AN: Howdy peeps! I'm sorry to say that this isn't the lemon ya'll have been waiting so patiently for. Next chapter guys. Thanks for all the great reviews guys! You rock so hard. Thanks to dirtypillowtalk for beta'ing this and making it look presentable for you guys, I'd be lost without her.

The Plan

Our plan was to be set in motion early Saturday morning seeing as that was the day of my eighteenth birthday. Alice said that it would make things so much easier if I was of a legal age.

But no matter how fool proof Alice seemed to think her plan was- and she was pretty confident about it- I was still hesitant. It didn't help that things at home hadn't improved in the least. In fact if anything it got worse.

We avoided each other like looking in each other's eyes would give the other the plague and when we were in the same room as each other it was always quiet like we didn't know what to say to each other.

And don't even get me started on the tension in the air. It was like a thick, suffocating tension that threatened to drown me.

I'm sure he could feel it too, but the whole no looking, no talking unless completely necessary made it hard to know for sure.

By the time Friday afternoon dawned I was a mass of nerves. Deep, buried insecurities reared their heads filling my own with depressing thoughts and scenarios. Plus with the added fact that Edward would be home soon things weren't looking so great. What if Alice was wrong and it didn't work? What if he didn't want me? What if I just wasn't good enough...?

My hands were practically shaking and I was jumping at my own shadow as the day wore on. "Calm down Bella." Alice muttered as she leafed through a magazine on my bed.

I looked at her like she had grown a second head. "How can I calm down when the weight of my future lies in my palms?"

She peered at me over her magazine and raised her eyebrows. "Stop being so dramatic. You're starting to sound like me. By one a.m. tomorrow morning you, my friend, will have lost your V card," she said confidently.

I let out a breath wishing that I had that much optimism. "I sure hope you're right," I muttered still not quite certain.

She shrugged and went back to reading, "I'm always right."

I bit my lip. "Do I really have to do it tonight?" I pleaded in a whining tone hoping to escape this while I still could.

She sighed in exasperation- I had been asking that question repeatedly all day. "Number one, it will actually be tomorrow morning. Two, yes you do. You can't back out now, not after spending money on this."

I sighed, she was right. I had bought 'sexy' pajamas just for this. I nodded in resignation. "Fine."

She seemed pleased with that answer and threw the magazine down on the bed and gave me her full attention.

"You should be happy, not like you're marching to your death."

I sighed because that's what it felt like.

"I'm sorry. I just get so nervous and then I start doubting myself. What if he doesn't like what he sees. I mean there isn't that much to look at. My boobs are too small, I've been pigging out recently and my thighs have taken the brunt and..."

Alice put her hand over my mouth to stop me from working myself up anymore than I was already. Tears had already sprung to my eyes and I was on the brink of hyperventilating.

"Shhh. . .you need to calm down. First, he'd be an idiot not to want to jump you. Hell, I would if I went that way. Your boobs are perfect. Be glad you don't look like a flat board like me. He'll love you just the way you are honey." I sniffed and hugged one of my pillows to my chest.

"You really think so?" I asked quietly.

She nodded. "Of course babe. Now tell me all the great shit you're going to do once you're eighteen. I should make a list."

Her eyes lit up as she mentioned making a list. I think list making was a new obsession of hers. It would pass in time so I wasn't that worried.

I shrugged unbothered. Birthdays weren't a big deal to me. They were just the mark of another year added onto your age. Edward was taking me and Alice to Seattle for the weekend to celebrate 'such a milestone' and I hoped that maybe it would be good after tonight to get away from our comfortable home in Forks and go someplace else.

"I haven't really thought about it. Why don't I just look at your list when you're done?" I suggested.

She nodded triumphantly, "Good idea. By the way I'm staying for dinner because my mum has gone to her book club and there is nothing to eat at my place."

She ended it with a pout. You know the one, the-my dog just died and you are my only hope of living through it-pout. I rolled my eyes, "I don't see why you even bother asking anymore. You stay for dinner every Friday."

She shrugged all non-chalant, "True."

"Thinking of dinner," I muttered. "I need to start making it." I stood up and Alice hopped up after me, "Oh! Can I help?"

I shook my head and started going down the stairs, "Alice, I actually want something edible to eat."

"It's not my fault you don't like experimenting." She shouted after me. I knew it wouldn't be long till she followed me so I just ignored her comment.

I went in the kitchen and was surprised to see Edward there. I blushed crimson and managed to ignore all the images flashing across my eyelids. If I wanted things to work between us we would have to get past that little...indiscretion on Sunday night.

"Oh hey Edward, I was about to start dinner. What are you doing back so early?" He smiled seemingly relaxed. "Things were slow today and Emmett came in early so I got off early." I nodded trying not to hear the really inappropriate sexual innuendo he had just unknowingly said and wrung my hands as the awkward tension started building up.

This was the main problem. It was the tension that made thinking hard. I couldn't think of a thing to say and it would only be so long before one of us bolted.

Just as things were getting really bad Alice came bounding in and hugged Edward tightly around the waist, "Hey Eddie, long time no see."

He chuckled at Alice's exuberance. Thankfully he was used to it, "Nice to see you too munchkin. I ordered in some pizza so you don't have to cook."

He looked over Alice at me to see if I was okay with that. This was the first time since the 'accident' happened that we had looked one another in the eye. I blushed a deeper shade of red, "Um...sure I don't mind," I managed to stutter out.

He nodded, "Good." His eyes hadn't left mine and I could feel the electricity between us double.

Alice cleared her throat effectively snapping us out of the trance we had just fallen into, "We are having pepperoni aren't we?"

Edward chuckled and looked down at her, "Like I would order anything else when you're over." She beamed and grabbed my wrist, "Come on Bella let's go choose a movie to watch with it."

She dragged me into the sitting room and went over to the wall full of DVD's. I followed dutifully, knowing she had something to say. I mean we both knew what movie she was going to pick.

"Geesh, you two could have lit a fire with the looks you were giving one another." She muttered as she searched the shelf for Moulin Rouge. It was her favorite and I'm sure she knew all the words to all the songs. She pulled it out and went over to stick it in the DVD player.

"I really don't see why you were so worried earlier." She muttered with a shake of her head as she curled up on the love seat.

I just shrugged and settled down on the love seat next to Alice. I bit my lip as my heart continued to beat fast in my chest. Never had I seen a look like that directed at me and I wasn't going to lie, it left me hot and bothered. She flipped the TV on, "Edward!"

She yelled, "The movie's starting."

He poked his head around the corner, "Please don't tell me that you're watching that musical one again." He groaned. I giggled at his face. He did this every week, but we all knew that he would watch in the end. I had even caught him mouthing along to some of the songs. Alice pouted, "Yes we are, and you're going to watch it with us."

He sighed and came in with a beer in one hand and two bottles of coke in the other.

He threw them at us and Alice caught hers but mine hit me on the nose, "Damnit." I muttered clutching my nose.

Alice jumped up, "I'll get paper towels in case it bleeds."

She ran out and if my nose didn't hurt so much I would have been suspicious. Edward came over and tilted my head, peeling my hands away from my nose. He inspected it, "I should have known better than to throw something to you," he muttered. He leaned closer and it was like suddenly everything changed.

His breath wafted over my face and his eyes darted to my lips before he licked his own. My breathing had turned shallow and if he just leaned up just a little bit further our lips would be touching. Suddenly the doorbell rang and he sprang up,"I'd better get that" he muttered and disappeared out of the room.

I sighed, ah well there goes that. Alice came back in with paper towels and sat down next to me looking unfazed as she placed them on the coffee table.

"How are you doing?" She asked a look of innocence on her face.

I gave her a look that told I knew what she was up to, "I'm fine Alice." She nodded and pressed play on the remote.

The rest of the evening went by without any more incidents. Alice left about half after ten but not before forcibly dragging me upstairs and into the sanctuary of my room to give me last second strict instructions on how to seduce Edward.

"Okay remember; shyness does not belong in the bedroom. Forget it, leave behind in here and go for gold. If he pushes, push back. Take charge of the situation and make him want it so bad that he'll beg for it"

She paused looking at me intently, scanning her eyes over my face like she was trying to memorize it. "This is the last time I'll see you as a virgin." She sniffed and waved a hand in front of her face to stop the tears that were glistening in her eyes from falling.

"Oh God. My little girl is all grown up." She choked out. I rolled my eyes at that. She really was a drama queen. Once she had managed to compose herself she pulled me into a tight hug.

"Channel your inner Alice and you'll be fine."

I grinned at her. "I thought it was my inner vixen I was meant to be channeling?"

She waved her hand around and rolled her eyes. "Yes, but I'm so much better than a vixen so channel me." I laughed and gave her another hug. I knew that after tonight things would different and I clung onto to this last bit of my life for a second. I breathed in the last of its scent and said goodbye to it. It was time to turn over a new leaf and start anew.

"Okay I have to go now. Promise me that you will call tomorrow morning and tell me everything. Don't leave out the graphic details." She gave me a stern look and I nodded.

"I won't. Love you Al." She nodded planted a kiss on my cheek. "Love you too. No matter what." With that she turned with one last wave and bounced back down the stairs and out the front door with a last call of goodbye to Edward. I flopped back onto my bed and closed my eyes content to just wait here until the clock struck twelve.

Edward knocked on the door causing my eyes to pop open and peered into the room then over at me.

"Hey," he murmured. "I'm heading to bed as we have an early morning tomorrow. Do you need anything?" I shook my head and sat up. Little did he know just how much of an early morning he would be getting. "No, I'm good. I think I'm going to stay up for a while. I'm too keyed up to really get some sleep right now."

He nodded, "Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

His eyes stared into mine for a long, calculating minute and I swear I saw something come through. It was like indecision and pain. I wanted to go over to him and just give him a hug. He gave me a small, almost sad smile and disappeared back out of my room and I let out the breath I hadn't known I had been holding.

Whatever it was that I had seen in his eyes I hoped it would be gone by tomorrow. I hoped that I could take that deep rooted pain that I knew he held so close to his heart and rid him of it permanently.

This whole thing just wasn't about me anymore. I wanted him not just for me, but for him also. I doubted he even knew how much he closed himself off to other people. It was only the constants in his life that ever really saw the real him.

I was one of those constants...

And I was going to show him I cared.

AN: I was actually listening to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack on youtube as I wrote this. It seems it's not just Alice who loves that movie. :). I bet you're all pissed that you didn't get your lemon, but all in good time. Things have to build up so we understand the characters so don't blame me, blame the person who invented plot. Don't worry I'll give you all a nice big, juicy lemon next chapter. Sound good? Review and tell me. I am feeling rather giving today so you will get a teaser for the next chapter if you indulge me and press that button that is literally calling your name.

Also I have posted up my entry from breath-of-twilight's Halloween II One Haunted Hallows Eve. If you haven't already go check it out. It's called Lost Souls.