**A/N** It's totally okay, you may deem me the worst updater on the history of the planet, I will accept this… it's been crazy busy with school but now that its summer I go back to having no social skills and writing all the time! I have no excuses…. Enjoy the chapter guys, sorry its short but longer ones are on their way!

~Ashleigh M

Polyvore: w ww .po lyvore c gi/set ?id=5210 7089 (take out the spaces :)

Set In Stone

Chapter 11: Birthday Gifts

I'd been staying with the Cullen's for about a week and I felt better than I had in a long time. I would smile of my own accord and laugh and smile and I really felt alive.

"Bella you know I'd be totally okay if you stayed here forever you know that right?" Edward whispered against my temple. I nodded my head and placed a small kiss above his collar bone.

We were lying in his bed on a Friday morning waiting for it to be socially acceptable to wake up and be in the company of others, Fridays with no school were the absolute best Fridays. We only had about two more weeks of school anyways, life was good. I pulled myself closer against Edward's chest before I got up to take a shower. Esme and Carlisle were not exactly unaware that we slept in the same bed ninety nine point nine percent of the time but I didn't want to advertise it either.

I was in the middle of rinsing the shampoo out of my hair when I heard what could only be Alice's incessant knocking.

"BELLA! BELLA! BELLA! BELLA! BELLA! HURRY UP! GET OUT OF THE SHOWER!" Alice yelled.

My brain went to the worse situation possible and I scrambled to get out of the shower without falling to my death. I turned off the water quickly and threw one of Edward's button down shirts over my still wet body, pulling up a pair of Alice's old short shorts that she refused to wear and I ran down the stairs with my hair wrapped up in a towel. I almost slipped on the last step but Emmett's hands shot out and caught me.

Once he steadied me he pulled back and grinned evilly before he wolf whistled causing everyone in the house to look at me.

"Damn Bells! If I wasn't in to Rosie…." He wiggled his eye brows suggestively before he received numerous slaps to the back of the head.

"HEY!" He whined, rubbing the spot where everyone had hit him. "I said if!"

I noticed Edward's jaw was slightly open and once everyone's eyes had left to mine I made a motion for him to close his jaw and winked at him, he loved seeing me in his clothes. I didn't disagree. I loved his clothes; they smelled like him.

"Hey Em, hey Rose," I grinned, my cheeks still crimson from the wolf whistle I had to endure. Emmett grinned at me and Rose smiled gently.

"Keeping busy Bells?" Emmett chuckled, earning him a few more slaps. "Hey! It was an honest question!"

"Emmett enough," Esme chided gently. Emmett looked properly scolded before she continued. "Okay Alice, we're all here let's have at it!"

Alice was bouncing in place and I was starting to worry she might slip right down into the floor.

"IGOTIN! !" She screeched.

"In English please." Edward snorted gently behind me.

"I SAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIID, I got into Seneca! I got the early admission to go to Seneca! Can you believe it? I'm so happy!"

There was an extremely brief moment of silence and then huge congratulations and a mod that looked like we were going to squish her, but she held her own. Emmett made her look like a tiny rag doll when he picked her up and both Carlisle and Esme gave their congratulations. I made my move to hug her as well when she stopped me.

"Bella are you sure you're going to be okay with this?" She stressed. "With me leaving, are you really going to be okay?"

My throat became thick with emotion and I grabbed her and hugged her as hard as I possibly could without killing her.

"I'll be okay, Ali." I said, wiping a tear away from my check that boiled over. "I have Edward and Esme and," Emmett pounded his chest to remind me not to forget him, causing me to laugh slightly. "And Tarzan over there, I'll still have everyone over here and we're going to have so many visits that it will be like you never left. I promise. I am so proud and happy of you Alibee!"

"Why are we proud of Alice?" Jasper asked, strolling in to the living room.

Alice ran over to him and wrapped her legs around his waist as she crushed herself to him, shoving her tongue down his throat. I felt my eyes pop open at the sight and everyone seemed to have the exact same reaction as myself.

"Uhm, is there something you need to announce Alice?" I asked gently, confused but also really happy for her, however the same could not be said for Emmett and Edward. Emmett looked like he was going to rip him in half, which I wouldn't quite put past him.

"Oh yea….Mom, Dad, everyone…..I'm dating Jasper." She ginned and pecked him once more on the cheek. Jasper set her down gently as he took in the expressions on everyone's faces, I'm not too sure what mine looked like.

"Dude! She's my baby sister!" Emmett ranted. "My best friend and my sister, you guys can't just fool around! My best friend and my sister! My baby sister!"

Jasper put his arm around confidently around Alice and Emmett glared at his arm around her waist and made a move to hit him.

"It's not just like we're hooking up Em," Jasper looked down at Alice now. "I love her."

"It's true, I love him too Em," Alice said as she leaned into his side.

Emmett looked at them pensively for a few minutes and everyone was waiting for his response. He then got a lovey dovey face and he smiled hugely, moving to pick both of them up in a group hug.

"My best friend and my sister!" He sang.

Emmett put them down and everyone gave their congratulations again to Alice, Edward too but he gave Jasper the brother line of 'you hurt her and I kill you' which Emmett said ditto to. After all the commotion I relaxed I was still standing in the middle of the living room in what had to be a now transparent white shirt and a sad excuse for shorts. I excused myself and went back upstairs to get dressed seeing as my shower seemed officially over.

Weeks had passed rather quickly after Alice got her acceptance letter and not long after the Alice and Jasper are dating revelation did I move back in with Charlie. He seemed different than what I always remembered him being, we all missed Renee. I loved my house….because it was my house but there were so many memories of Renee here…..more so than at the Cullen's. It was hard to get away from it all.

I spent a lot of time with Edward and Alice still, sometimes it felt like I never moved back into Charlie's house. Alice and I were lying on her bed flipping through some gossip magazines with our feet up in the air. She seemed to have her entire room packed for Seneca. She was leaving on August 17th and seeing as it was only June 10th I felt like she was packing way too early to leave. We were musing about Edward's birthday when Alice's hyperactive party planning mode kicked in.

"Backyard party?" I mused. "No, Edward's never really been one for big parties.." I hummed. "What about….no…..or…I don't know! Alice you're the insane partier! Ms. I-can-plan-an-amazing-party-in-five-minute! HELP!"

"Well let's forget about the party for a minute-" Alice grinned.

I dramatically put my hand over her forehead as if I was checking for a fever.

"Alice! Alice! Are you okay? Hold off on a party?" I yelled at her, grinning as well.

"Bella, be serious."

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

"I meant presents! What are you going to get him?" Alice bounced, she was back.

"I have no idea, but thanks for bringing that worry up to the forefront of my mind." I sighed sarcastically.

"You could jump him." She said simply shrugging her tiny shoulders.

I spluttered for a few minutes, after turning an unhealthy shade of pink first of course. Especially when she demanded to know if he and I had already 'done it'. I ignored the insane questions and focused intently on the magazine in front of me. She ripped it out of my hand.

"Hey!" I shouted.

"Bella please, you don't even know what magazine that was." Alice rolled her eyes. "So are you like waiting for marriage or something?" I hesitated, biting my tongue. "Are you?"

I let the flood gates open.

"No!" I wailed. "It's Edward! He wants to protect 'my virtue'. Alibee, really? Who even talks like that anymore? How many times did Esme and Carlisle drop him?"

"Emmett dropped him a couple times." She said completely serious.

We both burst out laughing at the conversation and the picture of Emmett holding a little baby in his hands. We quieted down when we realized that with Rose being pregnant we'll get to see that soon enough. After we were quiet for a few minutes and that's when Edward decided to poke his head in Ali's room.

"Hey ladies, what's up?" Edward shook his crooked smile at me. I gave him a dirty look behind Alice's back and he winked at me.

"Oh we're talking about our sex lives." Alice answered like it was nothing in the world. My face inflamed again and Edward's eyes bulged out of his head.

"Or lack thereof," I mumbled only loud enough for Alice to hear, causing her to burst out laughing before she regained her composure.

Edward kissed me on the forehead and shuddered before he hugged Alice and he slowly retreated out of Ali's room. We were both clutching our sides in laughter at Edward's face when Alice told him what we were doing. We were still trying to catch our breath when Alice spoke.

"I still say you jump him." She winked.