So... did you go to the marathon or just the BD2 showing? Share! I haven't seen it yet and I need to live vicariously through those who have.

I don't own Twilight. I do own all the soundtracks though! Thanks TwiOthGirly LOL!

~*9*~

Late Saturday night, Edward texts Bella and requests her address, promising to pick her up at five o'clock the next afternoon. All night, Edward is anxious about their upcoming date and can't sleep. It's been a while since he actually dated, since Prom actually, since he never really had a chance to date in college before the shit hit the fan. Unfortunately, this is one of the first nights Jack decides to sleep through the night, so Edward has no good distractions. He's almost tempted to wake his sleeping son just to feed or change him, because he wants to keep his mind busy.

Instead, he grabs the baby monitor and heads downstairs to the living room to begin plotting his date with Bella on his laptop. They haven't really lived in Forks long enough for Edward to get the lay of the land, but he knows there are a few decent restaurants in Port Angeles, so he decides they should go there. The drive to and from dinner will give them a chance to chat Edward figures, as he books an online reservation at an Italian restaurant called 'Bella Italia'. The name of the restaurant doesn't escape him, but he hopes Bella hasn't been there before on another date, with another guy trying to impress her by implying that she's beautiful.

At five o'clock on Sunday, Edward promptly knocks on Bella's front door, his stomach turning over in nervousness. He had a bit of a rough time leaving Jack at home with his mother, but Jack simply gnawed on an arrowroot cookie and smashed his hands against Esme's shirt. Of course, she could care less about any mess that her beloved grandson made, but Edward immediately felt bad. However, Edward had hugged them both and then darted from the house, eager to get to Bella's on time. If he didn't take this step forward, he never would.

When Bella opens the door, Edward simply smiles excitedly. She looks beautiful, not that he expected any less. "Let's go," Bella urges as she grabs his hand and pulls him back towards his beat up Volvo. It had been his baby back in Chicago when he received it as a 16th birthday present, but ever since Jack's birth, Edward had barely paid it any attention. It just serves its purpose.

"So, you're from Illinois?" Bella questions as they pull away from her house. Her eyes flitter to the backseat and she smiles as she sees the car seat, which serves to remind her that she misses Jack.

"Uh… yeah. How did you know?"

"You still have your old plates on," Bella laughs as Edward breathes out a small sigh.

"Yeah, I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to get new ones. It's on my massive to-do list, actually," Edward grins as they pull onto the US-101 W and head out of town. "Have you lived here all your life? I've noticed that's a growing theme amongst the few people I've met. Dr. Gerandy is Jack's pediatrician and apparently he's been here since the dawn of time."

"Well, Gerandy is apparently older than dirt, so that would explain it. My dad has lived here since birth, and his parents were born here too, but I used to live in Phoenix with my mom until just over a year ago. I did my last year of high school at Forks High and graduated in June." Bella knows she is leaving out a ton of information, like why she moved back to Forks, but it's so early on in their first date, Bella just can't bring herself to say anything yet. In fact, Bella wouldn't even mind if Edward didn't fill in all the blanks about Jack's mom tonight; it's far too soon and though she's curious, she's also not sure she's ready to hear the story yet. "When did you graduate high school?"

And so goes the drive to Port Angeles. Edward and Bella discuss high school and their subsequent graduation. Edward was basically the king of his suburban Chicago school and was student body president and an all-star on the baseball team. Bella, on the other hand, was much more of a shy bookworm. She didn't associate much with the other kids in her classes and scheduled them so that she could make it home to help Charlie as much as she could. Of course, Bella just told Edward that she worked after school and it kept her far too busy for socializing.

When they finally reached the restaurant around six, Edward kept his hand at the small of Bella's back as he led her into the small, yet charming, restaurant. There were twinkle lights strung all over the ceiling and Edward ignored the advances of the hostess as she guided them to their secluded booth near a window. Bella was a bit frustrated at the audacity of the blonde who seated them, but Edward was quick to brush off her concerns. After all, Edward only had eyes for the girl beside him.

Dinner was a rather carefree affair, with both of them opting for the mushroom ravioli and a coke, and their conversation was easy. Edward found it nice to be discussing topics like music, books and TV with Bella. On a usual day, most of his conversations revolved around his son, so Edward found it to be a refreshing change of pace. Of course, Edward didn't mind when they did talk about his son either.

"So, how hard is it to be a dad at 19?" Bella asks bluntly as they are leaving the restaurant, and Edward grabs her hand tightly in his as they walk down the road to where his car is parked.

"It was… an adjustment at first," Edward admits easily. He didn't open up to Bella and tell her his entire life story on their date, but he knows she isn't pushing him for details either. She knows about Jack and that there's no mom in the picture, so that's enough for now. He will tell her soon, he admonishes himself. "I mean, I went from sleeping 6 hours a night, to sleeping virtually none. I showered and napped when Jack did, and though it was rough at first, we leatned to make things work."

Bella smiles and leans her head on Edward's shoulder as they walk. "He's an awesome little guy. You are so lucky."

"Yeah, I did luck out. For me, giving him up for adoption wasn't even a consideration. I was all in the moment I saw his chubby little face. That's only happened for me one other time."

"Oh yeah, when was that?" Bella questions as they stop outside his car and she can't help but smile, because in her opinion this has been the best first date ever. Edward can't fight his own smirk and he leans down and kisses Bella's cheek sweetly before whispering in her ear.

"When I met you."