A/N: Reviews, subscriptions, favorites are loved by me, as I've said before. Someone seriously needs to take away my iPod. It's both upsetting and inspiring me. But don't worry about that. Oh, and I've posted the ladies' dresses for this chapter. All you got to do is go to my profile. Now, just read, review, and enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's probably not owned by me.


"Before all of this ever went down,

In another place, another town,

You were just a face in the crowd.

Out of a dream, into the sky,

Into my heart, into my life,

You were just a face in the crowd…"

Face In the Crowd by Tom Petty


"You did wonderful," Edward complimented me as we went back to the hotel. "My parents love you already, I can tell."

"Maybe they were just being nice," I said. "They could have been trying to just let me down easy. That's possible."

Alice slapped my arm. "Will you quit doubting yourself? You are a smart, beautiful, funny, charismatic, loving, interesting, young lady. How can someone not like you?"

"They meet you," I muttered and heard Edward and even Jasper laugh.

"Miss Bella," Alice said in a warning tone. "You better watch what you say to me 'cause you know that I will single-handedly dismantle you. Got that?"

"Got it," I mumbled in response. Louder, I said, "Honestly, Edward, your parents are so sweet. And still in love. Did you see the way they were looking at each other when we came in?"

Edward shuddered loudly and visibly. "Please, please don't remind me."

"But it was adorable," I protested. "There was such a love in their eyes."

Jasper chuckled. "Yeah. You know what they were going to do after dinner."

"Jazz!" Alice chastised.

"What were they gonna do?" Lily asked. She was staring right up at Jasper, curious to see what he would say.

But she wasn't the only one awaiting his answer. All eyes were on him as he struggled to respond. He looked around for us to give him some help but he wasn't getting any. "Um…Well, you see, Lil…Yeah, uh…They were just going to watch some…cooking shows. Yeah."

"Okay," Lily said, satisfied. No more of an explanation was needed for her.

The adults, however, wanted the said explanation and were not going to rest until they heard it.

Edward, an evil grin planted on his face, looked intently at Jasper. "So, uh, what kind of cooking shows will they be watching?"

Jasper stared, wide-eyed at him. "Well, um, you know…the ones where the people…cook."

Even Alice was into putting her boyfriend on the hot seat. "Jazz, I hate to tell you this but every cooking show has people cooking. Maybe you didn't pick that up or…"

"Oh, will you guys quit it?" Jasper pleaded.

"Okay," I conceded. "But only until we get back to the hotel."

At the hotel, we decided to let Jasper off the hook because we had no jokes to mock him with. Edward, Lily, and I parted ways with Alice and her guy at our doors.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Alice said excitedly. "Ooh, you know I just can't wait. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the director doesn't have to feel the wrath of Alice Brandon."

"No one wants that," I told her before she disappeared into her room. I turned back to Edward, who was opening our door. "You think your parents really do like me?" I asked.

His eyes lit up as he said, "Believe me, Bella. They liked you. My mom even wants to get to know you even better. I think she's planning all sorts of lunches for the two of you for when we get back to Washington. She's crazy."

Our door was open and Edward motioned for Lily and me to go in. Lil was looking tired so I got her ready for bed and put her into the crib that had been assembled earlier in the day. "Good night, princess," I told her, even though she conked out the moment her head hit the pillow.

Edward was sitting on an ugly patterned couch in front of the television. He had already changed out of his clothes from dinner and was wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else. He might not have been looking at me but I was definitely looking at him.

Before he could realize that I was gawking, I brought myself out of my ogling. "What are you watching?" I wondered, trying to distract myself.

He shrugged. "It looks like 'King Of the Hill' is on," he answered. "Want to watch."

"Just let me change," I told him and walked into the bedroom.

My suitcase was lying on the floor so I picked it up, threw it on the bed, and tore through it, looking for my nightclothes. Shorts and a t-shirt with holes were going to have to work. I put the clothes on, then came to a sudden realization.

I was close to running back to where Edward was. "Hey," I whispered, not wanting to wake Lily. "Have you looked at the whole room thing?"

Edward, not taking his eyes off the TV, said, "Um, yeah. What's wrong with it?"

What's wrong with it? I internally shouted. I just had to get to the point if he didn't comprehend. "Did you happen to notice that there is only one bed?"

"Oh," he said like it was nothing. "Yeah, I guess so. Why?"

He still wasn't catching what I was throwing at him. I had to spell it out for him. "There's one bed and there's two of us. Does that mean we'll be sharing a bed?"

Now, his eyes were locking with mine. His face was puzzled. "That's how it would seem, Bella. Is that a problem?"

"Well…"

He chuckled at me. "All right. If you don't want to share a bed, that's perfectly fine. I'll take the couch." He shrugged, showing it was no big deal.

But to me, it was a big deal. "No, no, no," I said. "I'll take the couch. You have the bed."

Standing up from the sofa, he began walking toward me. "Bella, I will not have you sleeping on a couch. That would be very wrong of me."

My hands on my hip, I stared at him. "But, Edward, it's fi—"

"I said that you will not sleep on the couch. So stop trying to say it's fine," he said. "I have slept on a couch before. Doing it once more is not going to kill me."

The way he was looking at me—and the fact that he was shirtless—made my resolve weaken. "Oh, fine," I caved while mentally reprimanding myself for being such a softy. "Sleep on the couch. But don't come complaining to me when you're uncomfortable."

Edward got real close, giving me a good view of his smoldering eyes. "And don't come crying to me when you're upset 'cause you don't have my arms around you when you're sleeping." He then gave me a quick, chaste kiss and went back to the couch. "Well, come on," he said. "Let's watch some animated Texans."

x-X-x

When I woke up the next morning, my gut was telling me that it was going to be a hectic day. My nose, however, told me it was going to be a tasty day. I got a whiff of something that smelled positively delicious so I followed it to the kitchen.

Edward was there, staring intently at some bacon in the skillet. He must have heard me approach because he turned around suddenly. "Breakfast?" he asked.

My smile was wide and bright as I said, "Yes, please," and sat at the little table.

A moment later, Edward, who still was lacking a shirt, sat a round plate in front of me. "
Bacon and eggs," he said. "If you want anything else, just let me know." He smiled and returned back to the stove.

The food sitting in front of me appeared good but looks can be deceiving. The only way I would know for sure that it was edible was to take a bite. Or ten thousand. As soon as I ate one piece of the eggs, I knew that I shouldn't have doubted Edward's cooking ability. Everything on the plate was fantastic. "You write amazing books, are a perfect gentleman," I listed when I finished eating, "and you cook really well, too. What can't you do?"

Taking a seat right across from me, Edward thought over my question. "What can't I do?" he asked himself. He snapped his fingers. "Got it," he said. "I can not knit to save my life."

I chuckled at him. "And what would you need to knit for?"

"Well, you see, my grandmother on my mom's side always wanted a granddaughter, but since I'm an only child, she never got one," he explained. "So she used to complain that there would never be another girl in the Platt family to carry on how great of a knitter she was." He shook his head, while laughing. "She always made me feel guilty about being born a boy. Grandmas are really strange."

"Well, your grandmother is," I told him.

"Don't insult my grandma," Edward said. "Just because I did that doesn't mean you can." At first, I thought he was seriously upset with me but then I saw him smirk at me and knew that he was just kidding.

I changed the subject. "I am going to be so awful at the premiere," I said, worry lacing my voice. "The moment one question is fired at me, I'm going to put my foot in my mouth."

Edward shook his head. "Alice was right," he mumbled. "You do doubt yourself too much. You're going to be perfectly fine. And when you can't think of anything to say, just laugh, look at me, and I'll answer the question for you while looking at the beautiful blush on your cheeks."

As if the aforesaid blush had a mind of its own, it showed its face, much to my chagrin. "All of those reporters and stuff are going to think I'm such an oaf. I'll probably fall in my heels right in front of them." I stared down at the table.

"Hey, hey," Edward said, putting his hand under my chin to see my face again. "Why are you being such a downer right now? All those reporters are going to see is that I am probably the luckiest guy in the world to have you on my arm. It's going to be perfect."

It was a small assurance but a big one all at the same time. I found it amazing that just a few words could leave such an impact. I was instantly calm, something Edward seemed to be at all times. "What are we going to do today then?" I asked, not wanting to think about my initial unease. "Or are you doing author things?"

"No, I'm not doing 'author things,' whatever that is." He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I don't care. What are you interested in doing? Going to Melrose and shopping? Hanging out in Malibu with the elite?"

I leaned back in my chair. "See, that sounds like something Alice would want to do, not me. I would so much rather just sit around here, doing nothing or watching shows."

"Then that's what we'll do," Edward said. "We'll watch TV. As long as it doesn't involve any cooking programs."

Just a couple hours later, Alice was pounding on the door to our room. "Open up," she called. "We've got business to take care of."

"No, we don't," I replied.

"Fine," sighed Alice. "But I do have to help Lily get ready. I promised her. And I refuse to break a promise."

"Then go get her," I said. "I think she's still sleeping. If you want to crush a child's dreams by waking her up, be my guest."

Alice laughed at my statement. "Oh, can it, Swan. You have no clue what you're even talking about. You know that it's every girl's dream to get to play dress up." After a small pause, she said, "Well, every girl except for you."

I nodded in agreement. "You're right on that one. But is it such a necessity that you have to get her ready right now? The premiere is not for a few hours."

A glare from Alice was the first response. The second was her speaking in a cutting tone. "You know how I work, Swan."

I did my best to glare back at her but it didn't work out too well. "I'm pretty sure I hate how you work," I mumbled.

"I heard that," she sang. "Now where is the little munchkin?"

"I told you, she's sleeping."

Recognition came to her eyes. "Oh, yeah. You did say that, didn't you? Well, I'm just going to go fetch her." She ran to the room where she knew Lily would be.

Edward looked at me. "I know I don't know her very well, but I would like to caution you that I think she's getting Alzheimer's or something."

I shook my head. "No, I don't think that's it. Wanna hear my theory?" I didn't really care what his answer was because I was going to tell him anyway. "You see, I think that, even though she's only eighteen, she's going into menopause. It's the early stages."

He was still looking at me, trying to keep a straight face but he soon couldn't contain himself. He began shaking with laughter. "That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard," he finally said.

"Just think about it," I advised him. "It all comes together, trust me."

x-X-x

It was getting late into the evening, around eight o'clock, and Lily looked like she was about to fall asleep again.

"Were you trying to make her look like one of those pageant babies?" Edward asked Alice when he saw Lil. "Or is that just how this turned out?"

"She so does not look like a pageant baby," Alice replied. "I just put a little blush on her. I think she looks pretty."

"This is why she keeps yawning," I said. "You woke her up to do all of this."

Alice stomped her foot. "She looks pretty though."

"She's two, for Pete's sake," Jasper added. "Why'd you have to put all that on her?"

I ran my hand through my hair. The rest of us were all ready to go to the premiere but the gook on Lily's face was bothering me. "Okay, we'll ask the person that matters." I turned to Lil. "Honey," I said. "Do you like how you look with the make-up?"

With a shake of her head as a response, she quietly said, "No."

"It's settled," I announced. "I'm washing it off." I took Lily by the hand and pulled her into the bathroom. After I propped her up on the counter next to the sink, I got a rag, put some water on it, and began scrubbing gently at her face. When I finished, I thanked my lucky stars that her face wasn't red and splotchy. "I'm sorry Aunt Alice did that, Lil," I told her. "She just thought that you would like it."

"It's okay," she whispered.

I picked her up and said, "No, it's not okay. If you didn't want that stuff on, you could've said something, you know." I saw a grin appearing on her face so I took her out of the bathroom and back to where the rest of them were. "I think she looks better this way," I told Alice when I first saw her.

She must have known what I was getting at because she came over to Lily. "Lil," she said softly. "I'm sorry I put that make-up on you. I should have asked you first. Will you forgive me?"

Lily's smile was now shining like a star. "Yes," she answered and reached out to Alice and gave her a hug.

Alice held onto her tight. "Thanks, sweetie."

The time of the premiere was creeping up on us and Edward was more nervous than I had ever seen him. He was walking around the room, drinking a lot of coffee.

"Please tell me that's decaf," Alice whispered to me when Edward was as far away as he could be.

"I don't think it is," I responded, feeling a little tense myself. "Um, Edward," I said when he came closer to us. "Are you all right?"

Stopping in his tracks, he looked at me. "Yeah, never been better," he said too quickly. He obviously knew that I knew he was lying because he shook his head and sighed. "I'm just worried that it will disappoint the fans. I don't want them to think that I let the producers and directors trash what they love so much. They're really devoted."

I nodded. "I see. Well, you're just going to have to push all of that out of your mind and just go with the flow. Don't let it get to you."

"Is Bella turning into a hippie?" Jasper asked Alice, assuming that I wouldn't hear him since he spoke with a low voice.

I made the decision to just ignore him, rather than snap at him. It wouldn't be good if I flipped out on him right before a premiere. I'd be way too worked up. "Edward," I said instead. "You're not going to be this anxious around the reporters, are you?"

"I'm gonna try not to be," he stated, still unsure.

"No," I persisted. "You are not going to be this anxious. If I'm not allowed to be, then you aren't either."

Before Edward could say more, a loud horn sounded outside of the building.

"Ooh!" Alice squealed. "Is that the limo? I know you must have gotten a limo! I really, really, really want to ride in a limo!"

"Yeah, that's it," Edward assured her.

"Ugh," I groaned, something I felt like I was doing a lot lately. "I'd feel so cheesy in a limo. Just…blah."

"You're never satisfied, are you?" Edward asked before going to the door. "All right, everyone. Tonight, we…do something!"

"Yeah!" we all screamed back at him. With a rebel yell, we followed the leader out the door and soon into a stretch limo, where Edward's parents were.

As "Handle With Care" by the Traveling Wilburys played on the stereo, Carlisle smiled at me. "It's good seeing you again, Bella," he said. "Do you like the choice of music? It's all guys from the '60s and '70s."

"Of course," I said back. "Harrison, Orbison, Dylan, Lynne, and Petty."

Lily's eyes lit up at the last name. "Donkey!"

Carlisle gave me a strange look but I just shook my head at him. "I'll tell you some other time," I promised.

Esme excitedly changed the subject. "So are we all ready to watch magic happen?"

"Mom…" Edward grumbled.

"Oh, hush," she said back, patting his knee. "This is a big night for you. Your father and I are so proud of you. When you first told us you were going to be a writer, well…"

"You thought I was going to fail," finished Edward with a laugh.

"No," his mother stressed. "We did not think that you were going to fail. We were just worried that you were making the wrong decision. We didn't realize that writers had such good income."

"I hear it's great pay," Alice chimed in.

Esme continued. "But we knew that if you weren't happy going to college and having a 'normal person's' job, then we weren't going to force you. It's a matter of going after what you love."

"And I love writing," Edward concluded. "It's the only thing I've ever wanted to do. I read a lot when I was a kid."

I laughed. "Yeah, see, I never did. Reading was totally not my thing. Now, music, that was my world. I used to even play guitar."

"Really?" asked Esme. "Do you still?"

As I shook my head, I said, "No, I had to sell it. Money was needed for other things." I glanced over at Lily. "But I do wish that I could get back into it."

"Bella." It was Carlisle's voice calling me to attention. "Did Edward ever tell you that he played piano?"

I looked over at Edward, who was now fiddling with his tie. "No, he never did," I answered. "But I never really asked. Same thing with me and the guitar."

"Well, he was fantastic on it. We actually thought he was going to do that for a living."

"Really?" I asked, eyebrows raised at Edward. "I can see it now: Edward Cullen, professional pianist. Oh, God, that would be a trip."

"We probably would have never met," Edward mused. "So I think I made the right choice."

"You never know," I said back. "A piano player would need an agent and stuff too. So if it was meant to be, it would've happened."

It wasn't long before the car made a stop. Lily was bouncing up and down in her car seat with an enthusiasm that was left unmatched.

Edward looked over at Alice and Jasper. "You guys go with Lily first." When they nodded, he turned his attention to his parents. "Then you go and we'll follow a few minutes after that, okay?"

Carlisle said, "Yeah, we got it. But you better be careful. You're the one that all those people want. Not us."

"I'll be on my toes," Edward replied wryly, glancing at me.

I shrugged. "I'm not the important one. No one needs to worry about me."

Edward wasn't paying attention. He was too busy looking out the window. "All right, you should get going now." He hastily opened the door and said, "Go."

Quickly, Jasper and Alice, who was holding onto Lily, hopped out of the car and were bombarded with flashing lights.

"Mom, Dad," Edward said. "You guys ready?"

Esme didn't answer. She just leaned over and hugged and kissed her son. Then, she did the same to me. "We'll see you in the theater." The door opened again and Edward's parents were gone, the door shutting behind them.

"And then there were two," I murmured to myself.

"You act like that's such a bad thing," Edward said back to me. He put his hand over mine. "Everything will be fine."

"Let's just do this," I said.

Chuckling to himself, Edward flung the door open. "After you."

I stepped cautiously out of the limo, not wanting to fall on my face. The lights were blinding. The photographers were everywhere, as were the fans, screaming their heads off. "Oh, my God," I muttered upon seeing them all.

I felt Edward step up behind me. "This is going to be interesting," he said. "Don't let them phase you." He grabbed my hand and began leading me toward the press line.

Shouts of "Mr. Cullen, Mr. Cullen!" were loud and deafening.

Edward stopped in front of a woman with a microphone that read "E!" in white and red. "Mr. Cullen," she said, excitement in her tone. "Glad you could stop and talk to E!"

"It's my pleasure," he said, his voice becoming much quieter. "It's just good seeing people enjoy my works so much."

"Well, we really do," she told him, letting it be known that she was one of the fans. She looked me over. Her eyes scanned up and down my body and I felt uncomfortable right away. "And who is this, if it's all right to ask?"

A smile came to Edward's face, like this was the question he was waiting for. "This," he said, looking right at me now, "is Isabella."

"Oh…Isabella," she said, trying my name out for some reason. "A little old-fashioned, don't you think?"

I didn't know what she was trying to say. "That's probably why they just call me Bella."

"I see," she said, nodding in the way that a Hollywood prep would. I knew for a fact that she didn't care but she kept prying anyway. "You and Edward are dating, I'd assume?"

Edward stepped in for me. "My personal life, miss, is not of your concern. Understand?" He didn't wait for the poor—but annoying—girl's reply. Grabbing my arm, he towed me along with him.

Everyone asked the same thing. Some weren't as blunt, some beat around the bush. If Edward seemed to like the way the reporter asked if we were dating, he would give them the honest answer of, "Yes, that's why she's my date tonight."

"Edward," I whispered after feeling like we had talked to over a thousand people. "I came to see a movie. Not people with mikes."

"I thought you wanted to spend the evening with me," Edward replied with an adorable pout.

I laughed. "Don't get such a big head about it."

"I think there's just a few more people I need to talk to. If you want, you can go find my parents and Alice and everybody and stay with them," he offered. "Get your seats and just wait for me."

"Sorry to tell you but you're stuck with me all night," I informed.

He was right; it wasn't long before we were in the front row of the theater. Alice and Jasper were in a love cocoon and Esme and Carlisle were having a deep conversation. Edward was still worried about how the film would turn out. The only ones who weren't taking anything serious were Lily and I.

"Mommy," she said a little bit loudly. "When's the movie gonna start?"

"Shh," I tried to quiet her because stares were forming. "It's not going to be too long. They just have to show some clips of other movies. If you get tired of it, you can always just take a nap or something."

While I was talking to Lily, a hush came over the crowd. I looked up at the screen and saw the previews starting. However, I wasn't worried about that. They weren't the movie that I was there to watch, after all.

Surprisingly, the wait wasn't long for the film to start. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward shift slightly in his seat. "Nervous?" I whispered.

"Afraid," he corrected.

I asked no more on the subject and instead tried to focus on the movie. The actors were no Oscar winners but they were decent enough. No superb demonstrations of anything, really, but that was to be expected; they were young and inexperienced. Overall, the movie was a respectable piece of work.

When it ended, the crowd exploded with applause.

Edward was looking around, seemingly baffled by what he heard and saw.

"Something wrong?" his mother asked, noticing it too.

He pointed about him, at the people clapping with broad smiles on their faces. "They liked it that much?"

"It was good," Jasper told him.

Nodding, Edward said, "Right, it was good. Could it have been better? Hell, yeah. They shouldn't be this happy about it. I just got to hope that the next three can turn out a bit better. But I can't tell anyone this. I have to prepare to lie."

"What? Why do you have to lie?" I didn't understand why he couldn't just share his real opinion.

Edward sighed. "I can't just say that I think it's crap. I mean, it wasn't that bad but I've seen books tuned movies come out a lot better. More true to form. This wasn't."

"You're making it seem like it was the worst movie to ever be made," Carlisle said. "I've seen a lot worse. Trust me."

Edward put his hands up. "I don't know. Can we just hurry and get out of here? I don't want to face my fans knowing that this is what they're going to see."

"But it wasn't that bad," I protested to no avail. Edward was beginning to get up from his seat. I, along with the rest of our entourage, followed him out of the theater.

I really hoped that you liked this chapter. School starts Monday and I'm going to hopefully see the donkey I've been raving about on Tuesday night so I don't know when the next update will be. But until then, you should totally review and tell me what you think. :)