Once again, I must thank the betas for this chapter VotreAmant and UslessEpiphany26. Your wonderful feedback helped me to polish this chapter even with Alice screaming at me to post it already.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who has left a review. Especially to those that leave multiples for different chapters. I don't respond to all of them simply because I feel a little silly saying thank you over and over again in replies. It really is appreciated!

If you're reading and haven't left a review, I still love you too; you just don't get a gold star. *hugs*

Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her was created in my twisted mind.

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Chapter Seven

Bad Day

Alice POV

"No, I didn't order the eight pound paper for the cover. I ordered the eighty pound paper. Why in the name of all that is holy would I want tracing paper for a cover? You're a printer, you tell me. Does anything about that order make any sense to you?"

"No it doesn't, but that's what the computer says."

"Well obviously someone entered it into the computer incorrectly. You know what? You can't fix this and I'm not going to argue with you about it. You need to put an immediate stop on the order, and your manager needs to call me back as soon as he's in."

"Yes ma'am. I'll do that right away."

I hung up the phone and tried to take two deep breaths. "Incompetent- motherfucking-cocksucking-assholes!"

"Wow. Nice to see you too, Alice." Jasper climbed the stairs of our bus and sat on the couch.

"Hey, Jasper." I sighed dejectedly and fell onto the couch across from him. Even the sight of his heavenly body stretched out in front of me didn't make me feel better on this day from hell. Maybe if he was naked…

Bella came out from the back of the bus with a bottle of aspirin and a can of Coke. I was torn between annoyance at her for interrupting my mental undressing of Jasper and joy at seeing the pain relievers.

"Normally, I don't condone the consumption of sugar with caffeine in these quantities, but today you've earned it."

I took the pills and rubbed my temples, willing my headache to go away. "This week has been such a cluster-fuck."

Jasper started to laugh, but stifled it quickly when I glared at him.

"This is not the bus of mirth. This is the bus of the damned, and it is filled with motherfucking misery and torment. If you want to do that laughing shit, take it elsewhere."

Bella smiled sheepishly at Jasper. "When Alice is stressed she channels the long dead sailors that perfected the art of the filthy mouth. Your bleeding ears have probably alerted you to the fact that today is a really bad day."

"What's going on?" he asked innocently.

Throwing my hands up in the air, I stomped back to the bunk area. I started rifling through my bag for my emergency chocolate stash. Unfortunately, I still heard every word of Bella's conversation with Jasper, reminding me of how the universe had suddenly revolted against us.

"Well, today it's the scrapbooks. Somewhere along the line, the order got totally mangled, and everything about it is wrong. They even have the wrong version of the artwork. They only printed about two thousand copies before someone contacted us, but they still think we're paying for them."

"Yeah, they're ass-munches too," I shouted with disgust.

"Yes, Alice, we know that they're ass-munches." Bella sighed and continued our tale of woe. "Anyway, Alice is sorting that out, but it's just been a crappy week. Besides the entire massive issue with the books, there have been problems with the computers. An entire batch of press kits we sent out seem to be MIA, and Alice and I are experiencing the creative equivalent of writer's block because of the stress. We just really need a break, and we're looking forward to the downtime in Kansas."

Jasper let out a low whistle. "Wow, sounds like you two have had a tough week."

"Alice is convinced that it's because of…"

I made my way to the door and smacked Bella on the back of her head. "Do not say the names of those two skanky-ass bitches. We've talked about their bad mojo."

She took a deep breath and turned back to Jasper while rubbing her head. "Fine. We've had a few run-ins with 'They who shall not be named' in the past week. I think they're under some insane delusion that we're the competition. Alice is convinced they're working some kind of bad luck voodoo or something."

"No, that is not what I said. I said that the mere presence of their fucked up brains and negative energy is causing us bad luck. You're the one who called it voodoo. Voodoo is very complex and would require them to learn something. I honestly don't think they have the brain cells."

Jasper nodded slowly. "Well, I wanted to check in with you two. Paul seemed a little concerned when he passed by this morning and heard you screaming random obscenities."

"They were not random, there was a very strong sentiment behind every single one," I informed him calmly.

"I'm definitely getting that, so I'm going to go back inside. I hope that you guys get this sorted out before it kills Alice. Let me know if I can do anything to help."

He disappeared at top speed. I took the liberty of watching his amazing ass every second until he disappeared into the building. For the first time I cursed his long legs, because they ended the scene far too quickly. I sunk back into my foul mood. Absolutely everything was working against me today. I let out a growl of frustration and turned to Bella. "I've never been to Denver before but I don't plan on ever coming back."

Bella came over and gave me a hug. "Aw, honey, you can't judge the whole city based on one bad day. We don't have to work sound check today. What do you say we get out of here for a short session of retail therapy?"

"You're suggesting we go shopping? Have I been that bad?"

"Well, I think Jasper is a little scared of you now."

I moaned and lowered my head onto Bella's shoulder.

"Come on, I'm calling us a cab. Spending grotesque amounts of money always cheers you up."

"Seriously? You're going shopping with me voluntarily? The last time I tried to take you, you bribed a random fan to let you hide in their car."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. You're in need of cheering up, and I would walk through the fires of hell to do it…or in this case go shopping."

I cheered and hugged her again before running to my bunk. Recently, I had been using my black Givenchy Hobo handbag on the rare occasions that I needed one, but I was in the mood for something brighter today. After considering my choices for a moment, I dove into the spare bunk and dug out my white Louis Vuitton Multicolore Speedy. The bright multicolour monograms were exactly what I needed on a dark day like today. Bella was already sighing impatiently in the front as I moved everything from one bag to the other.

"I don't suppose I can talk you into that 'fires of hell' thing. I hear it's good for the skin."

I chuckled darkly. Today was going to be fun, no matter what mood I was in. "No way, the offer has been made and you're committed. Now let's go get me my fix!"

-==\\/==-

Jasper POV

Edward called to me as we finished sound check and I waited for him to catch up before continuing on to the dressing room sitting area.

"Have you seen the girls at all today? Bella looked like crap yesterday. I don't think she's sleeping well." The concern in Edward's voice was more than idle. I smiled to myself at his determination to downplay his interest in Bella.

"Yeah, I talked to them this morning, and Bella checked in with me before they left. She took Alice shopping."

"Oh. Wait… she did what?" Edward probably would have been less surprised if I told him Bella was carrying a litter of kittens to term.

"I know, I was shocked too, but they've had a rough week. I was talking to them this morning about it. I think Bella was trying to get Alice's mind off it."

"Wow. I knew they were close but for Bella to inflict that upon herself… that's pretty selfless."

We had all learned of Bella's and Alice's opposite attitudes towards shopping over the past few months. We'd witnessed Alice pleading with Bella to accompany her shopping many times. Bella had even been known to hide in our bus once or twice so Alice couldn't track her down before she set out on a shopping trip of epic proportions. That had stopped the day Alice knocked on our door and demanded we produce Bella or she would take one of us with her instead. Of course, Emmett planted a kicking and screaming Bella outside the bus within minutes. We liked her, but there was a limit to the sacrifices we'd make.

I snorted, but was instantly drawn to the distant sound of someone yelling furiously outside. Edward shot me a puzzled glance, and we made our way to the back of the venue. Most of the crew were standing by the partially open doors and taking advantage of the shadows to watch the spectacle unseen. As we approached, Carlisle gave us an amused smiled.

There was a small gathering of fans by the bus. In the middle of the group, Alice was shrieking at a petrified looking Lauren and Jessica. Bella had a hand on Alice to restrain her, but she wasn't putting a whole lot of effort into it. We were obviously joining an argument that was in progress.

"…Neither of you have fucked any of the band members or the crew. I know this because when Emmett's girlfriend told you to stay away from him, you both almost pissed your fucking pants. Jasper and Edward have done their best to be nice to you, but since you can't help but throw yourselves at them like pathetic whores whenever you see them, they're both avoiding you now too. As for the crew, they're all way too attached to their private parts to risk putting them anywhere near you two. It would probably be healthier for them to go to a local junkie and get some used needles to stick directly into their dicks."

I heard a few sharp intakes of breath and look around to see most of the crew wincing. I also noticed that Sam had his phone out and was recording the altercation. He noticed my glance and mouthed back, "for Emily."

I chuckled and turned my attention back to Alice as her voice got even more venomous. "Listen to me you skanky-ass bitches, no one wants you here. The crew spends half of the day just trying to avoid you and your vomit-inducing offers. You're both nothing but damned nuisances. The day before yesterday when you offered Sam a blow job for backstage passes pretty much sealed your fate. The girl you pushed aside to make that offer was his fiancé, and even the fact that she's quite visibly pregnant didn't stop you. Let's just say no one was impressed. I know you two aren't exactly high class, but that was a new low even for you."

Lauren's expression became more furious as she looked at the growing crowd with embarrassment. "Who do you think you-"

Alice cut her off. "As far as you're concerned, I may as well be God. Bella and I are in charge of all the access to the band. If you want to see them, you better impress the fuck out of us, and so far… not so much. Stop chasing anything with a penis, because it's not going to help you. As of now you are 'persona non gratae' at all shows and events. That means you're not welcome anywhere near the band, the crew, or the buses. I don't care if you win a contest, or happen to parachute into Jaspers lap, I will call security and have them on your ass so fast that even you would be shocked. And believe me when I tell you that if security isn't available I'll be more than happy to kick your fucking asses to the curb myself."

I suddenly felt the need to adjust my pants. "Good God, I think that's possibly the hottest thing I've ever seen." A few low chuckles came from the men around me.

Alice turned her back on the blondes and stomped toward the venue as the watching crowd burst into scattered laughter. Bella followed her friend while suppressing a smile.

Alice threw the door open and froze as she saw us gathered inside. Her eyes quickly found Carlisle and her face filled with regret.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle. I know I overstepped there, but they were just getting so out of control…"

Our manager started the applause and the rest of us joined in. Jacob and Sam bowed a couple of times chanting, "We're not worthy!"

Bella and Alice burst out laughing. When Lauren and Jessica heard the applause through the open door they stormed off through the crowd.

Carlisle quieted us down. "Alice, you've just saved me from a very unpleasant conversation. I may have left out some of your more… vibrant phrasing, but other than that, it all needed to be said. Don't worry about it. Besides, it was quite entertaining."

"What brought that on, anyway?" Edward asked.

A look of disgust crept across Alice's face. "They had the nerve to try and ruin my shopping high. We dropped our bags off in the bus and by the time we came back out, they were waiting with the other fans. We've tried really hard to go out of our way and be nice to them all week, but when we heard the stories they were telling out there, I kinda lost it."

"Kinda?" Bella laughed.

"Okay, so I lost it completely, but you should have heard what they were saying… well no, it's probably better that you didn't. Let's just say they were sharing some very graphic stories about their time spent with all of you."

I suppressed the need to vomit at that thought. With the way the others groaned, I doubted that I was the only one.

"Well, Alice, I honestly didn't think that I'd ever say these words, let alone to a woman, but thank you for defending my honor." I did a quick curtsey and the crew laughed again.

Alice snorted and left for production. The rest of the guys drifted away until Edward, Bella and I were the only ones left at the door. Bella was still staring after Alice when Edward spoke.

"Bella? Are you sleeping at all? You look like crap."

"Huh? Oh sorry, yeah I'm sleeping… I'm just stressed. It's been a long week. Way to boost my confidence, though!"

I laughed as she punched him in the arm and headed down the hall. Edward's eyes followed her until she was completely out of sight.

"You've got it bad."

"I've got it bad? Okay, Mr. 'that's possibly the hottest thing I've ever seen.'"

I grunted and wandered over to the stage area to find Sam.

"Hey Sam, could I uh…"

"Yeah, I know you want a copy of the video. You and everyone else. They all want to send it to their girlfriends at home. Even Carlisle wants to send it to Esme. He doesn't think she'll believe what Alice did. I'm gonna borrow his laptop now and download it. I'll mail it out to everyone as soon as I do. I can't wait for Emily to see it. She was so upset the other day." The laughter on Sam's face quickly gave way to anger and he stalked off to production.

I found my way to the dressing room and stretched out on the couch. I couldn't deny the fact that I was developing a fascination with Alice any more than Edward could deny his interest in Bella. I just couldn't help the feeling that there was a part of her that I wasn't getting to see. It wasn't that I felt they were hiding something, they were just very adept at steering conversations away from their personal lives. Even their common likes and dislikes were a mystery to me. It seemed that beyond their jobs, I knew hardly anything about either of them.

It was about six o'clock when supper arrived. The dressing room filled up with hungry men laughing over today's events. Lauren and Jessica had been a thorn in everyone's sides, and we were all happy at the possibility of them leaving us alone.

Bella joined us about twenty minutes later. She was putting a good effort into acting normal, but I had always been good at reading people, and I saw the worry in her eyes. I expected that the blow up in the parking lot would have let off a little steam, but oddly it seemed to have the opposite effect. Edward noticed it too, and he was trying to get her to participate in the conversation rather than blend into the background.

I abandoned my meal and decided to go in search of Alice. If Bella was the one choosing to be social while the ever happy Alice was nowhere to be seen, something was definitely off. I didn't fail to notice Bella's worried glance following me out of the room. I was going to start my search on the bus, but as I passed production I saw her. She was sitting at a table, facing the wall with her laptop open in front of her.

"Alice! There you are. You're missing supper. Sam and Jacob are inhaling it as we speak. You better get in there if you want some."

She jumped when I said her name but didn't turn around. She took a deep breath before answering. "That's okay, Jasper, I have some stuff to finish up here. Bella will save some for me. I'll join you there in a bit."

Her voice was quiet, but it sounded shaky and flat, not at all like the Alice I had known for months.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yep, everything's just peachy!" Alice was unfailing cheery, but I had never heard forced cheeriness from her. Something about it made my stomach knot up.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer me so I grabbed Carlisle's chair and dragged it over to her before sitting down. "Alice?"

"Nothing is wrong, Jasper. At least nothing that matters or that can be fixed or changed." This time I heard the tears in her voice and I leaned in to see her face.

The tears streaking down her cheeks seemed so foreign, so wrong that it shocked me. I felt the sudden need to move heaven and earth to fix whatever it was that made her cry. I moved on instinct and did the only thing I could think of to help. I reached over and wrapped my arms around her.

Even though she was upset, the feeling of having her in my arms was so right. She completed a physical part of me that I didn't know was missing. Having her in my arms was perfect, it was home. The feeling of contentment stunned me for a moment; I barely noticed her pulling away until I suddenly felt empty.

"I'm sorry. I feel like an idiot." She wiped at her wet cheeks.

"Hey now, I won't have any of that. Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"It's honestly stupid and pointless."

"And yet I'm still not leaving you alone until I hear about it."

She sighed. "Well, you've already been clued in on the long stressful week portion. Today was just the icing on the cake I guess. I lost it with Lauren and Jess…"

I cut her off. "Alice, no one blames you for that at all. Even Carlisle said they deserved it."

"Regardless, it was unprofessional. It wasn't my place to talk to them like that or to ban them from the shows. I did it in front of everyone I work with and in front of fans. It's not something I'm proud of no matter how much they deserved it. Now it seems I'll never be able to live it down." She pointed to her computer where an email from Esme was open. I read it quickly, Esme was nothing but supportive of Alice and her actions. In fact, she seemed downright proud. The video was also open and paused about halfway through.

I could understand where she was coming from. One thing I had learned about these two is that they put a lot of effort into being consummate professionals. Alice equated her performance this afternoon to failure on that front.

"Okay, I get that. I really do, but you have to understand something too. What's the longest tour you guys have ever done?"

She looked confused for a moment before answering. "Six weeks, give or take."

"Right and how long have we been on the road now?"

"I dunno, three months maybe?"

"That sounds about right. So for three months we've all been together constantly. Day in and day out, we're all living together. You cannot be 'on' all the time on a tour like this. People argue and fight, we get annoyed with each other, and we get stressed out and do stupid things.

"Even Emmett, Edward and I don't have to be camera ready all the time. We have interviews and shows of course, but we have a lot of down time where we just get to be ourselves and not worry about appearances. I don't think that you've let yourself have any down time. Even when you two aren't actively working you're carefully editing yourself for us and the crew. It's bound to take its toll, Alice.

"I get that you want to do the job and do it well and whatever other mantras you're repeating in your head, but you can't be perfect twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, for six months."

"So, in short you're saying..."

"Shit happens."

She laughed, and I smiled as the sound washed over me. "Wow, that's your big philosophical statement? Shit happens?"

"It's gotten me this far."

"Thanks, Jasper."

"Anytime, you know, if you and Bella didn't let yourselves get so wound up in the first place, you probably wouldn't have needed a breakdown. Less work! More play!"

"You make a terrible boss, you know that?"

"But a fun one."

"Indeed." She shot me a wicked grin that made my stomach knot up in an entirely different way than her tears. "Go eat your dinner. I'm not going to be responsible for you passing out during the show because of low blood sugar. I'll be there in a few minutes."

-==\\/==-

Bella POV

I bolted upright as my eyes darted around the room. The shout of insults and accusations still echoed in my head. Everything slowly came into focus and my surroundings became familiar again. Alice and I dealt with stress very differently. As the entire crew had experienced today, she got moody and swore like a sailor, whereas stress for me meant my nightmares came back. They had been bothering me all week. Normally Alice would have picked up on it by now, but she was so caught up doing damage control with the printers that she wasn't as observant as usual.

Even if she had noticed, there was nothing she could do about it. She would just worry and try to watch me more closely. I was well aware that we both had enough on our plates already, so I was perfectly happy not being something else for her to stress over.

The way that Alice had blown up at Lauren and Jessica was proof of how overworked she was. I stifled a giggle at the memory. She had tried to apologize to Carlisle three more times before he told her that he'd fire her for apologizing if she didn't stop. She just felt really bad for losing her cool.

The sound of Alice's even breathing filled the quiet hotel room. After punching my pillow into shape, I stretched back out in bed. Thirty minutes later, I was still tossing and decided to accept that sleep was a pointless effort at the moment.

I grabbed my pile of clothes from the floor and padded silently to the bathroom. Even if it was two-thirty in the morning, I didn't want to get dressed in the dark and end up walking around the hotel with my shirt inside out and backwards.

Checking that the keycard was still in my pocket, I made my way from the room silently. I was in the elevator before I realized I didn't bring my laptop with me for something to do. I knew there was no chance of getting back in the room and getting my computer without waking Alice so I decided to wander around instead.

I was passing the closed restaurant when I heard the piano. I stopped and closed my eyes as the muted notes of Chopin's Prelude Number Four washed over me. The piece was perfect for my darker mindset at the moment. I felt drawn to the music and stood in the hall debating about sneaking into the restaurant.

I approached the door and saw that it had been propped open to allow the player access. As the light notes of Clair de Lune filled the air, my mind was made up. I knew I needed to hear more so I slipped inside the room and pressed myself against the wall.

The room was dark except for soft lights that illuminated the raised platform with the grand piano. I had never played but even I admired the beauty of the instrument when we had eaten here earlier in the day. I was so taken with the divine music, I almost failed to notice the musician.

It didn't surprise me to see Edward sitting on the bench in front of the piano. Somehow, from the first note I heard in the hallway, I knew it was him. I watched intently as his hands floated softly over the keys. His eyes were closed and his face serene. Although he was dressed in grey sweats and a ratty t-shirt I'd never seen him look more breathtaking. I watched as his fingers caressed the keys for the final notes of the song.

The next piece he plated was Moonlight Sonata. I sighed and leaned my head against the wall. It was impossible that he heard me over the heavy bass notes, but the music stopped, and he turned toward me. My heart started pounding in my chest. I suddenly felt like an intruder on a very private moment. It was dark where I was standing, so I was fairly certain that he couldn't make me out but he continued to stare right at me.

"Sorry, I was wandering and I heard the music so I came to investigate. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Bella?"

My voice tried to abandon me but I still managed to squeak out a yes.

"What are you doing hiding back there? Come up here."

I took a moment to remember how to move my legs and walked toward him. "I really am sorry, I honestly didn't mean to interrupt… I just couldn't resist."

Edward laughed softly. "You're not interrupting, but what are you doing up? Jasper told me that you guys had a conference call early tomorrow about the printer debacle."

"Technically, that call would be later today. I just couldn't sleep. I thought I'd wander around a bit to wear myself out."

Edward patted the bench beside him. "Sit down." He turned back to the piano and played idly. "That was my plan too but then I remembered that I saw this at supper. I managed to talk the kind woman at the front desk into opening the door for me."

I sat down on the bench and reveled in the heat of his body next to me. "Something tells me that you're very good at talking women into things." A bright blush filled my face as I realized the double meaning to my statement.

He chuckled softly and continued to pick out a melody on the keys. "I only use my powers for good, don't worry."

"Like rescuing kittens from trees and talking concierges into opening restaurants?"

"Precisely." A crooked smile graced his face. "If you ever lose a kitten or need a midnight snack, I'm your man."

We were quiet again while he played. The movement of his hands mesmerized me. He shifted to reach the higher notes and our hips pressed together. My gazed drifted up his arms to his face. His eyes were closed again and his head was tilted back. His mouth was slightly parted and I found myself staring as his lips as the piece ended.

He turned to me, and I was pierced by the brilliant green depths yet again. I gave myself a mental shake and reminded myself that staring at him while he was looking at me did not fall under the category of subtle.

"So... um… what's keeping you up?" If I was speaking to him, it gave me a perfect excuse to look at him.

He smirked. "Nothing serious, I needed to make a decision… if I wanted to pursue something or not. I didn't really expect to make any headway on the problem tonight, but it seems that the answer found me anyway."

"Oh…" The convoluted meaning to his statement eluded me, but he didn't seem to want to offer any clarification, so I moved on to another topic. "What's your favorite piece to play?"

"There are a lot of them. What's your favorite to listen to?"

"You were playing it when you uh… saw me."

He smiled and started playing Moonlight Sonata again. He continued to watch me as he played, but I found his intense gaze difficult to meet. I lowered my head and watched his elegant fingers play. I tried to concentrate on the sound of the music rather than the man sitting next to me, but it was difficult. He finished the song and paused thoughtfully before speaking.

"I didn't see you, you know. I just knew you were there somehow. It was like I could feel you there or something. It was strange. Sorry, I'm not making much sense, I'm too tired."

"No, I know what you mean…" I had felt the same thing when I knew that it was Edward playing before I had entered the room. I felt suddenly exposed and my mind grasped for a topic change.

"Would you like to go grab a drink?" Edward asked. Maybe he sensed the tension as well.

I checked my watch and was surprised to see it was already past three. "I should probably give sleep another try, but a drink first sounds good."

He nodded and stood up from bench, motioning for me to go first. We headed back through the lobby where Edward thanked the woman at the desk before we proceeded into the restaurant.

He went to the bar to order something with alcohol but I hunted down some herbal tea before settling into the booth Edward had chosen. "You know alcohol won't help you sleep. Well, it will help put you to sleep, but the quality of your sleep will be less."

"Is that so?"

"Yep, studies show that alcohol consumed directly before sleep can result in disruptions to the second half of the sleep cycle." Way to spew random facts at him, Bella! I shouted at myself.

"Reading sleep studies is a hobby of yours, is it?"

"Not really, I've just done a lot of research over the years. Practical knowledge and all that…"

"So, sleepless nights aren't new to you then?"

"I've had my share of them," I said evasively. The last thing I wanted to talk about right now were my nightmares.

"So…" I decided to attempt a topic change and get the focus away from me. "I've read all the label biographies on you and the band, but I had no idea that you were classically trained. I mean I know you guys write your own stuff and it's obvious that you know your way around the technical aspects of music… Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. You play wonderfully," I ended lamely.

He smiled. "Thank you. I've actually been playing since I was very young. My mother played, and when I showed an interest she started teaching me. I think music helped me to keep my sanity over the years. There's something about being able to pour your soul into playing whether you're ecstatic or depressed. I've always found it very cathartic.

"Even to this day, something will move me and I have to play to get it out. Otherwise, it'll just sit in my head and eat away at me."

"Ah, so that's why you seek out the piano when you're decision making."

"Exactly," his smile widened and I felt my heart melt. "What about you, is work your outlet?"

"I don't know about that. I mean I love my work. When I'm into a project that I love, I get into this mindset where everything flows and falls into place. It's almost like an adrenalin rush when everything is going well. But as far as outlets go, mine is probably Alice; we talk about everything.

"She knows me very well, better than I know myself sometimes. And she has a way of pulling problems out of me and getting me to talk about things when I'm trying to bury or hide them." I felt myself blush as I realized we were working our way around to my problems again. I wondered if he was doing this on purpose.

"That makes sense, but when she's stressed out like she is now, she must be less in-tune with you. Not to mention that she's busy so she would have less time to spend on things like that. So you took her shopping today to help her de-stress, but what did you do for yourself?"

Damn, he was perceptive. I made a production of removing my tea bag and adding some honey to my tea while I thought about how to answer his question.

"Well, I think Alice's performance in the parking lot today was stress relief for the both of us." I chuckled and watched his reaction.

I saw the disapproval creep across his face but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "Are you looking forward to the start of the festival shows next week?"

We were finally heading into a handful of dates that were summer festivals. They were enjoyable, not only because they had lots of local food and vendors, but they also had a lot of different bands. It was like an all day party. Alice and I always enjoyed the atmosphere.

"Yeah! Alice is already gushing about the natural light and all the photographic possibilities it presents. You guys are pretty active on stage and if we don't have to time our shots around your light show, we can get some action shots. Esme has high hopes that that we can get lots of material for promo use so make sure you look pretty."

"I make no promises, but I'll see what I can do," he said with a raised eyebrow.

I was starting to feel myself get tired again which was a dangerous thing around Edward. I always found his presence intoxicating, but now with the laughs and smiles he was giving me, I was smitten. I needed to get to the safety of my room before I said something I regretted.

"Well, I think it's time for me to give sleep another try. Alice will be less than impressed if I pass out during our call. Plus, I need to be on the ball in case she sets out to kill anyone."

Edward chuckled as I stood up.

"You think I'm joking. She's dangerous when she's mad. Ok, goodnight, Edward. Thanks for keeping me company."

"Same to you. Good night," he said with a small bow of his head. He stood as I left the table.

As I left the restaurant, I glanced back and saw him watching me with a crooked grin. I waved at him a final time and walked into an open elevator. Impressively, when I got to my room, I managed to get the door open, undress and get under the covers without waking Alice. I was still smiling as I drifted off to sleep.

-==\\/==-