AN: This chapter is dedicated to my favourite pair of underwear, which have officially died. As I was writing this I discovered a massive hole in the ass of my undies, so this completely un-underwear related chapter is for you!

Chapter Seven:

BPOV

I'd seen better movies in my life.

After half an hour I'd lost complete interest and rested my head on Jacob's arm. By this time I was wishing I'd worn a sweater, so I pulled his warm arm around my shoulders and snuggled into his side. When I next opened my eyes the lights were coming up and there was the rustling movement of people stretching and getting to their feet.

I blinked up at Jacob, who was grinning down at me. 'Tired, are we?'

I pressed my face against his chest. 'You're the one who woke me up this morning,' I mumbled.

I felt a pair of warm lips kiss the top of my head. 'Yeah, about that. You know how I promised an early night?'

I groaned, knowing it wouldn't be good. 'What, Jake?'

'Well your friends want to go for a couple of drinks… But we don't have to if you're too tired,' he added hurriedly.

Sighing, I pushed away from him and stretched, trying to loosen my muscles, which were cramped from sleeping so uncomfortably. The others were in various states of getting up, but no one was in any hurry. 'It's fine. As long as you let me sleep in tomorrow,' I said. 'Promise me!'

After eliciting my promise I let him pull me to my feet and we made our way out into the lobby. Rosalie tore herself away from Emmett and put her arm around my shoulders. 'Like the movie?' she asked, laughing.

I pushed her away, latching onto Jacob's arm. 'At least I was being good while I was not watching the movie,' I retorted, grinning at her.

At Nine's Jacob, Jasper and I waited at the bar for the drinks while the others went to find a free booth. Jacob and I headed back last after a quick conversations with one of my workmates, and there was conveniently room for two more people in the booth, sitting next to Edward. It would have been easy and entirely unremarkable if I'd let Jacob slide in before me, placing a barrier between Edward and I.

But I'd had a good day. Was that a stupid reason? Despite falling asleep at the movies and being extremely tired now, I was in a good mood. I wouldn't call it happy – not truly happy – but I wanted to be, and if I kept hiding from myself then I'd never be truly happy. I knew it might be a mistake to push myself so quickly, but I made a vow to myself as I slid in beside Edward that I'd get to know him for as long as he was here. Maybe if I denied my fear in such a way I'd be able to overcome it someday.

For the briefest moment everyone stared at me, obviously surprised by my move, before glancing away into their own conversations. Maybe it was because I knew something was worth noticing, but to me they were all completely conspicuous, and that made me want to laugh. Edward was the funniest: he continued to stare at me for a few seconds after everyone else had turned away, and he had the strangest look on his face. It was part shock, part joy, and part suspicion? Worry? I ignored that bit and focused on the rest. 'So Edward,' I said, enjoying this moment of newfound lightness. 'What do you actually do back in Chicago?'

Edward looked down at me for another moment. 'I'm a musician,' he said, smiling at me slightly. 'I play the piano.'

Esme pushed her arm across Edward's chest and pushed him back so that she could see me. 'He sings, too,' she told me excitedly. I wasn't sure whether her enthusiasm was for Edward's actual talent or for my question. 'He's really, really good, at both.'

It looked like Edward was blushing, but it was too hard to tell for sure in the dim pub. 'I'm okay,' he conceded.

'No, you're fantastic,' Carlisle insisted. 'Bella, you should get Edward to play for you sometime!'

I smiled up at him with part hesitation and part eagerness. It felt strange to sit too close to him so suddenly, but I was also comfortable. Maybe the challenge I'd set myself wouldn't be as hard as I'd thought it would be.

Jacob leaned forward, pressing his chest against my shoulder to get into the conversation. 'How big a following do you have back in Chicago?'

Edward was suddenly awkward. 'Big enough to get by,' he said quietly.

Alice snorted. 'Yeah, right. Didn't Esme tell me that you're writing music for your second CD? That sounds plenty enough to get by.'

I looked at Edward more closely than before. Was I sitting next to someone famous? Alice would have told me if there was something worth telling, so he couldn't be that well known. He definitely looked like someone who could be famous; he was thin, but although he wasn't as big as Emmett or Jasper he still looked athletic and strong. I took in his tight-fitting shirt and pictured him without it, and I knew he'd be well built. His face was chiselled and his green eyes bright, and his strange bronze hair constantly looked like he'd just run his hands through it.

Edward turned back from Emmett to answer something Jacob had asked him, and as he did so his eyes brushed across me, catching me staring at him. I blushed furiously as his eyes darted back to me, and he smiled crookedly at me before continuing his conversation with Jacob.

After an hour or so I caught Jacob's eye and mouthed that I wanted to leave, although I was really having so much fun I didn't want to. But I was feeling slightly anxious, like I always did on weekends when I didn't have my time to myself. I needed to go home to bed, so I could wake up quicker and have my dozing time in the morning. I hugged Rosalie, who was the only girl I could reach, and smiled warmly at the others. Jacob shook Edward's hand, and the two of them agreed that they'd catch up again sometime before Edward went back to Chicago. Feeling a spur of dare again, I teased Edward that I'd make him perform for me before he went home. He grinned at me and said he would.

The air was freezing when Jacob and I walked home, but thankfully it wasn't windy or raining. Jacob held me close to him to preserve warmth, and we were soon back in our apartment. I fell onto the couch and sighed. 'I had a good time tonight,' I said partly to him and partly to myself.

Jacob's face appeared above me, grinning. 'So did I. I'm glad you did too, but you can't go to sleep on the couch. I don't want to deal with that in the morning.'

I stuck my tongue out at him and let him pull me to my feet. After quickly changing – in the bathroom so he wouldn't see me – I slipped into bed beside him. He wrapped his warm arms around me and I snuggled into his chest.

We lay like that for a few minutes, and soon I was beginning to drift off to sleep. 'Bella,' he whispered suddenly. I was too far gone to reply without waking myself up, so I remained silent, still listening.

He paused, like he was waiting for the reply. I felt him brush his lips across my hair. 'Bella, I wish you were awake so I could tell you how happy I am.' He paused again, but this felt more like a hesitation. 'Bella, I love you.'

I smiled slightly, but something was wrong. Those words were familiar. The tone was familiar. But the sudden feeling of sorrow that I felt, what was that?


EPOV

What a fantastic night.

We stayed at Nine's for quite a while, just drinking and chatting. It made me incredibly happy to see Bella so happy. She was smiling and laughing, but most importantly, she was comfortable beside me! She spoke to Carlisle as much as any of the others, and didn't flinch away or hesitate once. Jacob's arm was draped casually around either her shoulder or her waist, but she seemed oblivious of it. Every now and then she'd be trying to get someone's attention who was talking to someone else, and she'd lean across me to tap their shoulder. I could feel the pressure of her leg flush against mine and her side pressed against my chest. After one time she didn't move back as fully as the last times, and her body remained slightly pressed against mine. Whenever she'd speak to me she'd smile so cheerfully. I wanted to throw my arms around her and hug her tightly, thinking Yes! Yes, be happy! Be comfortable! Be relaxed!

Despite Bella's early protests that she wanted an early night, we remained at the pub until nearly two o'clock. The girls were in the middle of a heated argument about which male character the heroine should have ended up with in a movie they'd seen recently, and us guys were mocking them, laughingly comparing the women in the same movie. I was getting away with the most absurd comments, since all of the other guys had a partner there to retaliate if their suggestions got too rowdy.

Smack!

Emmett's head dropped and smacked onto the table, causing all of us to jump and then stare at him, all conversations forgotten. Rosalie dissolved into a fit of giggles, which caused the rest of us to laugh. 'Can't we just go home already?' he complained loudly.

Thankfully we all lived within walking distance, since none of us were in any condition to drive. Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett took a different direction than us from just outside the pub, but Bella and Jacob's apartment was in the same direction as Alice's. A few minutes down the road I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and pulled it out. I stared at the ID on the screen for a couple of seconds.

TANYA

Why did she have to call now? God, what time was it in Chicago? What time did she think it was here? I didn't want to talk to her, not after having such a great night. Alice noticed the phone in my hand and smirked. I scowled at her as I flipped open the phone.

'Hi, Tanya.'

'Edward! What took you so long to answer? It feels like we haven't spoken in ages!'

She sounded drunk. 'I called you two days ago,' I said flatly.

'Yeah, Edward, I know, but it feels like so much longer! I miss you.'

I asked her to give me a second and turned to Alice. 'I'll catch up with you, okay?'

She frowned at me. 'Are you sure you'll be all right to get home by yourself? You know the way?'

'Edward can look after himself,' Esme said, resting her head on Carlisle's shoulder.

'And I know the way,' I added. 'I won't be long.'

I waited until I saw their backs retreating in the distance before I put the phone back to my ear. I didn't want them to hear me, unsure of how this could go. 'Tanya, the reason why I'm in Washington is because I need some space from you to figure out what I want. It's not called space if you call me.'

'So what, you decide what space we need?'

'No, I decide what space I need. And I need more space than this!'

There was a very long pause on the other end. 'Why, Edward? You already know that you're going to break up with me, so what's the point in drawing this out?'

Sighing quietly, I sat down at the curb. I didn't want to have this conversation yet. 'I haven't decided anything yet, Tanya. Please, Tanya, you agreed to this.'

There was another short silence. I ran my fingers through my hair, frustrated. 'Edward, all I want is a baby,' she said, her voice small. 'Is that too much to ask?'

I hung up.

Esme, Carlisle and Alice were waiting up for me when I reached Alice's apartment. 'What was that?' Esme asked me.

'Nothing. She was drunk and she wanted to talk to me. I hung up on her.'

The three of them stared at me for a few seconds. 'Oh,' Esme said, then walked into the spare room.

Carlisle rolled his eyes at me, clapped me on the back and followed. Alice came forward and hugged me, surprising me. It wasn't a bouncy, excited hug, but a cautious, thoughtful hug. 'I'm not going to tell you what to do, Edward. Just do what's right for you.'

I watched her go, feeling extremely confused all of a sudden. What was right for me? The only thing that I knew was that I didn't want to have a child with Tanya, and I was sick of her moods. Was that a good enough reason to leave her? She hadn't given me an ultimatum, so what was the point in breaking up with her?

I stripped to my boxers quickly and climbed under my blanket on the couch after flicking the lights off. I realised that I'd made my decision earlier today, or perhaps even before that, and that it had been the wrong one. I'd be honest with Tanya, and I'd give her these few weeks like I'd promised her. If she decided that she couldn't live without kids but could live without me, that would be okay. And if I realised I missed her more than I thought I would, and that maybe this absence gave her a few more realistic views of parenthood, I'd give her the child she wanted.

A few minutes later I saw a flashing light from the ground and heard my phone vibrating. I picked it up and looked at the screen.

1 NEW MSG

TANYA

Sighing, I read the message.

I'M SORRY BOUT EARLIER. I'LL WAIT TIL UR READY.
PLZ DON'T BE MAD. I LUV U.

I stared at the message for at least a few minutes before hitting reply.

IT'S OKAY, I'M NOT MAD. JUST LISTEN TO WHAT I NEED.
DON'T CALL ME, I'LL CALL U IF I WANT 2 TALK.
DON'T REPLY 2 THIS. LUV U 2.

I deliberated over the message for a further few minutes, wondering if it was too harsh. But it said everything I needed her to hear, and hopefully this time she'd listen to me. If there was anything that would force my decision, it would be her persistence.

I waited for a reply, fully expecting to get one, even if it was just "okay". But none came, and I was extremely grateful. Despite the fact that it was the early hours of the morning, I didn't feel tired. Usually drinking alcohol made me drowsy if I wasn't doing anything, but right now I felt too alert to sleep. As I lay on the couch with my arms behind my head, staring at the ceiling, images from tonight began to fly through my mind. Emmett so happy with Rosalie, and Alice so happy with Jasper. I was glad to see my cousins so in love, just like I had become so used to with Esme and Carlisle. I knew from meeting the Rosalie twice and Jasper only once that they were good people, and I hoped that they continued to make Alice and Emmett happy. Even Bella was worry-free tonight. I felt like that might have been my doing, by somehow being more easy to be around tonight, but I knew that it must have had something to do with Jacob being there. She fitted with him so easily; I knew she trusted him more than any other man. And he was a good man. He knew there was something there, but he didn't push it for Bella's sake. I hoped he made her happy, because Bella deserved to be happy.

I finally fell asleep with Bella's smiling, carefree face resonating in my mind.

AN: Hope you liked this chapter. I wrote the first a few days ago, but only finished the second half tonight. I'll probably be using my other computer at home to upload for a while since my laptop doesn't have anti-virus software yet and I'd like to keep my laptop, but I'm on school holidays so I'll try to update every few days. I was at a lunch party thing and came up with this really bittersweet moment that will happen later on, I was in a complete daze for almost ten minutes at the party while I was planning it out, and the moment I got home I wrote it all down so I wouldn't forget. I can't wait until this gets further in so I can write some more juicy stuff.

BTW some of the reviews from last chapter really made me smile, and gave me the inspiration to finish this chapter today. I try to respond to all my reviews unless I'm snowed under with school stuff, and I make sure to check out the stories of everyone who reviews/fave's/alerts me or this story. Some of the longer stories are on my to-do list :) but if you'd like me to read something of yours then let me know! I love Twilight fanfic entirely too much.