't manage to honestly dress myself so I just threw this on."

I could have sworn he muttered something like, "Must remember to thank them."

I decided to have some more fun with him before I got up to go to my room and get ready. "What are you wearing?"

"You may not want an answer to that," he said with a smirk.

"Hm, I think I do," I answered, kissing his lips in the same manner as I had to wake him up. His grasp on me once again tightened and he responded to the kiss immediately.

When we finally broke apart, we were both out of breath. I wondered how even a closed-mouth kiss could make me so breathless.

"You know, I could get used to this sort of wake up call," he said.

"I wouldn't mind waking you up like this every morning. It certainly has its perks," I replied.

"You sure we can't just stay like this all morning?" he asked, almost pleadingly.

"I'm sure you're enjoying this," I said before I looked down to where my chest met his. "Actually, I know you're enjoying this." I could still feel him pressing into my leg, which I was pretty sure was what was giving me the confidence to say or do any of the things that I was. "But, we need to get moving. Besides, I don't think Emmett would like finding us in your bed, in these states of dress."

He chuckled before playfully tapping my butt and releasing his strong grip on my waist. "Alrighty then, get your tush off me and into your room to get ready. I'll help you with your shirt after I'm dressed."

"Okey dokey Smokey," I grabbed my coffee off the nightstand after I got up off of him. "Oh, and there's a coffee for you right here and, if you need it, some Advil too."

He smiled up at me adoringly. "Thanks Bella, you're too kind."

"Anytime," I said before I turned and walked out the door, and down the hallway to my bedroom, passing a very confused, grumbling Emmett on my way.

EDWARD'S POV

I was glad I pretended I wasn't awake after she first kissed me on the forehead. Sure, it was a bit devious, but the result was far better than any man could ask for in that moment. When she began to kiss me on the lips, I pulled her to me and then on top of me, her feather-light body falling onto my chest.

When I opened my eyes, I was met by the incredible sight of Bella in nothing more than a very short blue silk robe. That image was enough to get any man going. It was quite enjoyable having her in my bed with me, though I knew there were so many more things that would have been nicer when it came to her and me in my bed than just kissing and flirting. I had to admit that when she started to squirm, I couldn't completely control myself, and when she realized what had happened, her face was in flames.

I really didn't want to get up, but Bella and I both knew we had to. Still, the feeling of her body lying on top of mine, molding to mine, as her soft breasts pressed against my bare chest through her silk robe was never going to be one I'd forget. I knew I needed a cold shower this morning, so as soon as Bella left the room, I grabbed my boxers off the floor, slipped them on, downed my coffee, took two Advil for the slight headache I had, and then finally hopped into the bathroom for said shower.

I showered as quickly as possible, trying, unsuccessfully, to think about anything but Bella this morning. When I was done, I got myself ready, throwing on khaki shorts, Nike sneakers, and a gray t-shirt. My hair was a hopeless mess that wasn't even worth fixing, so today, I didn't even try. I shaved as quickly as I could, thank god for electrically powered shavers, and brushed my teeth. When I was finally ready, I grabbed my BlackBerry and headed to Bella's bedroom.

I knocked on the door.

"Be done in a sec!" she called out.

I heard heavy footsteps as Emmett approached. "Did you see Bella this morning? Man!"

"I did," I said, turning to face him with a grin on my face.

He looked at me for a second. "Oh my god! You guys didn't, you know, did you?"

I laughed. "No, Em, I didn't do anything with Bella. She just came in and woke me up this morning, returning the favor, since I had woken her up yesterday morning."

"Sure," he muttered questioningly. "You know I don't care if you two do anything, right?"

"No, I didn't, but it's great to have your approval," I replied quizzically, not quite sure what he was getting at.

He put on the jacket of his sweat suit; he was obviously on his way out to work…while Bella and I spent our day doing things to help him with his proposal.

"Look, I know you really like her, and I know she really likes you. That much, I get. But, Edward, I swear if you ever do anything to hurt her, you'll just be another asshole who gets his ass kicked by yours truly," he said, flexing his muscles as a reminder that I probably didn't want to mess with him.

"I gotcha," I answered. I could tell he was serious.

"Just wanted to make sure we were clear. You may be my baby brother by blood, but Squirt is my baby sister no matter what, and she's been through hell."

"I know, she told me."

He seemed surprised at that. "Seriously? She told you? When?"

"At the beach."

"Well, I'll be damned. She wouldn't even tell me until just after we decided to all go searching for a house together. I only knew prior because of Rose. She trusts you, bro," Emmett said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Don't break that trust."

And then, he turned and left. Seconds later, the front door opened and shut and I heard the Jeep depart from the house. I leaned against Bella's door and smiled. She really did trust me, even more than Emmett. And, she liked me. I mean, I knew she did, but it's just different when your brother tells you that. Brothers don't lie to each other about that type of stuff, or at least Emmett and I never have. I just wondered if she liked me as much as I already liked her.

I like Bella way too much for my own good. I met her, what? Five days ago? How could I possibly like her as much as I already do? Is it even healthy?

I knew that it didn't matter how long I knew her for. Mom and Dad knew they were meant to be together only seconds after they met each other, and even now, after all these years, nearly 30 years, of marriage, they're still in what most people call the 'honeymoon stage'. But was that how I felt about—

My thoughts were cut off as the door that had been my support for the past five or so minutes opened and I fell backwards. Bella must have moved out of the way just in time that I didn't knock her over. I fell on my butt and glared jokingly up at a laughing Bella.

"Think that's funny, eh?" I asked before I pulled her down in my lap. I liked how I was able to just be completely comfortable and playful with her. I'd never known this before.

She just nodded. I flipped us so that she was lying on her back and I was hovering above her. I straddled her and began tickling her sides, one hand holding both of her arms together at her wrists. Now she was gasping for air, laughing and thrashing. I chuckled as I continued to tickle her.

"Please!" she begged breathlessly.

"Please what?" I asked.

"Stop! Agh!"

"Never."

"Mercy! Mercy!"

I finally stopped my onslaught, kissed her forehead, released her arms, and then stood up, still chuckling. "You're just too much fun, Bella."

"Yup." She hopped up. Her hair was hanging down, soaking wet, and all I could see was that same tiny blue silk robe.

I watched as she went over to her dresser and bent over at the hips, keeping her legs straight and her behind up in the air, to get some clothing out of them bottom drawer. I know I shouldn't have looked, but I did. I was thankful to know I wasn't seeing anything I shouldn't have, as she was wearing denim short-shorts that were somehow hidden by the tiny robe.

"Enjoying the view?" she asked, just before standing up.

"Quite a nice one," I replied.

She laughed before handing me a simple green halter top. She turned her back to me and then untied the blue belt that held the robe closed. The silk slid down her pale skin to the floor and her bare back was revealed to me. She was wearing nothing more than a bra to cover her chest at the moment, but all I could see was her back anyway.

She raised her right arm over her head and I slipped the shirt onto that arm first, then over her head. The shirt was tight but it had a stretchy material so getting her left arm and shoulder through wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be.

She moved the shirt around until it was where she wanted it to be.

"Okay, now you just need to tie the top up and I'll be set." She handed me the straps that I needed to tie together and then pulled her hair up off her neck with her right hand. I did as she asked, before she turned around. She pulled on her bra, which was strapless, adjusting her cleavage. As if it wasn't already hard enough having to help her put her shirt on (no pun intended).

"Ready?" I asked.

She slipped on a pair of shoes that were just to the side of her dresser. They were a pair of Puma sneakers. Good, she wears sensible shoes.

"All set," she said, grabbing her purse and walking out of the room. I followed behind her, watching as her hips naturally swayed in a seductive motion.

By the time we were at the front door, the rain was steadily pouring down in buckets, a sudden summer rush.

"Jeez, you'd think someone pulled the plug out from a huge cloud up there," Bella muttered, causing me to laugh.

"We'll take my car then," I told her.

"That's probably the better idea. The back of my truck has got to be soaked by now."

She grabbed a hooded sweatshirt off a hook on the wall, put it on, and zipped up the front, shoving her hands into the pockets as a shiver ran down her spine.

I flipped up the hood over her head and fought the urge to cover her body in to warm her up. She turned to look at me and smiled before grabbing another hoodie and tossing it my way. I put it on, but it was a couple sizes too big.

"Emmett's?" I asked.

She nodded before she let out a few laughs. "You look like you're drowning in the thing."

I grinned. "You going to come in here and save me?"

"Sorry, Bub, but you're on your own there."

She grabbed my keys off the table in the entry way before I even realized I'd left them there the other day and then ran out into the rain to the car.

"Hey!" I called after her as I threw my own hood up and ran after her. The hood covered my eyes in the time it took to get to my car and all I could see was the ground where my feet were. When I pushed back the hood, Bella was leaning against the passenger side car door. "What was that for?" I asked.

"I had my reasons," she replied with an innocent shrug.

"Keys." I held out my hand expectantly.

A mischievous smile crept across her face. She leaned forward and her lips to mine. She put her hands into my back pockets, somehow getting to them beneath that entirely too big sweatshirt. Then, without any notice, pulled back completely and got into the passenger side of the car. I reached into my back pockets and surely enough, my keys were in the left one.

I got into the driver's side and sat on the leather seat, water from my now soaked sweatshirt coating the material. The keys slid into the ignition as the car started and the low hum of the engine emanated from my Volvo.

I had been to the mall only two days ago with Alice and Rosalie, something I would never do again might I add, so I already knew my way there. I pulled out of the driveway and smiled as a glance out of the corner of my eye told me Bella was watching me.

She reached out and turned on the CD player in the car to be immediately greeted by Claire De Lune.

"Debussy?" she asked in surprise.

"You know it?" The surprise was just as audible in my own voice.

"Mom used to play it around the house when I was with her."

"Tell me about your parents, Bella," I said. I had a feeling I'd learn a lot more about her from just knowing about her parents, her childhood.

"My parents grew up in Phoenix, met there in high school, and married not many days after graduating. They were foolish and young, but they were in love…at the time at least. Almost immediately, Renee, my mom, was pregnant with me. The both of them moved into a bigger apartment to accommodate a bigger family. The marriage only lasted until I was three years old. After that, Mom just fell out of love. Charlie, my dad, still loves her to this day. So, Mom decided she wanted to see the world, try new things, and meet different people.

"She stayed in Phoenix for a while though, not wanting to leave me behind, before finally she began journeying. She left the country only twice all throughout the years, but she lived all over the US. New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, New Orleans, San Francisco, and even DC. I would spend a few weeks a year with her and if she was available, I'd also spend half of my summer vacation with her. She was always a big city girl, but after so many years in Phoenix, I guess it was just too small a city.

"She always worked different jobs, having a new one every two or three months because she was sick of the last. How she was able to pay rent was beyond me, though usually she had a friend or two to crash with in those cities. Finally, while in Atlanta, she met a guy named Phil, who she fell in love with. I was fifteen at that time. Half a year later and they were getting married. They've been together since, living in Jacksonville, Florida. She loves it there.

"Charlie hasn't ever left Phoenix without a good reason. He's chief of police and so he's kept busy. He's never even started dating, even after twenty years. Like I said, he's still in love with Renee. He took care of me all my life and I don't think I ever could have asked for a better father than Charlie. He worked a lot so we didn't see much of each other, but when he was off work we always hung out with the—"

She stopped short and I turned to see why. I was pretty sure I already knew why.

"So, what did Emmett put on the list?" I asked, trying to steer this conversation away from what it had been.

The smile she gave me was small. "Thanks, but I'll finish. We always hung out with the Blacks. Dad usually went fishing while I hung back with Jake. Anyway, that's all in the past now, and I'm as far away from the both of them as is possible."

I laughed. "My parents just lost their baby boy," I said. "I lived with them all through college and medical school so they still had at least one kid with them up until Saturday."

She laughed at that. "Jeez. You and Emmett coming from the same two people. Who would have thought?"

"Certainly neither myself nor my parents."

"Tell me about you're—" She stopped when my BlackBerry pinged. Yes, it pinged. Not buzzed, not rang, but pinged.

I pulled it from the clip on my belt and pressed talk.

"Hey," I said.

"Good morning, Edward," my mother's voice said over the line.

"I meant to call you earlier," I said, squinting through the windshield, blurred by the water pounding down upon it.

"Looks like I've got good timing then," Mom replied with a laugh.

"You always do," I responded.

"I suppose that's true."

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of speaking with you?" I looked over to Bella whose eyes glowed with curiosity, making me chuckle.

"Emmett left a very…bizarre message last night. Care to explain?"

"Emmett was a little bit tipsy last night. But, there is a good reason for him to call. He's going to propose to Rosalie Hale tomorrow night and he wanted you and Dad to fly in on Saturday."

"Oh my! My baby's all grown up. Carlisle! Get down here, now!" I could here my father grumbling on the other end of the line. "I don't care how tired you are from last night, Edward's on the phone!"

"Oh, and Mom, could you…"

BELLA'S POV

"Oh, and Mom, could you go into the safety deposit box and get the necklace?" I heard his mother's voice on the other line, but I couldn't make out a word of what she was saying. I didn't know that Emmett wanted to give Rose a necklace. He never told me about that. She already wore one that he gave her back when they first started dated. She never took it off. It was a white gold, heart-shaped locket engraved with a cursive E and a diamond placed on the inside.

"Yes, I did," Edward answered to whatever question she asked with a goofy smile on his face. "You'll see soon enough…Love you too, Mom, Dad. See you both on Saturday…Oh, send me your flight information so I can pick you both up at the airport…It's no trouble at all, believe me. There are days where you'd much rather be out of the house, and I have a feeling that I don't want to be around Emmett and Rosalie at all after the proposal." He laughed. "Yes, yes. Alright. Good bye guys."

He hung up the BlackBerry and put it back into the holder that was attached to his belt.

"They're coming?" I asked as we pulled into the parking lot.

"They wouldn't miss this for the world."

I could my stomach tying up in knots already. I really, really, really liked Edward. We would have hardly known each other for a week by the time I would be meeting his parents. Yikes!

He parked in a vacant spot not too far from the entrance. The both of us got out and walked side by side into the building.

"So, how do we want to do this?" I asked.

"We could do everything together, or we could split up the list and be in and out in half the time, leaving the rest of the day for just us," he said. I couldn't tell which side he was leaning toward, but I was leaning toward the 'get in, get the hell out, and have the rest of the day to the two of us' angle.

"Split the list," I said, pulling it out my pocket and ripping it into two even parts.

- - - -

I dialed Edward's cell phone number as I sat on a bench at the entrance/exit of the mall. I had finished about half an hour ago and was sitting her patiently reading a book I grabbed, but was just curious as to how much longer I'd be waiting.

"Hello Bella," his glorious voice greeted me. The sound of my name rolling off his tongue was too beautiful for my ears to handle.

"Hey Edward. Just curious how much longer you'll be…" I said, looking out the glass doors into the parking lot where it was still, unsurprisingly, raining. I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and lips pressing against my cheek.

"How long do you think I'll be?" he asked over the phone, his lips vibrating against my skin causing a tingling sensation.

I hung up my phone and smiled at him. "I think you won't be much longer."

"You hung up on me," he said in such an overly dramatic manner that I nearly fell off the bench we were on.

"I did, now let's get all this stuff out to your car and get the hell out of here. I'm starving," I replied, patting my grumbling stomach for added effect.

He chuckled. "Alright, honey. Let's get you home and we'll whip up some lunch."

I smiled again. He called me honey, I thought. Picking up all of our bags, we made our way out to the car. It was after two o'clock in the afternoon and I was definitely near passing out from lack of food. We loaded the bags into Edward's trunk and rushed into the car to get out of the rain.

"All set?" he asked me.

"Yup," I answered.

He pulled out of the parking lot and was speeding off to get back home. And when I said speeding, I meant he belonged on a race car track.

"Shit, you're worse than the rest of them."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Have you checked the speed limit lately?"

He chuckled. "I have a need for speed. Get used to it."

I turned the radio on in the car and put it on one of the top 100 song stations. With his driving, it hardly took us twenty minutes to get home. Loading the bags out of the car went as quickly as we could manage. Edward and I were totally soaked by the time we got back inside.

I laughed at Edward when I saw him. The sweatshirt was hanging even more than before. "You're drowning again."

"You don't look all that much better," he answered with that dazzling smile. He started pulling the sweatshirt off, but it didn't want to budge. "Help?"

"Kneel down," I commanded. He obliged. I bent over and tugged at the giant gray blob. It wasn't working much so I grabbed the bottom hem and inched it up. Edward lifted his arms and I swear he looked like the most ridiculous, rain soaked, sweatshirt covered idiot I'd ever seen. I slid it upward but it still wasn't coming off his head. "It's stuck on your big head," I told him as I laughed.

He managed to remove his arms from the too big sleeves and started to pull it up above his head. Emmett had tightened the strings and ultimately made it a hard fit for anyone who's head was a centimeter larger than his. It finally slid off and Edward just looked like a really sexy soaking wet guy.

He moved toward me and pulled me toward him, unzipping my dripping wet sweatshirt, his hand gliding down the front of my body tantalizingly while the other rested on the small of back. When the sweatshirt finally slid off, the both of us stood there, looking into each other's eyes as had seemed to become our habit.

His emerald eyes were shining and seemingly darker than the last time I'd seen them. He bent down and kissed my lips softly before removing my halter top which he had helped to put on this morning.

"There you go," he said huskily and managed to turn and walk upstairs toward his room. I followed him in a slightly confused state and entered my room in order to change…everything.

I pulled a new set of undergarments, a pair of mesh shorts, and a tank top from my drawers. I threw off the rest of my clothes and quickly pulled on the underwear and shorts. I once again started with my bra and got it up over my breasts and one strap on my shoulder.

"Allow me," Edward's said from behind me. His cool hands rested on waist before one slid the other strap up into place. He took the tank top from off the bed directly behind him and helped me to slip it on, his hands running along my sides in the process. I shivered with his touch. He placed a quick kiss on the back of my neck before he fell backward onto my bed. I left myself fall onto it directly beside him.

I didn't know how long we lay there just staring up at the ceiling, listening to the rain's musical pings and pangs as drops landed on various surfaces outside. All I know is that I woke up pressed into Edward's side with one of his arms wrapped around me and one of mine draped across his rhythmically moving chest. I snuggled further into his side, quite comfortable where I was, and his hold on me tightened.

If I lay here,
If I just lay here,
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told?
Before we get too old
Show me a part of us, bursting into life.

My cell phone rang and I groaned, knowing I had to get up from Edward's side to answer it.

"Leave it," his drowsy voice told me.

"Gladly," I answered, closing my eyes and ignoring the music.

I fell back asleep again not much later, but it wasn't as peaceful as it had been.

"Not worth it, Bella…" his voice filled my ears as a ghost of his face appeared in the small dark room around me.

"Yes I am!" I disagreed. The room fell smaller.

"Not good enough, Bella…"

"Like you have any right to say so?" I snapped back. I was trapped in here, no escape.

"You weren't enough for me… Why would you be enough for anyone else?"

"No, stop it," I ordered quietly, feeling the defeat overwhelm me and losing any strength I'd had moments ago.

"Give up, Bella. No one could ever feel that way about you…"

"Shut up, just shut up," I asked of him. Why couldn't he just leave me alone? Why wouldn't he stop?

"You're not good enough for anybody. I didn't love you…"

"Please," I whimpered, falling to me knees and covering my face with my hands. "Just shut up," I begged through my tears.

"And neither could he."

EDWARD'S POV

I was woken by Bella's movement. She was tossing and turning in my grasp and a frown was on her face.

"Yes I am!" she cried in her sleep. "Like you have any right to say so?... No, stop it… Shut up, just shut up… Please, just shut up…" she was begging, tears beginning to fall from her closed eyes.

"Bella?" I asked, pulling her into my arms as I sat up in the bed. She shot up straight pulling in a deep fast breath as if she hadn't been breathing for the past minutes. Her breathing was fast and heavy. "Bella, it was just a bad dream."

"Bad dream," she repeated with a small chuckle that was somewhat hysterical. She wiped at her eyes. "One hell of a bad dream, I'll tell you that."

"I can tell," I replied softly. She relaxed into my arms which were still wrapped around her. I moved so that I was leaning against the pillows and lay back, pulling Bella to lay on top of me.

"I'm alright," she insisted.

"Doesn't matter," I answered with a yawn. "I want to fall asleep with you laying right here in my arms."

And this wouldn't be the last time that I'd want that.