A/N Firstly, I suck, totally. I haven't been able to keep up with RL, writing, and answering reviews lately. I'm SORRY. I HAVE read each and every one and they are all special to me. I WILL get caught up, I promise. Please don't stop reviewing just because I'm not answering.

Secondly, here is the moment we have all been waiting for. Bella and Edward finally meet! Yay! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Lillie ~ More than Romeo! Your mad beta skills are nothing compared to the wonderful friend you are. :)

Disclaimer: Don't own anything Twilight, SM has the honor. I own this story line, my own OC's, and a DVD collection that would rival any video store in town. Any references to any persons, places, or things that may be real in this story are strictly for entertainment purposes and are not made with the intention of making a profit, or even a dime, or anything. (Although I wish I could, I can't.) WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE appears in this story!

Bella

I remember that day clearly, as though it were yesterday. It was the day I met Edward and, though my life had changed a lot by then, that was the day it turned inside out. I had awakened early that morning to the sound of the house phone ringing, which, as I recall, was very odd since it never did. I heard Alice answer it, say something very low, and then heard her bedroom door click shut down the hall. I rolled out of bed and headed for the shower. I didn't want to be awake already because I figured it would be a late night, but I was too excited about the concert to go back to sleep.

I stood in the shower forever going over in my mind what I was going to say when I met him. Hi, Edward, nice to finally meet you. Nice to finally meet you, Edward. I'm so excited to finally meet you, Edward. Everything sounded totally lame. I finally decided to quit trying to plan it and just say whatever sounded good at the time, no matter how much of an idiot I ended up sounding like.

After I got out of the shower, I combed my hair, pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, brushed my teeth, and headed out to get some coffee. Alice nearly scared the shit out of me standing in my bedroom throwing things out of my closet.

"What the hell, Alice?"

She glanced at me absently and said, "I'm trying to find you something to wear."

"Um, I AM wearing something." I hoped she didn't have anything big planned for the day because I just wanted to relax. It was going to be a big night for me.

Clothing continued to fly out of my closet and I started laughing as Alice tossed things every direction and cursed under her breath. "You're NOT wearing THAT," she said, mid-toss, and continued digging.

I was confused. I looked over at the calendar on the wall. The only entry was "Edward's Seattle concert" for the day. Alice was acting very strangely and I hadn't had any coffee yet to get my brain kick-started enough to even remotely understand what she was doing. I shrugged and brushed past her to go downstairs and get the coffee going. I met up with Jasper and Emmett in the kitchen who were both whispering about something. They both looked at me with stupid grins on their faces when I walked in. I walked over to the coffee pot, grabbed a cup, and started to pour. "What's going on, guys?"

Emmett handed me the cream and said jovially, "Nothin', Bella. What's up with you today?"

I eyed him suspiciously while putting cream in my coffee and reaching for the sugar. "Nothing, Emmett. What are you so happy about? And why are you over here so early?"

Emmett had his usual 'deer in the headlights' look that he always gets when he's been busted with his hand in the cookie jar. "I, uh, Jasper… called me."

I sat down on one of the barstools and looked them both over carefully. I could hear Alice still unloading my closet upstairs. Something was going on. I was positive when Rosalie walked in, already made up for the day, carrying her coffee cup. She was… cheerful, which is a stretch for Rosalie. She walked over and kissed Emmett before saying, "Good morning, Bella, Jasper. Where's Alice?"

"Morning, Rose. Alice is upstairs deconstructing my wardrobe. What brings YOU over so early? Did Jasper call you, too?"

Jasper stood and walked out of the kitchen with Emmett right behind him. Rosalie looked guilty as hell, but just as I was about to confront her to find out what the hell was going on, Alice appeared beside me, out of breath, and started pulling on my arm. Rose grinned knowingly and grabbed my other arm. They started upstairs with me asking a thousand questions.

"What are you guys doing? Where are we going? What's going on?"

"We're taking you out for breakfast," Alice said resolutely.

"And then a spot of shopping," Rosalie added.

I stopped on the spot, just as we were entering my bedroom. "No, I'm not going shopping today. I need to rest."

"Okay, we'll skip the shopping, but you will agree to go to breakfast with us?" Alice glanced at her watch as she spoke and Rosalie looked repeatedly between Alice and myself. I walked over, sat down on the bed, and crossed my arms.

"WHAT is going on? You two are acting freaking weird and I want to know why. I'm not going anywhere until one of you spills."

I watched as the expressions on Alice and Rosalie's faces changed from excitement to seriousness. "Bella," Alice began, "please, just trust us, just this once. We would never do anything to hurt you. We have, well, there is a surprise for you. We don't want you to be embarrassed. Could you please just put on these jeans and this blouse?" She handed me a pair of jeans and a pink and white blouse that she had found in my closet, along with a pair of sandals.

I was still suspicious, but since they had both calmed down, I nodded and started changing. Rosalie strolled over and looked out my bedroom window. I was totally clueless as to what was going on. After I changed, I looked at both of them and said, "Well? Is this better?"

Rosalie grabbed my arm, leading me out of the room and down the stairs and said, "Yeah, that's better. Trust me when I say you'll be happier with that."

We arrived in the living room to the sounds of Jasper and Emmett playing their stupid video games. Emmett was whooping and hollering and Jasper was quietly telling him to shut up. The two of them were hilarious together. Emmett was so boisterous and Jasper was so quiet and subdued.

A short amount of time passed and no one had mentioned going to breakfast, so again, I was suspicious. I drank coffee and chatted with the girls. Jas and Em continued to play games. Alice kept looking at her watch. When I thought I couldn't take any more, there was a knock at the door. Emmett reached up and shut off his game, Jasper looked over at the door, Rosalie froze, and Alice looked at me expectantly.

"Isn't anyone going to answer the door?" I said, thinking that it must be family; otherwise, we would have gotten a call from the guard at the gate wanting to know if whoever it was could come in.

"It's for you," Alice said softly.

Suddenly, the light went on in my head. It had to be Edward. That was why everyone had been acting strangely all morning. It was why Alice and Rosalie had made me change my clothes. Just as quickly as I realized all of that, I completely freaked out. My hands started shaking and my knees felt weak. As I stood and headed towards the door, I was afraid I was going to pass out cold on the floor. I tripped over my own feet and almost took a header onto the tile floor in the entryway. The doorbell rang and I tried desperately to compose myself as I reached for the handle.

I pulled the door open and stood there, with my mouth open I'm sure. I had known all along that I didn't deserve someone like him. I had lived with the realization that, in all probability, nothing would ever come of our friendship. When I was face to face with him, I was struck by how very handsome he really was. All of my feelings started gushing towards the surface as I took in his features. A beautiful crooked smile tipped one corner of his mouth, the light danced in his sparkling green eyes, and his messy bronze hair looked unkempt and perfect at the same time. He had a day's growth of facial hair that shadowed his face, his features were chiseled, and the platinum chain around his neck stood in stark contrast with his tanned skin. As I quickly scanned the rest of him, I noted his biceps bulging out of the sleeves of his tight fitting black t-shirt, his muscular chest and abs, and the casual tight fitting blue jeans he always wore.

"Edward!" I squeaked, then cleared my throat. "You're early!"

For the first time, I heard that velvet voice that had first caught my attention say, "Hi, Bella. I hope it's okay that I'm early."

Have I mentioned that I was a puddle on the floor? Because, yeah, it was surreal. I was just fucking amazed that he was standing there, on my doorstep, smiling at me, talking to me… I was in a daze of utter disbelief. The part of me that was EC Velvet's fan was freaking out and the part of me that loved Edward had butterflies in her stomach. I was afraid to open my mouth to speak because I didn't want to sound like a complete flake. I also didn't want to stand there looking like I was deaf, mute, and dumb.

"Of course it's okay! Please, come in!" I managed to get out as I reached my hand out. He took my hand in his and I marveled at his long fingers as he brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. His other hand held out a beautiful bouquet of daisies, lilies, and orchids. I took them from him and thanked him, smelling them while he spoke.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you, Bella. You have no idea. May I hug you?"

Fuck and me. Not only was he a wonderful, sensitive, kind man, who just happened to be a superstar, he was handsome, well built, and a gentleman to boot. Rather than answering him, I stepped into his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck, putting my face against his chest. His arms slid around my waist and pulled me in tight. His scent was breathtaking and I closed my eyes and enjoyed being near him. I whispered, "I'm really happy to meet you, too, Edward."

I could hear the voices of my friends in the living room and knew I needed to take him to meet them before they went all stalker on our asses. I looked up at him and found him staring down at me. I smiled and said, "Do you mind coming inside and meeting my friends?"

"Of course not," he said, releasing me. His hand caught mine and I smiled at him as I led him into the living room. All conversation stopped short and four pairs of eyes stared at us.

I pointed to each one of them as I introduced them. "Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, this is Edward Cullen, my friend from Chicago." Edward squeezed my hand and then released it, stepping forward to shake each of their hands. I watched him in amazement at the ease with which he spoke to each of them and acknowledged them as though he had known them forever. He thanked Alice for making the arrangements for him to come in early and then congratulated her and Jasper on their recent engagement. He commented to Rosalie on her car dealership and mentioned that he might have to take a side trip there to check out her cars and see if she could make him a deal. When he got to Emmett, he thanked him for disposing of Newton. None of them embarrassed me, and I was thankful for that. I had been worried that Emmett would embarrass the hell out of me, but he was abnormally well behaved, for Emmett.

"I gather that Bella is bringing you all to the show tonight?" he asked them when he was done greeting each of them. They all nodded and he said, "Great! A car will be around to pick you all up at seven. Will that work?"

"That sounds perfect!" Alice said in her excited sing-song voice.

Edward turned to me and asked if he could take me to breakfast. Not being one to turn him down, I agreed and we left. We walked out to the driveway and he opened the passenger door to a very non-descript passenger car. "It's a rental. I'm trying to be inconspicuous," he said with a chuckle.

We talked while Edward drove. He listened to the directions that the car's GPS gave him. "Rhianne got us reservations for brunch at Salty's. Does that sound okay, Bella?"

"Wow, that sounds awesome. Am I dressed okay?"

He glanced over at me and smiled that crooked smile again. "You're perfect, I mean that." His voice was sincere and his smile remained. We continued to talk like old friends who had not seen each other in years rather than two people who had just met. He was so comfortable and at ease with me, and I found that I felt the same way with him after I got over the initial shock of our meeting.

We arrived at Salty's, the Alki Beach location, and had a great table with a beautiful view of the city. The brunch buffet was fantastic. I went from buffet table to buffet table looking over all the choices before settling on a strawberry crepe, scrambled eggs with ham and green onions, hickory-smoked bacon, fresh fruit, and coffee.

After brunch, we went for a long walk on Alki Beach. Edward talked a lot about Abby and that she was going to be on tour with him along with her nanny, Mary. I asked him if that was a good idea.

"I honestly don't know, Bella. I mean, what's better? I leave her in Chicago at the mercy of her mother while I'm gone? I can't do that. I can't ask my parents to keep her the whole time I'm gone. I can't cancel the whole tour. I'm kind of stuck. I guess I'll just have to make it work."

I reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and when I touched his arm, he pulled that hand out of his pocket and slid it down to grasp mine. I looked into his eyes and said, as sincerely as I felt it, "I'm sorry, Edward. I know this must be very difficult for you and I'm sorry you have to go through it. I know you're a good dad and you will protect her." His eyes softened immediately and glistened. He was on the verge of tears.

He reached for my other hand. We stood, staring into each other's eyes for a long moment, our hands intertwined, and a single teardrop rolled down Edward's cheek. I didn't know what to say or what to do. I had never, in my life, seen a man cry. The vulnerability it took for him to do that was overwhelming and feelings of love rushed through me like a tsunami washing over the coast. "Edward, I…" Not knowing what to say, I stopped. Our gaze continued and then he was moving closer to me. He released my hands and took my face in his, pulling me close to him. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine, soft, gentle, caressing. I wasn't shocked. I wasn't fearful. I found myself thrilled, excited, and I found myself kissing him back, fisting my hands in his hair, pressing my body against his. He deepened the kiss and I sighed against his mouth. There was an electricity between us that I had never felt before. The feeling coursed through me like fire in my veins. The memory of our fist kiss has been with me ever since, and the feeling has never changed. Edward and I knew then, as we know now, that we shared a special connection. One that couldn't be broken. Not by anything.

When we broke the kiss, we held each other tight for a few minutes. Neither of us spoke a word. We really didn't need to. With my eyes closed and my head nuzzled against Edward's chest, I listened to his heartbeat and his slow gentle breathing. It just felt so right to be there with him. I was wondering how he was feeling when he said, "I've never felt this way about another human being before."

I looked up at him and he gazed down at me. "This is going to be complicated, Bella."

I smiled. "Well, complicated keeps us on our toes and busy doesn't it?"

He smiled back. "Come on, babe. We've got to go."

He took me back to the house and kissed me goodbye. He told me the car would pick us up and that Rhianne would meet us when we got to the White River Amphitheatre. I stood on the front porch and watched him leave, waving as he went down the street. As soon as he was out of sight, the front door flew open and Alice and Rosalie descended on me instantaneously.

"You have to tell us EVERYTHING!"

"What happened?"

"Where did you go?"

"Was it awesome?"

"What's he like?"

"Did I just see him KISS you goodbye?"

"Oh my God, Bella!"

I smiled at them knowingly and brushed past them into the house. I went to my bedroom and flopped on my bed. I replayed the day in my head as Alice and Rosalie bounced on either side of me, still asking a thousand questions. I finally looked at each of them and simply said, "He's the one."

Squeals erupted from my two best friends and they finally left me alone with my thoughts to get ready for the concert. I showered and put on my new outfit. Rosalie helped me with my hair, but did as I asked and kept it simple. Soft curls falling over my shoulders. Alice helped with my makeup, and again, she kept it simple as I had asked. Emmett showed up, dressed in black jeans and a silk collarless button-down shirt. Jasper came out of the bedroom dressed in blue jeans and a white collarless dress shirt. As far as I was concerned, we all looked great. I just couldn't wait to get back to Edward.

As promised, the car picked us up at seven and drove us out to the amphitheatre. A pretty girl with short auburn hair, glasses, and a black business suit opened the door of the limo when we pulled up. She zeroed in on me and said, "Hi, Bella! I'm Rhianne, Edward's personal assistant. You'll all be with me for most of the evening but Edward does want to see you before he goes on, so let's get there quickly, okay?" She was very kind, but all business. We all piled out of the car and followed her in the backstage entrance. My friends were unusually quiet as we walked down the hallway underneath the stage.

Walking into Edward's dressing room was an experience in and of itself. Rhianne turned to me and said, "He's not here, but will be in just a few minutes. Make yourselves at home and help yourselves to anything you see in here that you would like, okay?"

I thanked her and she left us. As soon as the door closed, Emmett said, "Holy fucking shit, Bella! Look where you've brought us!" I laughed because he was like a kid in a candy shop, running from thing to thing. Jasper was excited, but more subdued, as usual. Alice was, well, Alice, and Rosalie was more amused by watching Emmett's excitement than she was in looking around. I took the scene in quietly.

There was a large clothing rack that held about twenty pair of jeans, all Levi 501 button-fly. It also held about twenty black t-shirts. There were also about twenty pair of white custom made Adidas', each with a pair of white socks neatly draped across them. I chuckled and looked around for underwear. I wasn't disappointed. Next to the clothing rack was a small table, the only thing on it, what I estimated to be about twenty pair, of black silk boxers.

My eyes moved on around the room and took in the table full of drinks. There was everything from a fully stocked bar to Pepsi. There were also numerous bottles of plain water along with several bottles of Italian Soda water. A lovely buffet table held large trays of fresh fruits and cheeses. Nothing at all seemed out of the ordinary. Most everything in the room, save for the soda and the liquor was healthy. My eyes fell on the six triangle shaped boxes of Toblerone chocolate and the box of brown sugar and cinnamon Pop Tarts. I chuckled. Well, there had to be something, right?

Jasper and Emmett helped themselves to a beer while Alice and Rosalie poured themselves a glass of wine. I opted for a bottle of water and sat down in a nice comfy chair to wait. As it turned out, I didn't have to wait long. The door flew open and Edward rushed in, lifting me off the chair and shouting, "Bella!"

End Note: Review, review, review, oh, and did I mention, review? This week's concert is, of course, in Seattle at the White River Amphitheatre. Although NO backstage passes are available for this show, there is a SPECIAL SECTION right in the front for reviewers and fans of this story! The password is "Infatuation." :)