Here's chapter 9! This is probably going to be the last chapter for a while because I have a Broadway show and a concert this week, so I won't be around for a while, *sigh* This chapter isn't really eventful, but things have to be set up, dig? LOL. I hope you all enjoy the fluff!

Thank you to KlutzyGoldfish, even though she's gone AWOL this afternoon, so an additional thanks to hgbkwrm for being my temp-beta for this chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and teasers for all of you as usual.

I don't own Twilight, unless you count my worn-out copy of the book.

EPOV

Wednesday afternoon around three, I finally woke up after my over-night shift at the hospital. I headed downstairs, and something that smelled delectable was coming from the kitchen. Sugar cookies. My mother always made her grandmother's old-fashioned sugar cookies whenever she wanted to butter-up one of her sons. I just hoped it wasn't me this time.

"Hey Mom," I said. Okay, so I lied. Those cookies were totally worth whatever it was she wanted from me. If she wanted something from me.

"Edward, you're finally up!" Why did no one understand a man's need to sleep after an over-night shift that didn't end until six o'clock in the morning? I nodded my head and decided that I needed to get the skinny on the cookies.

"What's the special occasion?"

"What do you mean, honey?"

Oh, so it was going to be like that. "The cookies. You don't usually make them, I thought there might be a reason."

"There's no reason, Edward. Does a mother need a reason to bake her son cookies after he's had a hard day's work at the hospital?" Uh-oh, I was in trouble. Normally she was shameless when the cookies showed up. I had a feeling that there was a sneak-attack in my future. There was no way to get around Esme once she had her mind set on something, so I decided to give in and not question it further.

"Of course not, Mom," I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

After a little while, I'd gotten through about three cookies when Esme finally attacked.

"So dear, how is Bella?" she asked. I nearly spat out the cookie that I had been chewing. How did she even know Bella's name? I had thought that all my mother knew was that I'd taken out the same girl a few times last week. What the hell?

"What? Who told you about Bella, mother?" I asked in a curious voice, trying not to sound angry with her.

"I baked cookies yesterday while you were at the hospital," she shrugged, and I waited for her to continue. "Your brother and Rosalie were here," she finally admitted. I was going to kill Emmett.

"Oh, well, she's fine. We're going out again Friday night."

"Do you think she would like to have dinner here sometime?" she asked. I knew that I was not ready to bring Bella here to meet my family. We'd only been going out - or together, for a week and a half. I wasn't even sure we had a label yet.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Mom. We've only been going out a little over a week. Maybe after we've been dating a while okay?"

"Sure dear. That sounds reasonable to me. I guess I just got a little bit overexcited that you found someone is all." Now that I thought about it, with the exception of Tanya, I hadn't gone out with the same girl more than once in years. Just one more shred of proof that Bella was different.

Wednesday night, I chewed Emmett out for telling Esme about Bella.

"Dude, how much did you tell her?" I asked. Not that he knew how I really felt, but I felt like he broke some kind of brotherly code.

"I told her that Bella was pregnant with your baby and that you were getting married," he said with a smirk on his face. "Relax, man. All I told her was that Bella was the girl who saved you on the boat, and the same girl you'd taken out three times last week. No harm, no foul."

"Whatever, Em. I know she used the sugar cookies on you," I said with a laugh. Emmett was no match for Esme and her cookies.

"Can I show you something?" he asked me.

"Shoot."

He got up from the couch and went into his bedroom with me following behind him. He went into his closet and pulled out a shoebox. He lifted the top off the box, reached into it and pulled out a small jewelry box. Holy shit.

He handed it to me and I opened it. Yup, the fool was going to propose to Rosalie. "Em, is this what I think it is?"

"Yeah. I got it the other day, and if I know Rose, I know that she'll love this ring," he said with a smile on his big-idiot face. I was actually happy for him.

"Well good luck getting her to say yes," I said as I shut the box and handed it back to him.

"Dude, I don't need any help being nervous, so shut it." He actually did look scared shitless.

"Chill man, she's definitely going to say yes. How could she say no when she looks at this face," I teased, pinching his cheeks. He pushed me away, but I noticed the smile he now has on his face.

Thursday night at eight, I headed over to the hospital, tapping my hands on the steering wheel as I sang along with Billy Joel's 'Tell Her About It.' It seemed like every song I listened to lately reminded me of Bella. I wasn't complaining though.

We had a date planned for Friday night, and before I left for the hospital I'd called her to let her know when I would pick her up, and where I had made our reservations.

After a few hours, I got a page from the front desk, telling me that I had a visitor. It wasn't from the ER, so I wasn't worried. I walked out into the lobby and found Bella standing there with Tupperware in her hands. Her back was to me, so she didn't see me walk in.

I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. "Hey," I whispered into her ear. She turned around to face me with a smile on her gorgeous face.

She kissed me, and for a moment I forgot that we were in the hospital lobby, so I pulled back. "What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Oh, is it okay that I'm here? I wasn't sure but I decided I would come anyway," she said as she blushed a light shade of red. If she only knew how crazy that blush made me.

"It's more than okay that you're here," I said as I grabbed her hand and lead her over to the break room.

"I wanted to bring you some food that was leftover from dinner," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. I wasn't going to complain if my girl wanted to bring me food, I'd be happy if it was terrible. I was just glad she was here.

We walked into the room and I took the Tupperware from her hand and put it on the table. Thank god there is no one in here right now, I thought to myself as I grabbed her waist forcefully and leaned in for a passionate kiss. Before I knew it, I was pushing her against the wall, and my tongue was in her mouth.

I told her I wanted to take things slow with us, but it was so hard when I was near her. Every time I was near her, all I could think of was being with her. In the biblical sense.

She moaned into my mouth and reached around to grab my hair. I knew then that it was time to pull away, mostly because there was more than a handful of people that could walk in on us at any moment, one of those people being my father.

I had the urge to tell her I loved her when I stared into her eyes once I had pulled back, but I knew I couldn't do that.

"Sorry," she said as I stared at her pink, swollen lips.

"Please, Bella. I'm the one that should be sorry. Sorry for attacking you every time I see you, and sorry because the only reason I pulled away was because I had a horrifying image of my father and several other people walking in here," I said with a laugh.

She laughed along with me. "Well, don't be sorry for the first," she said as she placed a small kiss on my neck. "As for the second, you should be very sorry," she said with a wink. God she is so fucking sexy.

I pulled her over to the table. "So, what did you bring me?"

She smiled as we sat down and pulled the lid off of the container, pushing it towards me. I looked down and saw the most delicious looking steak I'd ever seen. Plus, there were roasted potatoes and green beans in there too. I definitely love her, I thought to myself.

"I love steak," I told her honestly and jumped up to find a knife and a fork. I sat back down and dove into the food. As soon as I tasted it, I had to recant my earlier statement. "I take that back," I said as I moaned in delight and chewed a huge piece of the steak. "I fucking love steak." She laughed and I think my eyes rolled back into my head slightly.

"My mother asked me if you wanted to come and have dinner," I told her. "But I told her that I didn't think it was such a good idea because we've only been seeing each other for a little while." She nodded her head in agreement and I smiled, knowing this was my chance. "Plus, I don't even know what you are to me."

"What?" she asked as she whipped her head up to look at me.

"I didn't know if I should tell my mother you were my girlfriend. I don't know what we are," I told her honestly. "Bella, are you my girlfriend?" I asked as I looked up to meet her beautiful brown eyes.

Those eyes lit up a second later and she smiled. "I am if you want me to be, Edward."

I'm pretty sure my smile mirrored hers exactly. "Without a doubt," I said as I leaned across the table and kissed her, placing my hand over her cheek.

"I'm feeling pretty good about this decision," she said as I grabbed her hand to hold it in mine. I'd waited so long for Bella to be mine. Even though we hadn't been seeing each other for long, I'd known this girl for a month, I'd known that I wanted to be with her from the moment I saw her. And I knew that I loved her without a fraction of a doubt in my mind.

"Definitely."

"So I actually wanted to tell you something," she told me as she stared down at our intertwined hands. I was nervous for a moment, but I encouraged her to continue.

"Anything," I told her without looking into her eyes. Her eyes always told me how she was feeling.

"I found an apartment yesterday." Relief washed over me. I didn't know why, but I had a strange feeling she was going to tell me something else. I didn't know what that something else might have been, but I was glad to discover that wasn't it.

"That's great Bella," I said as I smiled at her. "When do you move in?"

"In a month," she told me. My heart sunk a little, because I didn't move into my place until September. Bella would be in Seattle an entire month before me. I would be alone in Forks, without her, for a month.

"Oh," was all I said at first. "I don't move in until September first." The smile that she'd had on her face fell slightly, and I stroked the hand I was holding with my thumb.

"I'll miss you," she said, still not looking at me. God I would miss her, she had no idea how much. But that was a whole month from now.

"Hey," I said as I lifted her chin so I could see her eyes. She began searching mine, I didn't know what she was looking for, but I told her what was there. "We still have a month until then. You might get sick of me before that," I said with a laugh. She rolled her eyes and hit my arm playfully.

"I doubt it, Edward." I kissed her cheek, and my beeper went off. I groaned and laid my forehead on the table. I felt Bella's hand caress my hair and I sighed. I lifted my head up to look at her, and she was smiling again. Her eyes told me she was happy, and as long as my girl was happy, then so was I. Whatever the reason was for my pager going off, it couldn't ruin the happiness I felt.

"Duty calls," said Bella as she placed her hand on my cheek. We were staring at each other, and I really needed to get back out into the hospital. I tilted my head so I could kiss her palm and nodded.

We both stood up and walked out of the room. I walked Bella out to the lobby and whispered in her ear. "One month, then do you know what happens, Bella?" I asked her, somewhat seductively. She shook her head. "After that lonely month, we have the next month, and the next, and the next," I said as my voice got lower and lower with each word. I was standing behind her and I could still see her smile. She turned around and gave me one last kiss. "Until tomorrow night," I told her. I love you.

"Goodnight," she said as she walked away. I watched her until she was out of sight, and then I had to remember where I was. Once I was out of my stupor, I turned and headed to the ER.

BPOV

As I was walking out of the hospital, I had to stop myself for a few moments to remember where I had parked my car. Edward wanted to be with me, and not just in the broad sense of the word, girlfriend, but in the 'hi this is Bella, my girlfriend' kind of way. I knew that sounded a little bit like something a typical sixteen year-old girl might say or think, but I didn't care. When I was with Edward, nothing was normal, and yet everything was normal at the same time. My head was swimming with all of these foreign feelings, and I was thriving on them.

The next two weeks were a complete haze. Everyday was a rush of packing, phone calls, running everywhere, and of course, Edward. I'm pretty sure the reason my days had become so hectic was because of how deeply he consumed my thoughts. I needed to have everything I owned packed away and moved to Seattle in two weeks, and all I managed to think about, successfully, was Edward.

I'd gotten a call from Eileen, the real estate agent that had shown Alice and I apartments in Seattle a few weeks ago, telling me that she'd found a place that was exactly what I had been looking for. She'd told me that if I wanted a chance at it, I had to get there that day and take a look, and so I called up Alice and we went. The place was perfect. It was a simple, one-bedroom place downtown, not too far from UW. I'd signed the lease that afternoon two weeks ago, and couldn't wait to move in. Of course, I was grateful to Grandma Swan, because if it wasn't for her small trust fund that she'd set up for me, I would not be able to move into my own place. It wasn't a large amount of money, but it was just enough to keep me afloat while I searched for a job and finished graduate school.

As I sat in my living room with Alice, my thoughts suddenly drifted to the entire month I would have to spend away from Edward after I moved to Seattle. I'd miss him like crazy, which actually did seem crazy since we'd only been together – officially – for two weeks. Although, I felt like I'd known him forever, even if it sounded cheesy. We just fell into place with each other; it felt so natural to be with him.

"Earth to Bella," Alice said, interrupting my thoughts while waving her hand in front of my face.

"Huh?" I said, dumbfounded that I had no idea what she had been talking about.

She rolled her eyes at me and let out a frustrated sigh. "I said, do you want to go to the store and look for new bedding for your place?"

"Uh, sure Al. When?"

"I dunno, tomorrow night maybe?" she said, flipping through the channels on the television. I knew she wouldn't care when we went, as long as she got her opinion in on what color scheme my bedroom would be.

I shook my head. "No dice. Edward and I have a date," I told her as I blushed. I knew she was going to chew me out for this one, because Edward and I were practically glued to each other whenever it was possible. I smiled at the thought of actually being glued to Edward, and then giggled out loud because the concept was a bit ridiculous.

"Jeez, Bella! You two are attached at the freaking hips! And you haven't even had sex with him yet?" she asked. Yep, definitely getting chewed out.

"Sorry, Alice, but I'm going to be in Seattle a whole month before him, and he doesn't want to forget what I look like," I said with a laugh. "And no, we haven't had sex. Where do you presume we do it? In the car like a couple of seventeen year-olds?" I said, trying to challenge her statement. The truth was, I was dying to have Edward. I wanted to feel him, every inch of him, and I didn't know if I could wait much longer for it. I knew it couldn't happen before Seattle. It didn't seem right that way, like it just shouldn't happen until we're both there together. I was determined to be on him like white on rice as soon as we were, though.

"Okay, okay," she began waving her arms defensively. "Tomorrow afternoon is perfect, I'll make sure to pencil you in," she said and I laughed and rolled my eyes at her.

"So what about you and Jasper?" I asked. We hadn't really discussed their relationship, but I did know that it was going well.

"Let's just say that we're putting rabbits to shame," she said as she giggled and put her hand over he mouth. Not even a hint of embarrassment emanated from her. She amazed me.

"Nice Alice, real nice."

Friday night, after the torturous outing to Bed, Bath and Beyond with Alice, and since there was no trace of Charlie or Renee, Edward was coming over for dinner and a movie night. I was relieved when he didn't feel like going out either, because a night at home with my boyfriend was exactly what I needed after the past two weeks, and the upcoming two weeks.

When I heard a knock at the door, just as I was tossing the pasta into the water, I answered it and found Edward standing there with a single white rose in his hand. He was wearing a simple blue t-shirt and dark wash jeans, with his hair looking wind-blown. Even in the simplest clothing, the man took my breath away.

"Hey gorgeous," he said to me as he stepped through the doorway. I blushed as he said that and handed me the rose. I swear I'd prefer one rose from Edward than a hundred from anyone else. I took it from him as he leaned in to kiss me.

"Hey yourself," I said as I led him into the kitchen.

He took in a deep breath once we were inside. "Jesus, Bella, it smells amazing in here. What's on the menu?" he asked.

"Just some spaghetti that I whipped up at the last minute." Well, it was mostly true. I had to whip it up last minute because I'd spent the remainder of my afternoon mulling over what to cook. He smiled and helped me through the rest of the preparation.

After dinner we decided to watch Transformers, which I partially insisted on since the new movie was coming out, but Edward agreed because he hadn't seen it. When it was over, I got him to admit that it wasn't half bad, and he even agreed to go see the new film with me.

As we sat through the credits, I was looking over at Edward, and suddenly I couldn't help myself. I lifted my hand up to his neck and pulled myself over to him, and I was crushing his mouth with mine.

Our tongues pushed and shoved against each other, and before I knew it, Edward had moved forward on the couch so that I was pressed underneath his body.

I knew that if we didn't stop soon that it was going to go too far. Well, too far for a night on my parent's couch when one of them could arrive home at any minute. In any other circumstances, I'd be screaming 'all aboard!' But then he began to snake his hands underneath my shirt, moving slowly up my sides. Everything went out the window after that.

I threw my arms around him and grabbed a fist full of his hair with one hand and his shirt in the other. I moved both of my hands to the bottom hem of his t-shirt and slowly pulled it off his body. He sat up slightly so that I could pull it over his head and then his mouth moved to my neck. He was sucking on it so fiercely that I was sure I would have an evident hickey, but I couldn't care less. I was so concentrated on feeling every curve of him. I was running my hands up and down his toned arms like it was nobody's business. He cupped my breasts in his hands, through the material of my bra and groaned into my neck.

He shoved his hardness into my hips and I let out a strangled moan as he moved his mouth back to mine. Suddenly, I had a terrifying image of Charlie walking into the house and finding us like this, and I was afraid for Edward's life.

"Edward…" I began, and it came out as more of a question. I knew this had to stop, but I was going to need his help.

He pulled his head back so he could look at me, his lips red and swollen. "Yes, sweetheart?" he asked, moving a piece of hair that had fallen in my face. I was pretty sure he caught on to the tone in which I'd said his name, and he somehow sensed that we needed to stop.

"We need…we need to stop," I managed to choke out. "We can't do it like this, Charlie could be home any second," I told him reluctantly.

He dropped his head onto my shoulder and removed his hands from underneath my shirt, and placed them on my shoulders. "You're absolutely right, Bella. I'm sorry," he mumbled against my arm.

"You're sorry?" I began. Was he crazy? "I was the one who attacked you, and believe me, Edward, I want it to happen. God I can't wait until we're both in Seattle," I said with a laugh. He slowly sat up, hissing, most likely from the friction in his jeans. I almost giggled out loud, but decided I had tortured him enough for one evening.

"You mean I have to wait a month and a half to have you, Miss Swan?" he asked me, and I nearly said fuck it and jumped him again as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Oh his red, swollen mouth…

"I'm afraid so. Unless you want to do it in the Mustang," I said. I wasn't serious, not for our first time anyway, but it did sound like a good idea to put away for future use. His eyes bugged out of his head for a moment before he composed himself and shook his head.

"I better get going then," he said as he slowly got up off of the couch and me. I really did not want him to go at all. I got up quickly after him as he was pulling his shirt back over his head. I stood up on my toes and hugged him.

"I don't want you to go," I whispered in his ear. He squeezed me back and I knew that meant neither do I. He kissed my cheek and put his arm around my waist as we walked to the door.

He leaned in to place one last kiss on my lips as he whispered "goodnight" into my ear. I just stood there like a mute, because he was just so perfect. I watched him get into his car and peel out of the driveway. I smiled to myself as I shut the front door and cursed my own timing. Then I began counting the hours until I was alone with Edward in my bedroom, in Seattle.

After I cleaned up from our dinner and showered, I looked over at my clock. One down, nine hundred and fifty-nine to go, I thought to myself. This was going to be the longest month and a half of my life.

Oh my life is changing everyday
In every possible way
And oh my dreams
It's never quite as it seems
Never quite as it seems

I know I felt like this before
But now I'm feeling it even more
Because it came from you
Then I open up and see
The person falling here is me
A different way to be

I want more, impossible to ignore
Impossible to ignore
And they'll come true
Impossible not to do
Impossible not to do

And now I tell you openly
You have my heart so don't hurt me
You're what I couldn't find
A totally amazing mind
So understanding and so kind
You're everything to me

Oh my life is changing everyday
In every possible way
And oh my dreams
It's never quite as it seems
Cause you're a dream to me
Dream to me