DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creations of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Bella spends time with her sisters.

Girl Time

"Do you know what I love most about you being one of us, Bella?" Alice asked, grinning at me. My feet were in her lap as she administered yet another pedicure. I was leaning back on my hands on the white faux fur carpet that covered the floor of Alice's room. Rosalie sat cross-legged to the side of us.

"The ability to put me in heels without fear of deadly bodily injury!" I shot back.

"It could be the fact that you are just a door away when she wants to grab you for make-over days," Rosalie chipped in.

"You both make good points, but you're wrong," Alice said, wagging a nail polish brush at us. "It's that Bella whines a lot less about make-over day now."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, putting a hand out under the nail polish brush. "Watch what you're doing with that brush! I don't think Esme wants to get 'bite me' red nail polish out of the carpet."

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Already seen this, Bella! Nothing gets on the carpet."

Rosalie snorted. "Comments like that make me wonder about some of your visions, sister dear."

Alice poked her tongue out at Rosalie and I giggled. "Bella, why are you less whiney?" Alice asked.

"Haven't you seen this already, Alice?" I teased.

"Yes, but this is a different question than what I was going to ask you," she replied. She was staring intently at the toe she had just painted.

"What was your original question?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I'll let you know in a moment. Answer me first," Alice said.

There really was no arguing with her. My pixie-like sister had ways to get information out of you, whether you wanted it to happen or not. "Two reasons … no, three reasons really. I'll give them to you in order of least importance. First, let's face it. There's really no getting out of it. Second, I'm hoping my willing participation will be fondly remembered when the ban on my public appearance is lifted and you schedule our first shopping trip. I'm hoping that you will remember these make-over sessions, take pity on me, and prevent the death from shopping that I worry is in my future."

Alice frowned and opened her mouth to say something.

I lifted my hands in surrender. "I'm not saying we won't shop. I'm just asking that you don't try to fit in all of our missed trips on the very first day I'm aloud outside."

"Fair enough," Alice replied stiffly. "What's the final reason?"

"Yes, Bella. What's the important reason?" Rosalie asked.

"I like spending time with my sisters. I like having sisters. What we do together doesn't matter so much." Alice looked close to tears and Rosalie was strangely quiet. I started to become a little self-conscious when they just kept looking at me. "What? What did I say wrong?"

"Nothing, Bella," Rosalie said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We just didn't know you felt that way. It's good to know. We feel the same way about you."

I grinned happily. "So you guys don't mind having me as a sister then?"

"Bella!" Alice chided. "You've pretty much been my sister since the moment Edward fell in love with you."

"She didn't really mean you, Alice," Rosalie said softly. "Bella, I'm sorry that I was so mean to you in the beginning."

"Please!" I sighed. "Would everyone please stop apologizing to me for past stuff and for things that aren't anyone's fault! Some days, I feel like that's all I hear. It's bad enough when Edward does it, you guys. Please don't mess up our Girl Time by doing it too."

"Girl Time?" Rosalie chuckled.

"I thought it was an apt name for what we do," I said.

"Anyway! Before Bella so rudely interrupted me," Rosalie teased as she scooted right next to me. "I was going to say that my past actions are in no way indicative of my current feelings. You are a wonderful little sister, Bella. You might have some issues with eating, picking movies, and heights, but other than that, you're not half bad."

"Thanks, Rosalie!" I said, tossing a cotton ball at her. I turned my attention toward the spiky-haired vampire in front of me. "What was your real question, Alice?"

She smiled wickedly at me and I suddenly wished I had kept my mouth shut. "How was your date with Edward last night?" Alice asked.

"You had a date with Edward? How did I not know that?" Rosalie questioned.

"Um … you and Emmett hunted for most of the day and when you came back, you were a little occupied," Alice replied.

"That reminds me! Thank you, Em!" I shouted, knowing he would hear me.

"Welcome, Squirt!" floated to us in his deep voice.

Alice lifted an eyebrow to me and Rose rubbed my back, knowing my reason for thanking her husband. I leaned into Rose's shoulder and gave Alice a half-hearted smile. "He hunted for me the other night."

"You know you don't have to feel bad or ashamed about that, Bella," Rose said. "We really don't mind."

"I know, Rose. But I mind," I sighed. "I don't like making you guys worry about me."

"We won't be worrying anymore," Alice assured us. "Carlisle is going to space out your testing a little more for now and Edward will be staying in the house on those days. I don't see it ever being that bad again."

"Thanks for checking, Alice," I said as I sat up straight again. I really hoped she was right because I was still freaked out by how bad it had gotten.

"We have so gotten off topic!" Rosalie exclaimed, trying to clear out the little bit of sadness that had crept into the room. "I want to hear about this date!"

I chuckled to myself, quickly replaying the night in my mind. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything!" my sisters cried in unison.

"Well, it was probably one of the most romantic things he's done for me yet."

"Wow!" Rosalie said, impressed. "Is it better than your wedding gift?"

"No," I replied. "It's pretty close though."

"Look at the way her eyes are sparkling, Alice!" Rosalie chuckled. "Must have been some date!"

"Okay, stop killing us with anticipation. Tell us already!" Alice ordered.

"Well, he started off by dazzling me, just like he used to when I was human. I love that he can still do it. But don't you ever tell him I said that!" My face broke out into a bright smile.

Alice's tinkling laugh filled the room. Rosalie snorted and said, "I nearly died all over again the first time I saw him do that to you in the cafeteria. I didn't think he even knew he could do it, much less pull it off so successfully."

"He's Edward. He does everything perfectly," I sighed happily. I shook my head to clear it. "So after he had me good and dazzled, he told me to wait in the room for a bit and then go downstairs. When I got to the living room, I heard his knock on the door, just like he used to do when he came to Charlie's house during the day. He was on the porch, holding a rose for me."

"What color?" Rosalie demanded. Rose was fluent in the language of flowers. She could tell you what all the different colors of the flowers meant. Her knowledge had been very detrimental to Emmett's well being when he had tried to surprise her with yellow roses.

"Red!" Alice shouted. She quickly covered her mouth with both hands. I laughed at her while Rosalie pushed her over. She giggled as she righted herself. "Sorry."

"No problem!" I chuckled. "He had us walk through the forest at a human pace."

"No way!" Rosalie snorted. "Edward hates going slow."

"Scout's honor," I said, holding up my fingers. "He really did walk all the way from the house to the mountain I had practiced climbing on. Not one complaint left his lips."

"It is hard to talk with your lips attached to someone else's," Alice interrupted.

I poked my tongue at her before continuing. I saw no reason to correct her assumption. "When we got to the mountain, he ran us up to the top and we stretched out to watch the sun set and the stars come out. I hadn't seen them since changing, you know. I couldn't get over how much more beautiful the stars looked. He brought me back home after, pretending that he was safely escorting his date home. And then he asked if he could sneak through my window." I could feel the goofy grin on my face and I was elated that I could feel something so wonderful.

"I still don't understand what he ever got out of sneaking into your room every night," Rosalie stated.

"He never told you guys what we did on those nights?" I asked.

"No," Rosalie replied. "And you would think with all the teasing Emmett and Jasper put him through, he would have cracked just to shut them up."

"So, Bella!" Alice called with a wicked grin. "Try out any of your new lingerie last night?"

"Alice!" I shouted in mock horror.

"So did you or not?" Rose asked.

"Not. Edward said the whole point was to recreate how things used to be," I said.

"Why would he do that?" Rose roared. "I thought he had finally accepted the choice you guys made."

"Calm down, Rose!" I said, rubbing her arm soothingly. "That's not why he did it. He was giving me some familiarity to balance out all of the changes that have happened. He was making up for not being home the other night."

"What do you mean by that, Bella?" Alice asked.

"I screw up a lot of vampire stuff that should come naturally to me. Remembering all the ways I screwed up being a human helps put it in perspective for me. Whether I'm human or vampire, I'll always be Silly Bella. And Edward's okay with that, which means I can be okay with that."

"I take back my comment about him being the world's stupidest vampire," Rosalie said.

"When did you say that?" I asked.

"I didn't. But I thought it and I'm sure he heard it," she replied.

"Thank you for apologizing to him, Rose. I know he appreciates it," I told her, squeezing her hand.

"Toes are all done!" Alice announced happily.

I looked down and wiggled my toes. Alice had once again done a perfect job. "Thanks, Sis."

"We should all do something together tonight," Rosalie announced. "Alice, any ideas?"

Alice closed her eyes and we waited patiently for her to have a vision. "Perfect!" she cried, rubbing her hands together.

"What's perfect?" I asked, cautiously.

Alice opened her eyes and looked at us. "We're going to dance tonight."

"Um … I don't know about that, Alice," I nervously said.

"You're a Cullen now, Bella. Don't be such a wimp!" Alice teased. I poked my tongue out at her. "Besides, you were the one who gave me the wonderful idea of putting you in heels."

I groaned and buried my face in Rose's shoulder. I could just tell it was going to be a very long night for me.