Thanks so much for your interest, guys, I really love each and every one of the reviews! :) Recommended listening: No Other Way, Paolo Nutini; There's No Greater Love, Billie Holiday; Walking After You, Foo Fighters. Thanks so much to everwondering, who is a stellar beta.

The morning was grey, and she was grey all inside too. Even a good night's sleep thanks to a sleep aid didn't take the edge off. Nothing did. Not a hot cup of tea, Jane Austen, and Austen the cat in her lap in her favorite chair. How could Edward not have come for her? How did he not stop her? Her mind wandered, seeing his arms before her in the cab, ducking in with her and away from the reality of life. They couldn't hide forever in seedy bars with her leg hitched over his hip, but she would die trying. Well, perhaps that was just it, wasn't it? Wouldn't she die trying? If only she had Alice's foresight, only clear and true. Their relationship did defy natural law, and Bella had always been a proponent of evolution and naturalism. The strongest survive, and some things just weren't meant to be due to natural law. And yet, here she was all the same. Edward occupied a space in her brain she could not shake, and if she was really honest, a place in her heart as well. Idiotic girl, she chastised herself.

She flipped on the tv, desperate for thoughts unrelated to her own personal drama. A commercial for laundry detergent was quickly followed by a news update, breaking news indeed. The serial killer, the Casanova Killer, had struck again. Another single woman, 29, living alone several blocks from Bella's own apartment. No letters found, but the murder could not have been another's doing. No clues or DNA in any of the murder scenes of any kind. Her blood ran cold as a woman who looked like any other came on the screen. She could have walked past her, spoken to her, known her. She could have been her. Bella sat transfixed on the couch, listening to them talk of copycat letters delivered to many women all over the city. Or were they real? No one could decipher, but Bella looked at the red wax sealed letters on her counter and gulped. Surely hers were fakes. Weren't they? Could she avoid it forever? A man was recently arrested for copycat letters, so maybe hers would cease to slide underneath her door in the middle of the night.

Shaking her head bitterly, she dressed for the day, a brighter day. A green dress, leggings, green flats, and a pink cardigan. She cried for no man. Well, maybe just Edward Cullen. Nothing in her life had prepared her to fall for a man so perfect for her and yet so obviously unavailable. Turning quickly at a noise on the dresser beside her, she had a text from an unknown number.

Bella, it's Alice! Meet me at Turn It Around at 12 and we'll shop, we have a lot to talk about!

Shopping? Um, hi, remember me, I think I pronounced my love to your vampire "brother" and then ran away after being verbally assaulted by your vampire "sister" and am pining and lonely and think it's all over for me.

Sure, see you there.

Her stomach was too queasy to eat. She hopped on her bike, the wind cold on her face and breath puffing visible in the air. She was early, but Alice was already waiting under the awning of the shop. She bounced on her stilettos waving, dressed in a short sleeved wrap dress despite the weather. Bella waved back as she locked her bike down, walking sheepishly to Alice's side.

"You should know, Bella, you can't pull one on me and get some place earlier than I can. I'm too good." She nudged Bella in the ribs, pulling a laugh out of her nervousness. "The store doesn't open until 1, but I sort of own the building so I talked the owner into us looking around early and speaking freely." Alice shrugged, casual about her wealth.

"You people sure are full of surprises, Alice."

"C'mon, I see a 50s party dress I must look at. I'm not as bad as I seem, but I can guarantee you that I won't allow you to spend a dime, but you'll go home with a ton of new clothes. Seriously, shut up and let me do this to apologize for Rose being such a bitch."

As Bella tried on a variety of fun vintage pieces, she was won over time and again by how fun and carefree Alice was. She would seamlessly fit in with any group of girls, always having a joke or a story to tell and a willing ear. It was enough to let her guard down, and finally feel comfortable enough to ask the questions she'd been longing to ask.

"Alice, I have to ask you something." They were both standing in front of a large mirror, Bella in a 90s flannel and Alice in 60s couture. Very appropriate, Bella thought off hand.

"I hate flannel. But somehow, it looks less homeless and more urban Kurt Cobain chic. I saw some killer Fryes you have to pair with that with a denim mini. To die for on you."

"Has Edward ever... dated a human before?"

Alice cocked her head to the side and quirked a smile at her. "Bella, the question should perhaps be 'has Edward ever dated anyone before?' But no. As I am sure you have noticed, Edward is different than most men. I heard this from a movie, but he's quite the iceberg, only showing so much with epic amounts of himself hidden underwater. He has never brought anyone around, had anyone in his life. I can't tell you a lot, but I will tell you, Bella." Her face was serious all of a sudden, stark against the interlocking C's on her suit.

"Edward has never met anyone who will affect his life like you will."

"What happens next, Alice? Where do I go from here; how does it end?"

Alice smiled again, shrugging out of the jacket and putting it in her "to buy" pile. It was significantly bigger than Bella's, who did manage to find lovely things.

"Do you believe in fate?" Bella nodded gently, putting the plaid next to the 501s in her pile.

"I do too. But living with precognition and a life that never ends, I will tell you this one thing. Fate brings people to one another, but it doesn't keep us together. I see something, and in an instant, it changes. Our actions and choices make us. We all have a choice. Someone has to make a choice to make it work, to keep it working. I don't know how it ends, not really. I just know how it's ending right now. And you know I won't say a thing. But..."

"But what?"

"But you know what you want to do, Bella. You know, in your heart of hearts. Don't let Rosalie make your choices for you. She doesn't know a damn thing about you or Edward, she just sees our family as finally living separate happy lives. Do you know how miserable it is to go through high school dozens of times? We may have to change jobs or schools or names to make our lives work now, but it's so much better than high school."

"I can't imagine. I was awkward enough in one high school experience to last many, many lifetimes." Bella didn't know what else to say. She did know she wanted more Edward, to be the one in the scuba suit discovering what was hidden in the icy water. She wanted to know more, to feel more, to have more. To have him in her life. That there was something worth discovering.

"But he needs someone in his life, and I think that someone is you. That's all I will say about that. Did you see the rack of prom dresses? It's a good thing I drove the Escalade, we're going to need the room to get all our stuff home. Your bike won't fit it all!"

-

It was evening, and Bella's new clothes were stuffed in her closet. Alice was a bulldog about the purchases, not allowing a peep from Bella about buying it all. It was a little annoying, but really fun nonetheless. Making pennies as a graduate student trudging through a PhD didn't make you money to buy classic amazing clothing, and Alice did say it was an apology for making her take a cab at night and Rose just being protective. Her back cracked as she bent down to swoop Austen up in her arms, nuzzling her face before putting the offended cat back on the ground. Bella had already put on pyjamas, making vegetable stir fry in a sleeveless nightgown. The smell made her stomach growl, eating for the first time today. She had just turned the heat off the rice when a knock on the door made her jump. She tiptoed to the door, peeping a glance to find Edward, looking dashingly handsome in his motorcycle jacket. She swallowed her nervousness and swung the door open.

"Hi, I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" His voice even broke her heart, sounding sheepish and worried. She grinned at him and gestured him in with her wooden spoon.

"Just making dinner, come on in. I have enough for two, but I am afraid this isn't quite your poison."

"Mmm, not as such, no." He leaned back on the counter, his eyes blazing a trail down her bare legs, pale and exposed in the harsh kitchen light. She blushed intensely and plated the food, walking into the living room without a spoken invitation. He shrugged off his coat and hung it up, toeing off black motorcycle boots leaving him in jeans and a charcoal tee that clung to his body. She crossed her legs when seated on the couch, pulling a blanket over them self consciously. He entered, sucking all the peace from the room as she sat nervously pushing the rice around, suddenly not so famished. The apartment was small, leaving few many options for comfortable seating of many, and so he settled next to her on the couch, pushing the blanket underneath her toes so he wouldn't chill her. And yet her face still flamed. The silence between them was palpable, the scrape of the fork on her plate the only noise as he stared into the air straight ahead.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I shouldn't have let Rosalie speak that way; I should have spoken up. I should have stopped you and..." His voice trailed off, hands clasped angrily on one another before reaching back and running his hands through his thick hair.

"I don't want to pull you from your family." Her voice was small and wavered with emotion.

"You won't. Rosalie just gets momma-bear sometimes. She'll get over it. I guess I shouldn't have let it come so far, without you feeling comfortable with... all this. I don't want to scare you, I don't want to lose you, but I can't put you in danger. But I can't leave you alone."

"So that leaves us... where, exactly?" Bella was acutely aware that this was, in essence, the most uncomfortable conversation she had ever had with anyone, especially a man. Weren't these the conversations that drove men away screaming? Edward looked uncomfortable as it were, and here she is putting up a wall. She shook her head slightly, realizing that she perhaps didn't have enough walls between them. Had she admitted too much? Had he? They had come too far, perhaps, and now she was left wondering how you could back track your life. When you didn't want to. But your life may depend on it.

"Where do you want us to be? You know where I stand, Bella. I just can't... progress if you feel some other way. If you feel any other way is possible, say it. Out loud. Say it."

His voice was low and tempting, and sent shivers down her spine. She was so nervous she wanted to throw up, profusely and violently, but she knew in her heart the decision was made. It wasn't even a choice anymore. It was as simple as gravity, as dangerous as a heart attack, and as complicated as quantum physics. She wanted to be with him. She had to be with him.

"There's no other way. You're it." Her voice wavered as he stood, letting out a great sigh and small smile, turning his head up to the sky. She stood as well, moving toward him without delay. This was that gravitational pull she couldn't deny, and she bit her lip in anticipation. His golden eyes turned to her, and his body followed slowly. He watched her lips and licked his own, and sooner than she thought possible, their lips were on one another's. His mouth was cool and stony, but mobile and graceful and insistent. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he stood like a statue, gorgeous and unbelievable. Furiously grabbing at him, she pushed her body into his as he finally wrapped his arms around her back and held her gently. It was as if time stood still. Their mouths parted, and his candy sweet taste overwhelmed her. His tongue was marzipan perfect in her mouth, and despite his cool touch, her body was blazing until there was nothing left but a smudge of ashes to mark her spot.

As she had done in the hallway, Bella lifted one leg on one side of his hip, shocked at her own brazen desire. She didn't care the cost, she had to be closer to him. Her nightgown was thin and rucked up and she flamed against his icy body. Vaguely, her mind registered a vibration in his pocket underneath her thigh, but he was hard and wanting and her head was overwhelmed with it. He gently nudged her leg down, still kissing her as he reached into his pocket. His lips left hers, and she gasped with need for air. He overtook her body's most basic needs with the desire for him. He growled at the phone, but answered anyway.

"What, Alice?" Bella filled in the blanks imaginatively, but was left wanting the other side of the conversation.

"I am being careful. I'm always careful."

"Fine. I know it clouds my judgement. I know. I will, I promise. I can control myself around her... okay, you are right, but I will try." He winked at her and roved her body, her hair wild and breath still coming rapidly.

"Okay, I promise. Seriously. Okay, you believe me now? I'll make her put on more clothes. Shut up, I will. Okay. Love you too. Bye."

He grinned that half smirk, had she was already moving to the bedroom, pulling a pair of yoga pants underneath the nightgown, feeling the heat finally leave her cheeks. The space had calmed the electric spark between them, and she raised her eyes to his and lifted an eyebrow.

"You're too distracting, Bella. But I love it. Just need a little reminder sometimes to keep my head on straight."

"Are you leaving?" She hated to ask it, in case the answer was yes. His face turned down, shadows casting on the perfect angles.

"If you want me to."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll stay." Her heart skipped a beat, understanding that physically, tonight, they could get no closer. But he was staying.

She tilted her head back to the living room, sitting down on the couch as he situated himself on the other end, his arm extended out towards her. She flipped on the TV, as PBS had a Masterpiece Theatre program she never missed. It was Dickens, not her favorite, but one she couldn't miss anyway. He smiled at her, and they settled comfortably into the couch. Their conversation was minimal, analyzing Bleak House and she was in awe again of his mind. It was heavenly, the dichotomy of brain and beauty that he possessed.

When the program was over, she moved to the bed, settling under the quilt as he sat above it, leaned back with a book from her shelf. His scent was calming, and soon her heartbeat regulated at seeing him in her bed as she had so often imagined. She drifted to sleep watching his eyes move over the pages of the novel, content and blissful. Edward was here, and he had stayed.

-

A/N

I wrote that final part on my new house's porch in a summer rainstorm listening to Billie Holiday and smelling wild mint and rain. Life is good. Please review, it'll make life all the sweeter! :)