What Happens In Vegas

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. If I did, I would stay home and play with them all day and you all would have so much to read, you wouldn't have time to do anything else. Since I am assuming you still have time for your schooling, jobs and families, I will assume you know it's not mine. I also don't own The Usual Suspects or any of the other movies listed here.

A/N: Thank you for sticking with me and reading this far. I am enjoying writing this and it makes me so happy that you all enjoy reading it. I would REALLY love to hit 50 reviews by the end of the week (I am posting twice this week) and I would love to hear your opinions! Leave me some love!

Chapter Nine: Surprises

BPOV

I just stared at Alice. I couldn't make my mouth form words, but my brain didn't really know what to tell her any way.

"Bella?" Alice called, stretching my phone out to me.

"Thanks, Alice," I said mechanically. I looked at the screen and hoped it didn't say anything to incriminating. Luckily for me, it just showed the arrival of the message and not the text itself. I clicked on the message and it was simple. "Just woke up. Call me if you get this before bed." I breathed a sigh of relief.

Alice was still watching me strangely. "I thought you said you hadn't talked to Edward, Bell." She sounded hurt.

"And I hadn't, Alice. He came to the office on Wednesday to take me out to lunch before he went back to the hospital," I defended.

"Okay. Why didn't you tell me? You know I don't mind, right? You two are perfect for each other," she said.

"Thanks, Al. We seemed to get along fine last weekend so we're keeping in touch," I rattled off, not really thinking about what I was saying.

She just laughed her bell-like laugh and hugged me. "Make that work-a-holic brother of mine loosen up, will you?"

"Somehow, I don't think I'm in any position to lecture anyone else about working too much," I responded wryly. I gestured to the bound pages I brought home and Alice inclined her head in agreement. She hoisted her load into her arms and went to the door. I opened it for her and helped her down to her car.

"Don't work too hard, Bella. Oh, and thank you for all your help tonight. I could never have made this decision without you."

I kissed her cheek and closed her door, before trudging back upstairs. I had already dialed Edward's number by the time I made it back to my apartment.

"Hey! You're still up!" Edward greeted me happily.

"Yeah, Alice just left. She actually had my phone in her hand when your text came through." The line was quiet for several seconds.

"Did she say anything about it?" His voice was cautious.

"Just that I should make you have some fun. I don't think she minds the thought of us as a couple," I supplied.

"Good. Maybe easing this onto her would be a good strategy," he mused.

"Maybe. Did you get some rest?"

"Yeah. I think I fell asleep before I even hung up the phone earlier."

"You sounded pretty tired. Did you get yourself some dinner?"

"Mmm. Not yet. I'm going to have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. There's nothing in the house, except eggs and cheese."

"Sounds like a good omelet. What are you doing after you eat?"

"Probably going back to bed," he said with a chuckle. I could hear some banging in the background. "How do I make an omelet?"

It was my turn to laugh. "Do you have a small skillet?" He answered in the affirmative. "Okay, spray it with cooking spray and set it on a hot burner. Mix two eggs together in a cup like scrambled eggs and pour it into the skillet."

I could hear the sounds of him following my instructions. "Okay, now what?"

"What type of cheese do you have?"

"Um, the square kind in the plastic wrapper."

I tried to control my laughter but I am sure he heard it in my voice, "American. Tear a slice into small pieces and set it to the side. Is the egg mixture bubbling?"

"Yeah, it looks cooked around the edges, I think." He sounded so lost in his own kitchen.

"Run your spatula around the edges and make sure they don't stick then put your cheese in the middle," I instructed.

"Done. The cheese is melting and the inside is starting to look less… wet. Is that good?"

"Yes. When it looks cooked, flip one half onto the other half and slide it onto a plate."

"All right. I think I did it. Now what?"

"Now, you eat it, silly." I heard him take a bite and moan. My body responded to the sound and I squeezed my thighs together. I had gone almost 3 years without sex and, after one week with Edward, my libido was in overdrive.

"That was really good, Bella. Where did you learn to cook?"

"I taught myself when I was pretty young. My mom could burn water and liked to experiment so I learned that if I wanted something edible, I would have to make it. What do you normally do for food?"

"I eat hospital food when I'm there and I usually keep simple stuff here like cereal and microwave meals. I'm better with the grill than the stove."That solidified my plans to take him dinner tomorrow night. I knew all too well what hospital food was like.

"Did you ever decide what your favorite meal is?"

"I think it just depends on what I'm in the mood for. I like Italian food, Chinese food, Thai food, most American food, German food… whatever's around when I'm hungry. What about you?"

"I like most of those things too, but I avoid mushrooms, if I can."

"What's wrong with mushrooms?"

"Fungus--not my thing. How much longer are you going to be up?"

"I don't know, why?"

"I have to start one of these things tonight and I wanted to talk to you before I went to bed again. I don't want to keep you up though."

"No worries. Go read and call me when you're done."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he laughed lightly. "I've had a power nap, I'm in good shape."

"Ok, talk to you soon, then."

"Til later, baby." It did not escape my notice that he didn't say good-bye when he hung up, but in the interest of getting through some of this novel and back to him, I pushed it aside and lost myself in "The Hidden Treasure".

I was about halfway through the novel when I realized that I hadn't turned a page in a while and that I had been reading the same page over and over again. I set it down with a snap and glanced up at the clock, startled to find that it was already after midnight. I set the book next to my purse so I wouldn't forget it in the morning and sent Edward a quick text to see if he was still awake. I wanted to hear his voice but I also knew he needed his sleep. I brushed my teeth and slipped into my ratty pajamas and was turning out the light when my phone rang.

"Hey. I'm sorry it's so late," I apologized.

"It's okay. I've just been watching a movie."

"What are you watching?"

"Um, The Usual Suspects?"

"This is bad," I said in my best imitation of Benecio del Toro.

Edward laughed on the other end of the line. "Seriously? You've actually seen it?"

"Are you kidding? It's in my top ten! How can you shoot the devil in the back? What if you miss?" I quoted.

"You really are the perfect woman. What else is on your top ten?"

"That's a tough question. Do series count as one?"

"Sure."

"Then, The Princess Bride, Tombstone, the Batman Series, the old Star Wars movies, um, that's all I can think of for now. What about yours?"

"Some of the same ones, I like the new Batman movies, but the old ones are just classic. The Godfathers, Scarface, National Treasure, there are others that I can't think of right now. How was the book?"

"I've only made it about halfway through, but so far, it's decent. It's young adult fiction about some kids that go in search of a hidden treasure while on vacation. The character development could use some work, but the plot is sound. I want to see how it finishes up, but I will probably recommend we pick this one up if the author is willing to work on it."

"How does that work?"

"People send in manuscripts in the hope that our firm will represent them and get them published. Kate Houston, one of the firm founders, discovered that it was more lucrative for the firm and the author if she presented a completed book that would not take the publisher's effort to make it readable, so they employ a team of editors to go through the books before we send them off. Some of the packets we receive are unoriginal and boring, so they usually get rejected. Others just need a little work to make them sellable. That's my job."

"That sounds… interesting."

"No, it doesn't," I laughed, "but I really love what I do. There is really something satisfying about seeing the product of all your hard work. Tell me about what you do at the hospital."

"Well, I'm in my second year of residency, so I rotate between departments every month. This month, I am in the ER. I am supposed to move to the NICU next week, though. I am responsible to evaluate and diagnose all patients who come in and supervise their care. Like with the kids that were in the shooting last week, I was their doctor while they were in the ER, but once they moved upstairs, they were assigned another attending physician. I still go up and check on them, though."

"Wow. That sounds like a lot of pressure. How did you get through med school so quickly?"

"I didn't. I hurried through college. I always knew that I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps. He wanted me to match in Seattle, but I love Chicago, so I ended up staying here at Comer Children's."

"I thought you were only two years older than Alice, though?" Here I was married to a man and I didn't even know how old he was.

"No, I'm two and a half years older." He was quiet for a few minutes. "Bella?"

"I'm here, just confused. Jasper is only two years older than Alice, right?"

"Yeah, I was in 9th grade when he moved to Forks. I'm older than he is. You're the same age as Alice, right?"

"A few months younger, but yeah."

"Does my age bother you?"

"No! It's just… I don't know."

"One more thing you don't know about me?"

"Something like that. We have time to figure that out, though, right?"

"The rest of our lives, if we want to take that long, Bella." His voice sounded serious and sad. My heart ached that I had made him feel that way and I wanted to undo it.

"Are you… upset with me?" My voice sounded small in my own ears and I wasn't sure if he'd heard me.

"Christ, Bella, no! I just don't know how to deal with any of this better than you do. Usually when people get married, they at least know each other's ages! I'm tired, I'm lonely and I wish you were here. And that makes no sense to me because I don't even know when your birthday is!" he practically shouted in frustration.

I let his words hang for a minute because there was nothing I could say that would make them any less true. "My birthday is September 13. I'll be 24 this year."

His laughter was soft but the tension was dissipating. "My birthday is next Sunday, June 20th. I'll be 27. One thing at a time?"

"One thing at a time, I guess. Go to bed and get some sleep. Alice told me you had picked up some extra shifts and you've been working really hard lately."

"Can I still call you tomorrow?"

"I hope you will."

"I will. Good night, Bella. I'm sorry I lost it."

"It's okay. We'll figure it out. Good night." I wanted nothing more than to hold him and comfort him that we could work through everything. Truthfully, though, I had no idea how to do this. I curled into my pillow and closed my eyes. Sleep did not come easily and I woke the next morning, tired and aggravated. I was still determined to take Edward some dinner at the hospital and I was forming a plan to make him a good, home-cooked meal tomorrow night for our date. If I was honest with myself, I would admit that the dream I had earlier in the week was a factor in my wanting him at my house, but I was not being honest with myself. I clung staunchly to the notion that I wanted to take care of him and do something nice.

I finished "The Hidden Treasure" and set it in my tray. I learned during my first couple of months that Jane preferred to receive them all at once, so it would sit there until Monday when I finished the rest. The next one was a poor attempt at an erotica romance novel that I nixed after the first three chapters. I liked sex as much as the next guy, but this woman's descriptions alternated between nauseating and hilarious. I heard Mike and Eric in the lunchroom and decided to ask their opinion for Edward's dinner tomorrow. Normally, I would have asked Jasper, but as I didn't really want him to know that I was making Edward a special dinner, that was out. Mike would have to do.

"Mike," I called into the break area. "You got a second?"

"Sure, Bell. What's up? You need me to take you out this weekend so you can see what a real man's like?" He offered hopefully.

"Not quite," I chuckled back. He shrugged, used to my rejections. "If a girl were making you dinner for the first time, what would you want her to make?"

"Can she cook?" Eric broke in.

"Let's assume she can," I replied dryly.

"Hmm. Can you give me some options? There's a wide world of food out there to choose from," Mike said thoughtfully.

"Um, fried chicken with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and green beans, lasagna with garlic bread, or pot roast with potatoes and carrots," I supplied after some consideration. I knew how to make all of them well.

"Personally, I would go for the chicken," Eric interjected as he chewed on his turkey sandwich.

Mike debated internally for a few seconds and then agreed with Eric. "I would go with either the chicken or the pot roast. Pot roast will make him think about his mom, though, so I would save that for later."

"Good point," I said, pointing at him and biting my lip. I would need to go get a few ingredients on my way home, but that shouldn't be a problem. I also needed to find a good steakhouse near the hospital for his dinner tonight. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate the advice."

"So, who's the lucky guy?" Mike inquired somewhat defensively. "Is it the doctor guy that took you out to lunch the other day?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is," I answered confidently. He looked crestfallen, but really, he knew he had no chance with me unless he was completely clueless. I had turned him down at least five times a month for the last two years. Returning to my desk, I found Angela walking by with the menu for our favorite Chinese place in her hand. "Hey, Ang," I called to her, "are you ordering?"

"Yes, I'm starving and I forgot my lunch. Do you want something?"

"Please! I did too. Just get my usual, beef with broccoli and steamed rice, if you would," I told her.

"No problem. How are this month's submissions coming?" she asked with a grimace.

"Ugh. The first one I read was pretty good, but the second one was pure garbage. Only ten more to go!" I said with fake cheerfulness and she laughed.

"I'll bring your food by when it gets here so you can do something other than read this weekend," she offered. "Get back to work."

"Yes m'am," I said with a salute and a grin. I shook my head to clear it and picked up the next manuscript. I ate with my nose in the book and stayed that way until after 5:30pm. When I picked up my phone, I noticed that Edward had sent me a text earlier that simply said, 'Have a good day, darling. Call you later.' The simple message made me smile and I called Morton's Steakhouse to order carry-out to pick up on my way downtown. I hoped that it would still be warm by the time I got there. Once I loaded up my bag, I walked downstairs, hailed a cab, and gave instructions to the driver. Morton's Steakhouse had Edward's food ready by the time I got there and the cabbie hurried me to hospital once I told him that it was for one of the doctor's on call all night. The driver's daughter had come down with pneumonia several years ago and was saved by the staff at UC after a late night trip to the emergency room when her breathing became labored. I thanked him profusely and paid my fare, deciding to go in through the emergency entrance.

There were several people waiting in stiff plastic chairs and a couple of nurses working on computers behind the main desk. Suddenly, I was a little nervous and I hoped that he wouldn't mind me coming here or that he wasn't too busy. I screwed up my courage and squared my shoulders, then walked straight to the pretty brunette nurse at the first station.

"Hi, Jessica," I greeted her after a quick check of her name tag. "I'm here to see Dr. Cullen."

She looked at me curiously and asked politely, "May I ask why you're here?"

I smiled at her and bit my lip. "He's had a rough couple of days so I brought him some dinner."

She smiled back kindly, "Who shall I tell him is here when I page him?"

"Um, can you just page him down here? I wanted it to be a surprise," I explained sheepishly.

"Sure, sweetie. Just wait right here," she instructed and picked up the phone. The blonde nurse behind her had listened to our exchange with interest and when she looked at me, she was smiling, but her expression was far from kind.

"Hmm. You must be some new fling of his." She sidled closer to me and lowered her voice. "Let me give you some tips. Edward doesn't like to mix his personal life and his work and he doesn't like surprises."

I looked at her in shock because the venom in her tone shocked me and I was a little worried that she was right. My eyes drifted to her name tag and I smirked. "Thank you, Tanya, for the advice."

She appraised me and snorted quietly, "You're really not his type either. Don't get too comfortable."

Over her shoulder, I could see Edward walking quickly towards the desk. His green scrubs clung nicely to his muscles and his white coat billowed out behind him. His green-eyes found mine and his face broke into a huge grin. Any doubts that I had about my errand were erased instantly.

"Bella! What are you doing here?" he called happily.

"Hey! I thought you could use some real food instead of an omelet, so I brought you dinner," I told him, returning his smile. He pulled me into a tight hug and caught sight of the nurses behind the counter.

"You are the best," he said happily. "Let's go," he looked around with concentration, "to the lounge, I guess. It's probably the quietest place tonight." He grabbed my free hand and pulled me down the hallway. Once we got to the lounge, he shut the door quickly and cradled my face in his hands. He kissed me forcefully and sighed in relief. "I've missed you, baby. Thank you for doing this. Why didn't you call and tell me you were coming?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise, but I've since been told that you don't like surprises much. Especially surprises in the form of not-your-type girls showing up at work," I said seriously while trying to suppress a grin.

He groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "I will be so glad when I move upstairs on Sunday. That woman gets on every nerve I have." He pulled me down next to him and I started unpacking his food that I hoped was still warm.

"Is that your ex, Tanya?" I asked.

He nodded. "She was in nursing school while I was in med school. Once I graduated and matched here, she got a job as an ER nurse. According to her, she thought it would bring us closer. I was less than thrilled," he explained with a roll of his eyes. "What is all this?" he gestured to the food.

"I stopped at Morton's. I wasn't sure what you would want so I got you a New York Strip, a baked potato and steamed broccoli. It's medium, I hope that's okay," I said hastily. My hands were twisting somewhat nervously in my lap and I handed him the flatware they had packed for me.

The look in his eyes was incredible. It was full of awe, happiness and some other emotion I couldn't quite name. He captured my lips again and rubbed his thumb over my cheek. "This is incredible and perfect. How did you know?"

"I guessed," I confessed. "Oh, and I figured out what I want to do tomorrow." I pulled out the piece of paper I had written my address on earlier in the day and handed it to him. "Here's the address. All you need to bring is you and one of your favorite movies."

He looked at me, slightly bewildered and asked, "What are we doing?"

"Dinner and a movie, if that's okay. There just isn't anything in the theater that looks good right now so I thought we could watch one of each of our favorite movies." As I said it, the plan sounded lamer than it had in my head.

"That sounds like a lot of fun," he replied honestly. "What are we doing for dinner?"

"I'm cooking and don't ask what. I haven't quite decided yet," I warned him.

His smile was blinding and my insides turned to mush. My whole body was still tingling everywhere he had touched me and I wondered what caused it and how it would feel when he touched me in other ways and places. I had to shake my head to clear my thoughts.

"You ok?" Edward asked as I was trying to refocus.

"I'm fine. Do you remember going to restaurant on Friday night in Vegas and I accused you of dazzling the waitress?" I asked with a laugh.

"Yes," he said hesitantly.

I blushed and spread my hands. He laughed and kissed my forehead, then turned his attention back to the food spread on the table in front of us.

"God, baby, this smells fantastic. Wait, where's yours?"

"I just got some for you. I'll eat at home," I reasoned. He didn't look entirely pleased with my response and pursed his full lips.

"Next time you bring me dinner, bring yourself some so we can eat together, okay?" he pleaded.

"All right. So, you didn't mind me bringing you dinner?"

"Not at all! Remember, she's an idiot. You said so yourself," he laughed. I laughed with him and stood to leave, but he pulled me back down.

"If I start eating, will you stay a few more minutes? I promise to share." His pleading eyes were large and he stuck out his lower lip in a pout. I acquiesced and he started cutting his steak and preparing his potato with butter, salt and pepper. He held out a piece of broccoli to me and popped it in my mouth when I opened it. I watched him eat ravenously for a few minutes before registering that it really wasn't that late and he had just gotten here a few hours ago.

"Edward, what did you have for lunch?"

He swallowed the bite of steak in his mouth and looked at me guiltily. "Um, I ran out of time so I just had an apple. I did eat another omelet for breakfast, though."

"Why did you run out of time to eat, Dr. Cullen? That doesn't seem very conducive to good health to me," I chastised.

"I went to the grocery this morning and refilled my kitchen. By the time I got everything put away, it was already 1:00 and I had to get ready for work," he defended himself.

I kissed his cheek and pointed at his dinner. "Then I'm glad I thought to feed you tonight. Finish eating and get back to work, Doc. There are a lot of sick people out there."

He quickly finished his food, threw the cartons away and washed his hands in the kitchen sink. "All right, let me walk you out. Where is your car?"

"At home. I caught a cab from work," I told him.

"Then, let's go out through the main entrance and I will have one of the valets call you one so you won't have to wait on the street," he decided. We held hands as we walked through the halls and he asked how my day went. I told him that I was recommending we keep the book I read the night before then I described the book I had rejected after a few chapters.

"At one point," I told him, "she actually used the phrase 'his one-eyed snake was coming to eat my kitty' and I couldn't handle anymore!"

He burst into laughter. "Was the whole book that way?" he managed to choke out.

"I have no idea. The first few chapters were a mix of that and clinical descriptions of bodily secretions. I have no idea why anyone would think that someone would buy it, but I know I wouldn't!" I told him through my own laughter.

"That's priceless. I would love to see it. How many more do you have to go through?" We had made it to the valet stand and he quickly instructed the man standing there to get me a cab.

I waited for him to finish, then answered his question, "Nine and a half. I should be able to knock a bunch of them out tonight and tomorrow morning. What time do you want to come over?"

"As long as there are no major emergencies tonight, I should be out of here by 2:00 and I want to catch a couple hours of sleep, if that's ok. Does 6:30 sound good?"

"That's perfect. Just call me when you're on your way," I instructed.

"Will do." He leaned down and kissed me tenderly. "Your cab's here and I have to get back to the ER. Thank you for dinner." He kissed me again and then whispered in my ear, "And if you'll let me, I'll pay you back tomorrow night."

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