A/N: Oh wow, what a week. This was just supposed to be a bit of silliness for my own amusement—you guys blow me away. Big thanks to SueBee0619 for nominating this in TLS, and hugs to everyone that voted :) Welcome, new readers!

TwiSNFan and Louisemc86 preread it, and RaindropSoup and mcc101180 fixed it. I love the four of them.

Stephenie owns Twilight. I own a folder of Rob pics from his Australian promo! He's in my country! Yay! (Sadly I'm not in Sydney, though)


Chapter 6

Panic Bear - A panicking novice climber clinging to handholds while searching desperately for a foothold.

I suppose, if you'd just walked in, our position might appear to be a little...compromising. I'm wearing nothing but a towel, and Edward's hands are resting on my waist. I'm red-faced, and my blush has decided not to stop at my chin. So, yes—I can see how you'd get the wrong idea.

"Thank you," I say in an attempt to break the tension. The Bulldozer drops his hands, gives a curt nod, and, pushing past Rose, flees from the bathroom.

Rosalie grins at me. "Bye, Edward," she calls over her shoulder, not taking her eyes from my face. I look down to examine the bath mat under my feet.

I close my eyes when I hear Alice's voice. "Hi, Edward! Oh, bye, Edward." The front door closes, then I count. 3...2...

"Bella Swan, care to tell me why my cousin just bolted from your apartment like his ass was on fire?"

The bath mat is very interesting. It has a few threads loose. Maybe I should buy a new one...

"You should have been in here a few minute ago, Al, Rosalie pipes up.

Perhaps I should get matching towels...

"In here? But, Bella's not even dress...oh! OH!"

While I'm at it, one of those fluffy robes would be nice, too.

"Uh huh." Rosalie nods, still looking extremely smug.

I clear my throat. This is going to sound lame, but it's the truth. "It's not what you think..."

Rosalie waves me off with a knowing look. "You get dressed. We'll just get dinner organized." Her smirk grows, and her eyes twinkle with mirth. "And then…I think we have lots to catch up on." She grabs Alice's hand—I've never seen Alice speechless before—and drags her in the direction of the kitchen.

I hobble over—using the bathroom counter for support—and close the door behind them, resting my forehead against the wood. Then I bang it. Three times.

After dressing in comfy sweats and moving at snail's pace out to the living room, I see Rose and Alice sitting on the floor by the coffee table. They're digging through a number of Thai takeaway containers—the contents smell absolutely delicious. My stomach grumbles in anticipation.

"Oh, Bella," Alice says sympathetically, taking in the pathetic sight of my messy hair and my crutches. She rushes over to grab my hands, but I shake my head. If she grabs my hands now, I'll hit the carpet.

"I'm okay, Alice," I assure her. "It doesn't hurt nearly much as it did as this morning."

"I really am sorry, Bella. I should have been quicker on the rope, " Rose says quietly. Meek isn't a good look on Rose—it doesn't suit her at all.

I wave my hand—while still holding my crutches. The stick sails through the air in an arc, nearly taking out the lamp by the couch. I drop it back to the ground quickly. "Really, Rose, I'm fine."

"Well, let me have a look at least," she says, patting the couch. I hobble over and sit, leaning back against one of the arms and sitting lengthways along the couch. Rose quickly retrieves a pillow and props my foot up on it. While she sets to unwrapping my bandage, Alice starts chatting.

"We weren't sure what you preferred, so we got a bunch of stuff." As she rattles off the names of various dishes, I stop her when she gets to Pad Thai and wriggle my fingers, indicating that she should hand over the box if she values her life. She passes it and a fork without question.

"Y'know," Rose starts, carefully setting the bandage aside, "Emmett blames himself for this." She motions at my purplish foot.

"What? Why? I slipped—it's no big deal."

Rose gently takes my foot into her hands again and commences wrapping. I wince slightly but suck it up because I know it's for the best. "The hold you grabbed was loose. It spun, right on its bolt. Apparently Emmett had a school group in earlier yesterday, and they were swinging off the holds. He thinks he should have double checked the route."

I roll my eyes. This is ridiculous. "Every single hold on the wall? It was an accident. Shit happens. I don't care, seriously." Even in an indoor gym, I am fully aware of the risks of climbing—my hands alone are proof of that fact.

"He still thinks he could have prevented it."

I need to put a stop to this. There's no point in anyone placing the blame onto themself. I mean, it's a sprained ankle—it's not the end of the world. I gesture to Rose's purse.

"Give me your phone."

"What for?"

"Just give it to me."

Rose huffs but plucks her phone from her bag and hands it over. I quickly scroll through the contacts until I find Em's number. It rings three times before he answers.

"Hot lips! What a day. God, have I missed your—"

I interrupt before he can say any more. "Ugh, Emmett, no. It's Bella."

"Chalky! How are you? Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I've got a new kid in the gym for the afternoon shifts—lazy fucker obviously didn't do his job properly. I should fire his ass..."

"Em, don't worry about it," I assure him. "It's totally fine. I mean, my ankle's a wicked shade of purple right now, but give it a week or so and I'll be back to normal."

"I'm really glad," he replies. "I know Rosie thinks it's her fault, but—"

"We've already talked about it. She's strapping me up as we speak."

"Strapping you?" he asks, his voice unnaturally high. "Chalky, that's hot!"

"Ugh, Emmett!" I cry. "Not that kind of strapping!" Rose motions for me to give her the phone.

"Emmett McCarty, you behave yourself...No...You can forget that too, after what you said to her last night. You know he never...Exactly...I won't do that thing again if you continue to make up stories...Yes...Yes…Okay…Bye." She tosses the phone back into the bag at her feet.

I laugh at Rosalie's no-nonsense approach to dealing with her husband. Alice speaks. "If that's what I think that was about..."

Rose nods at her and resumes the wrapping rhythm on my ankle. "It was." She looks at me. "For the record, Edward made no mention of your boobs. That was all my husband."

I blanch. "Boobs? Huh? Who said what?"

Rose takes a roll of tape from the bag at her feet, holding the strapping in place with her other hand. She tears a small piece off, securing the end the Ace bandage. "That night—the one we met you? Edward came in late, after you'd left. Do you have an ice pack?"

"It should be in the freezer," I mumble around a mouthful of Pad Thai.

Rose looks at Alice, who puts down her own container before getting up and skipping to the kitchen. Still strapping, Rosalie continues. "So, he said he saw a girl fall over in the lobby."

I interrupt—and even I can hear the edge in my voice. "Did he happen to mention that he was the one who pushed her over?"

Rose gives a wry smile. "No, he left that part out. When he came up to meet us, he was laughing. Emmett asked if the chick had 'a great rack.'" She makes air quotes with one hand as she takes the ice pack from Alice with the other.

Placing the ice pack on my ankle, over the bandage, Rose continues. "My husband isn't known for his diplomacy. Edward's different. He truly didn't say anything."

I twist my lip as I think of the Bulldozer and his tact. "You obviously didn't hear about the night in the bar."

Alice interjects. "I filled her in on that on the way here. I don't get it, B. He really wasn't raised that way."

"Well, I don't care," I say, putting down my almost-empty container. I hadn't realized how hungry I was—thinking about it, I haven't really eaten properly since lunch yesterday. "He didn't apologize. For any of it."

Rose looks at me for a moment then nods firmly as she picks up a spring roll. "Good for you, Bella," she says, waving the appetizer at me. "Make the bastard work for it."

I shake my head. "I'm not going to make him work for anything." No way. That guy's trouble. "After the clusterfuckery of every single encounter I've had with him, it's more than I want to deal with right now. I honestly will be happy to never see him again."

Rose smiles and changes the subject. Alice's eyes widen before she very industriously digs into her noodles. She grins at me with her mouth full. She looks like a slightly panicked chipmunk.

Alice doesn't say too much for the rest of the evening. She sits on the floor, quietly painting her toenails before offering to do mine and Rose's. When I ask her a question, she shushes me, claiming she needs quiet to concentrate on her "masterpiece."

I've never heard her say so little.

After another two hours of chatting with Rose—and being a little confused by Alice's silence—I bid the girls goodnight. Rose tells me to come in to her clinic on Sunday afternoon so she can massage my ankle. I try to tell her not to worry, but she insists. I agree, and she gives me a quick hug before she goes.

Before bed I pop some painkillers and fall into a dreamless sleep.

-~[YD]~-

Sunday morning, I roll over, waiting for the thudding pound to radiate from my ankle, but I feel...nothing. I gingerly point and flex my toes, waiting for the tearing agony to scream through my leg. I'm glad when it doesn't happen.

I'm so excited that I could leap out of bed and dance. Then I remember what Rose told me, and I ever so carefully get out of bed using my crutches before clacking my way to the bathroom.

I was an extra good girl yesterday—sitting with my laptop on the couch and my foot propped up on pillows. I didn't walk unnecessarily; I kept it elevated, iced it, and stayed away from the bottle of red that's been staring at me from the kitchen counter. I didn't clean my apartment—although it needed it—and I didn't go for a run...like I really wanted to.

I even braved the shower, which wasn't so bad—I was able to brace myself well enough to get really clean. Looking back, I possibly should have done that the other night—it would have been quicker, and I would have already been out of the shower when there was a knock at the door. I also wouldn't have had my door unlocked.

Yeah, a day cooped up at home left me way too much time for thinking.

Being unable to go out for a Sunday morning coffee means it's either boredom or lack of caffeine that's going to kill me today. Knowing Alice is coming to get me, I dress as quickly as I can. By lunchtime, I'm desperate. I make myself a pot of tea—it will have to do until I can get some real caffeine.

A light rap at the door has me hobbling in that direction using only one of my crutches. I've found it easier to get around my apartment on just one. I'm also less likely to knock over and break stuff if I only have one weapon.

"Hi, Bella!" Alice's cheerful voice fills the hall as I open the door. With a grin, she hands me a cup, which I accept with a moan.

"Alice, if things don't work out with Jasper, I'll totally turn for you."

She winks. "Awww, that's sweet—but if you ever seriously consider playing for the other team, let me at least find you a date first. I fear by the time that happens, we'll have reached a point of no return."

She bustles into my apartment and grabs my purse from the hallstand. I carefully make my way to the living room where I retrieve my phone from the coffee table, snatch up my other aluminium death stick of doom, and turn to head toward the door.

Alice, sensing I'm going to drop everything, gently takes my coffee from me. When I let out a small whine, she assures me she'll give it back when we get to the car.

Getting down the stairs—while a little tricky—is not impossible. I'm only on the second floor, so one flight is bearable. Safely buckled up in Alice's Porsche—crammed in with my coffee and my other two legs—we pull up in front of the building that houses RockFace and RMC Sports Massage before I can say, "Holy shit! Slow down, Alice, or you'll kill us both!"

Alice dances gracefully around the car to help me out. Just as she opens the door, Emmett comes barging out of the warehouse.

"Chalky? You need a hand? Here, let me help."

He makes an attempt to grab me around the waist, but I stop him. I sense he's going to hoist me over his shoulder and haul me into the building, caveman style. Handing him my cooling coffee, I swing-clack into the building and into the door to Rose's clinic. Emmett hands me back my coffee, and I'm greeted by the warm, fresh smell of pine and eucalyptus coming from an oil burner on a side table. Rose is seated behind a large, dark-wood desk. She looks up with a smile as I enter the room.

The reception area of RMC Sports Massage is completely unlike RockFace. It's tastefully decorated in warm neutrals, greens, and browns. A cream sofa rests against one wall, flanked by two armchairs covered in soft-looking, leaf-green fabric. Adorning the walls are large black and white photographs of river scenes, high, rocky cliffs, and one much smaller photograph of the Seattle skyline.

A coffee table sits nestled amongst the chairs, piled with magazines. Among them, I recognize the cover of the Outdoors edition that I had an article featured in a few months back.

The space is cozy. It's small, but it doesn't feel crowded. Being in here, you'd have no idea that the noise and lofty open spaces of RockFace are right through the door. If I'm not mistaken, the bouldering cave is directly above us.

"Rose, wow. It's so nice in here," I compliment.

She smiles. "Thanks, Bella. Although we're predominantly about sports massage, I really want people to be able to come in and forget about the outside world. This is a place of relaxation and healing."

It shows, and I tell her. Rose's glow is so different here—I see glimpses of the girl who sat on my couch eating Thai food and hints of the blonde bombshell from the bar. She's warm yet professional. The confidence she shows in everything she does oozes from her every pore.

She directs me to a smaller, low-lit room set up with a massage table and a small arm chair. She asks me to strip down to my underwear and wrap myself in the robe that's hanging on the coatrack by the door. Doing as she asks, I hop over to the table and settle myself.

Rose asks if I'd like some low music, which I tell her is fine. She removes the bandage on my ankle and sets to work, gently massaging scented lotion into my foot, ankle, and calf.

As she works, she chats. We talk about inconsequential stuff and eventually come around to what brought me to Seattle. I tell her about my solo treks across the countryside and that I'd wanted to settle in one place.

I can't bring myself to speak of the humiliating, Tyler-shaped skeleton that sits in my closet.

When she's done, my ankle feels so much looser. Rose gives me stretches to do, and she leaves the room so I can get dressed.

When I wander back out to her reception area, she waves me off when I reach for my wallet. "Really, Bella. Don't worry about it." ` 1

Looking around, I notice the reception is still empty. "Am I your last client?"

Rose smiles. "No, sweetie, I don't open on Sundays. I came in for you today.."

I'm aghast. "So, you come in on your day off and won't let me pay?"

Shutting down the computer, she looks at me. "Of course. That's what friends are for, right?"

Whether it's because I'm so relaxed from the massage, relief that my ankle is feeling better, or plain old PMS, I respond the only way that makes sense right now. I burst into tears.

Rose's face drops. "Bella?"

I wipe at my face, willing the tears to stop falling. "I'm okay, Rose. It's just that...well..."

Looking at her face etched with concern, I know what it is. None of my new friends would ever turn their back on me or betray me. I'm sure of it.

I hug her, and she hugs me back just as tightly. "Thanks, Rose. Really."

"Anytime," she replies, and I hear the smile in her voice. I sense she knows it's for more than the massage.

The door handle to the outside world turns, and Emmett's head pokes through the opening.

"Can I join in? You know the ladies love an Emmett McCarty sandwich!"

Rose steps out of my grasp and throws the nearest thing to her—a foam stress-ball from the desk—directly at his head. He dodges it easily.

I guess we can all be happy it wasn't a stapler.

He grins, his dimples standing out like punctuation points of happy on his cheeks. "I was going to see if you girls wanted to come upstairs. Alice called Jas, and we were going to have a boulder and order pizza."

I wipe the tears from my cheeks. "That sounds great, Em." I grab my crutches, and Rose turns off the lights in the clinic. Grabbing the laundry bag of massage lotion-covered towels, she follows Emmett and me out the door, locking it behind her.

Emmett insists on carrying me up the stairs. He tells me he knows what Rosalie's massages are like and that I probably feel all sleepy now.

I don't want to know any more about the massages Rose gives him.

He sets me down on one of the crash mats in the bouldering cave, and I watch the others clamber the walls for a while. Pizza is delivered, and the five of us sit around and chat.

"So," says Jasper, nudging my arm. "Two weeks, huh? I can't wait."

I nod as I finish a bite of mushroom pizza. "Yes, two weeks. I should be back to my normal self by then. I can't wait to get my hands on real rock again. It's been...well...months."

"I know what you mean, Chalky!" Emmett enthuses, his mouth full of pizza. Rose slaps him on the arm and tells him to finish his mouthful. He does before he speaks. "So, tell us about this guide you've found us."

I can't help but grin when I think of Jacob and his friends. "You'll love them—they're great guys. I used to hang out with them when I was in high school. We kinda lost touch after I left Forks, though."

I share my experiences of hanging out with the guys. Alice cringes when I show the silvery scar on the palm of my hand, and Jasper and Emmett laugh when I tell them about how I'd clung for dear life to the rope as I was lowered from my first top-rope climb. The problem had been that I'd snatched at the wrong rope, giving myself a nasty rope burn. I'd been very proud of myself for not crying in front of Jake and the others when it happened, but as soon as I'd tried to wash my hair that night, a few tears had gone down the drain with my shampoo suds.

The gym has all but cleared out, and I'm starting to feel a little on the sleepy side. As I stifle a yawn, Alice offers to drive me home. I nod and begin to gather my things.

Alice carries my bag for me as I clamber to my feet, and Emmett lifts me into his arms before I can protest. Realizing that resistance is futile, I let myself be carried down the stairs. As we reach the door, Emmett sets me down onto my two feet and crutches.

I wave to the others—who have made their way down to the ground floor with the empty pizza boxes—and follow Alice out thedoor and into the car. As I'm climbing into her low, low car, Alice calls out.

"Edward, hi!" She waves frantically—as only Alice can—while the Bulldozer strides over.

Why, oh, why does he have to be so good-looking?

"Alice," he greets her. He looks down at me. I feel like I'm sitting on the ground—which I almost am. And he's so tall...

"Hello again, Bella," he says to me. I'm grateful for the dim light of the evening, because my face flushes. I haven't heard him say my name before, and I wish he'd say it again…and again.

I truly don't want to be attracted to him, but he makes it so damn hard.

"Hello," I reply, trying to hide the voice of my inner monologue.

The silence hangs in the air for a moment. Alice looks at me knowingly and walks around to her side of the car.

"So, how are you feeling?" Edward asks softly.

I look down at my hands. "Much better," I tell him. "I had a massage earlier. Um, Rosalie...like you suggested."

He rubs his hand on the back of his neck. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better," he says. He ducks down to my level, and his face is so, so close. If I just lean forward...

Swan! Snap out of it!

At my level, he leans through the open door. "I'll see you during the week, Alice?"

He's so close. My breath catches in my throat.

Alice is grinning so wide that I fear her little face will crack. I have a visual of the top half of her head detaching and bobbing about independently of the bottom half as she speaks. Wasn't there a cartoon or something that had characters like that? I shake my head slightly to get rid of the image. I must be crazy.

"Sure will! Bye, Edward."

He gently closes the door, maintaining eye contact with me. I can't, for the life of me, bring myself to look away.

When I glance over my shoulder and out Alice's rear window, I see the Bulldozer standing on the pavement, hands deep in his pockets, watching us drive away.

-~[YD]~-

My week as a cripple—Emmett's words—flies by. I keep in contact with my team at the Times via teleconference and have a few individual chats with Tanya via Skype. She doesn't seem quite as rattled as she was last week, a fact for which I am glad. She's definitely not quite in the power mode that she was on my first day, but she's not the confidence-lacking woman I found in her office last week. I haven't mentioned anything but wonder about the "assholes" she warned me against.

I spend a bit of time at the gym, people-watching and getting massages from Rosalie. It's funny—it seems her dumping me on the ground was just what we needed to bring us together. We talk easily—she's not the chatterbox that Alice is—and both seem to appreciate a little "quiet time." Every lull in conversation doesn't need to be filled, and it's refreshing.

Rose is not a gossip, which serves her profession well. She mentions that her work tends to make people open up. I suppose it's something to do with the physical contact—that normal no-touching barrier that society presses is broken, and people feel safe. I think Rose sells herself short—while she comes across as aloof and unwilling to share lots of information about herself or anyone else, she's a great listener.

When she does talk of our friends, she's loyal to a fault—I'm glad she's in my corner.

By Saturday, I'm feeling much better. My ankle seems much stronger, and I've ditched the crutches. I enjoy my re-found freedom by running errands. I drop my crutches back at the hospital—waving them a not-so-fond goodbye in the process—and settle in with my laptop for a late lunch at the coffee shop near my house.

Okay, so it might be the same one I saw the Bulldozer at many weeks ago.

I've started coming back here. While initially I'd avoided it, some deep-seated, morbidly curious part of me wants to run into him again. But then I think about it some more, and I don't.

I'm confused. My own mood swings are giving me whiplash.

Several coffees and a tuna melt later, I'm packed up and heading for home. As I go to pull the door of the cafe, it swings before me. I jump back before the door hits me in the face. The last thing I need after only just recovering is another injury.

I mutter an "excuse me" without making eye contact and hurry out into the street.

"No problem," is the deep-voiced reply.

My head snaps up to see the smirking face of the Bulldozer. My eyes widen before I can get a grip on myself. I truly hope he can't read minds—mine's a mess.

"Oh, um...hi," I ever so eloquently respond.

He's standing just inside the doorway of the cafe, and I'm standing just outside. I shift my laptop bag to my other shoulder.

"How's the ankle?" he asks, gesturing toward my feet.

"It's fine."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah."

We both speak at once. "Look, I have to..."

"I'm meeting someone, so I'd better..."

I nod. He does the same.

Of course he is. Meeting someone.

I turn and walk quickly in the direction of my apartment.

Not that I care...

-~[YD]~-

"It's so great to have you back in the office, Bella. I've really missed seeing you around."

I smile at Tanya as we walk into the conference room together. "I'm happy to be back." It's true. Not that I'm in the office that much, but I really like my team. Well, most of them—James still gives me the creeps.

She takes her seat at the head of the table, and I sit to her right, facing the door. Over the next few minutes, the other guys wander in. It's just after Tanya greets us all that James saunters in, late as usual. He takes the long way around the table and sits next to me, which means brushing by Tanya on the way past. I see her shudder slightly as he walks behind her.

Our team leader clears her throat. "So, any issues from this week?"

We go around the table, sharing what we're working on and tossing ideas around. When it's my turn, I excitedly tell them a little more about this weekend's upcoming trip.

I've been in contact with Jake quite regularly. I'm really looking forward to the trip as a whole, but it will be so much better having him and the guys there. I might even get the time to drop in at my dad's if we finish up early on Sunday.

Most of the details have been finalized. Thanks to Alice booking the cabin early, we've got somewhere great to stay. Jake tells me that this weekend is going to be particularly busy, as it's anticipated to be one of the few good weather weekends remaining for the season. The nature of activities will change significantly after that, with people wanting to go ice climbing instead. He leaves those trips to Embry. I don't blame him—I never got into ice climbing. I much prefer the warmer weather.

The team is excited for me. Eric and Alec comment that they'll be interested to see how it goes—Alec and his kids have started climbing at Emmett's gym, and his kids are bugging him to try outdoors.

James, as per our previous meetings, says very little.

Tanya wraps up, and everybody gathers up notepads, tablets, and cell phones. I take a little more time collecting my things, and when I do, I notice James standing between the doorway and me.

I hurry toward the door, sidestepping James on my way past. He matches my step, effectively blocking my exit.

"So, a little weekend away, Bella?" he asks, his arm stretched and propped on the doorframe.

"Yes," I respond. "Like I said in the meeting, I'm going away for the article on group getaways this weekend."

He steps closer to me. I step back, my legs hitting the conference table. James cocks his head to the side.

"Do you have room for one more?" he asks, reaching out with his hand and running his fingertips down my arm.

I freeze. I can talk my way out of pretty much any situation, but here—in this room—I'm cornered. I shake my head. "No."

He smirks. "Come on, Bella. Don't be like that." He reaches for my hand, which I snatch back and grip my notebook. "I just thought I could join you on your little getaway."

"Bella's trip has already been approved, James. The numbers are set." Tanya's cold voice comes from the doorway. She stands with her arms folded and her hard gaze locked on James. Keeping her eyes on him, she addresses me. "Thanks, Bella. You're free to work from home for the rest of today. I'll see you later in the week."

Getting the impression I've been dismissed, I step around James and bolt for the doorway, squeezing by Tanya as I pass. By the time I reach my desk, I'm trembling.

Brushing off Alec's concerned questioning, I stuff my things into my bag and head for the elevator. Tapping my foot impatiently as I wait at the shiny doors, Facebook Gianna speaks to me.

"He's a bit creepy, huh?"

I turn to her, confused. How could she possibly know about the conference room? Knowing better than to badmouth a colleague, I don't answer her comment.

"See you later, Gianna."

-~[YD]~-

Throwing my bag onto the bed of my truck, I clamber into the cabin excitedly. This week has crawled by despite the fact that I've been busier than normal. I turn the ignition in my truck—which fires up on the third attempt—and make my way the few blocks to RockFace. We're all meeting up there and driving in convoy to the lodge for the weekend, having a late dinner when we arrive.

I'm taking my Chevy while Alice and Jasper go with the others in Emmett's Jeep. We could have all ridden together, but I've arranged to drop in at my dad's on the way home.

For the next three hours, it's just my trusty truck, my tunes, and me.

Dancing in my seat with the stereo turned up, I pull up in front of the gym at a quarter past five. My truck gives a longer, more-pathetic-than-normal splutter before the engine dies out.

Huh. Weird.

As I bounce cheerfully through the door of the gym, the first thing I notice is Emmett's large presence behind the counter. He's on the phone.

"Well, just get here as soon as you can...I'll let Chalky know. Bye, dude." He looks up. "Hey! I was just talking about you!"

"I heard," I say as I lean on my elbows on the counter. I grab a copy of Outdoors from the stand on the counter and thumb through the pages. "What's up?"

"That was Jasper," he says, taking the magazine back. I frown. "They're going to be late. There's been some problem with one of the kids he works with, but he and Alice will be here as soon as they can. I have to wait for Rosie, too. She's running behind with her clients."

I nod, but I'm a little disappointed. I'm excited and really want to get on the road. "Oh, that's cool. Mind if I hang out?"

Before Emmett can respond, my phone rings. Seeing Alice's name pop up, I put one finger up, silently telling him to hold that thought. "Hi, Alice."

"Bella, I'm glad I caught you. Have you left home yet?"

"Yes," I reply, "I've just arrived at the gym. Emmett just got off the phone with Jasper—you guys are going to be late?"

"We are," she says. I can hear cars in the background. "Jas is still at work and I'm on my way home now."

I'm semi-conscious of the bell ringing on the door and step to the end of the counter to let Emmett serve them. I look up into the expanse of the gym.

"That's okay, Al. I'll hang around here until you're ready to go."

"That's the thing," Alice says warily. "I told the owners of the cabin we'd pick up the key by nine-thirty. We need someone to get it, but I'm not comfortable with you driving by yourself—"

"It's cool, Al. I can go now and meet you guys up there. I've done the drive before—I'll be fine."

"Chalky?" Emmett calls from over my shoulder. I raise a finger, indicating I'll be with him in a minute. I distractedly watch a young kid halfway up a wall across the gym as I continue to talk to Alice.

Alice clears her throat. "I have a better idea," she starts. "You and Edward can drive there now, pick up the keys, and we'll meet you at the cabin later. He was going to take his own car, anyway."

I blink. "Excuse me?"

"I said—"

"I heard you, Alice," I tell her calmly. "At least, I think I did. Did you say..."

"Chalky!"

I turn to face Emmett, ready to tell him to wait a fucking minute, already. There, leaning casual-cool on the counter, swinging his keys around one long finger...

"You've got to be kidding."

The Bulldozer smirks. "Road trip?"

.

.


A/N: Ahhh, the moment we've all been waiting for! Many of you picked up on what Tanya said a few chapters ago about the six of them going. Poor Bella doesn't always see what's directly in front of her—I guess sometimes we only hear what we expect to hear. Go easy on her, huh? She's had a big few weeks!

I've been thinking lots lately about what inspires stories. I know music can be a big one—it is for me. Characters or stories can be summed up in one song. I've had "Sorry" by Madonna in my head...for obvious reasons ;) What song reminds you of the Bulldozer?

Some Recs:

Read, review and tell 'em I sent you!

Departures by TheFicChick - A OS that I'm seriously hoping will continue. I have no words. It's being recommended all over, so don't miss out—read and review so she'll hopefully write more! ;)

Fatherhood, Formula, and Other F Words by anhanninen—Recently complete and just lovely. I love it when an a**hole Edward redeems himself!

Nobody's Little Girl by HelloElla—A WIP that'll likely tear your heart out—but you'll love every minute.