Stephenie Meyer owns all these characters. I just wanted to take them to play somewhere different for a while.

Wow, that generated a lot of feedback! It was about 50/50 as to whether you would kick him to the couch or forgive him. One thing's for certain, you all hate Rose!

Beach has really earned her money this week - wait, what, don't I pay her for this? I really should.

Okay, let's have some fun while it lasts!

...

Chapter 11 - Ski Party

Edward

"Kitchen to Edward! Are you awake? Kitchen to Edward!"

Stupid fucking intercom system. She just had to wake me, didn't she, when I was having the best dream about a beautiful soft warm body next to me.

I groaned, opening one eye and realized it wasn't a dream. The scent from Bella's shower last night mixed with the smell of my sheets created something new that was intoxicating and unique. She was with me, cuddled up to me asleep, right where she belonged. She even smelled like she belonged here in my bed.

The two weeks of hell were miraculously over and I tried to find the right word to describe the feeling: bliss, ecstasy, euphoria. Yeah, that was all in there, but it was more than that. It was delight, sheer unadulterated delight at seeing her next to me and I felt happier than I had in years.

I have to admit it was an unusual way to start over, waking up in bed together. We'd agreed that we'd date, get to know each other before getting physical. It was what she said she wanted and I knew it was the best way for us to move forward. It was a good plan and there was no rush, we had all the time in the world.

And I was going to need time.

My family already liked her, hell my father showed her off so proudly last night you would have thought she was his daughter, so having this particular girl as my girlfriend was going to be a very different experience for me. I think they tried their best for a while with Tanya for my sake but when Alice makes her mind up about someone, it's hard to get to her to change and she's the driving force behind all the family activities so…let's just say Tanya never felt like a Cullen.

Mom putting Bella in the 'proposal dress' was supposed to send me a big message last night but it was really Bella who forced me to deal with what had gone wrong with us. The slap, yeah it shocked me at first but it achieved a couple of things. First, I stopped ranting and then I walked away and cooled off enough to realize she was too important to me to let this go on without letting her give me her side.

I was certainly not expecting the explanation she gave me. Never would I have dreamed up what came out of her mouth but I knew straight away that she was telling the truth because she had the kind of face that shows everything. She is an honest girl. I already knew that and for the life of me, I don't know why I hadn't given her the chance to show me.

I learned a big lesson right then that everyone is different and you cannot base anything on someone else's behavior. I was about to start learning all about this girl in my bed and I'd never looked forward to anything more in my life.

"Kitchen to Edward!" Damn, I had to lean so far that I lost contact with the warmth coming off her body and she whimpered, a little sound that showed she wasn't happy being torn apart either. I pressed the minus sign five times to shut down the volume and spoke softly. "Alice, fuck off, I'm sleeping."

"Do you know where Bella is, Edward? We can't find her anywhere."

I couldn't help smiling. "I think you know exactly where Bella is Alice. She's right here with me." I could hear clapping even though she wasn't pressing her button. I could hear it all the way up the hall from the kitchen and it made me chuckle.

"Edward, do you want me to leave you alone or are you coming skiing with us."

"I don't know Alice. I don't want to wake her just yet." In other words I want to cuddle some more.

"Alice, over and out."

Stupid fucking intercom system. I turned the thing off. Now we would only be disturbed if the fire alarm sounded. Oh, shit that was an errant thought. That's exactly what happened the last time I slept at her place.

I rolled back over and positioned myself as close as I could but it wasn't the same. I didn't have the full body contact I had before and I couldn't maneuver her without waking her up. I settled for the next best thing, touching her soft hair that was…Christ it was everywhere, the most out of control bushy mess, nothing like her normal beautiful mane and yet it was her, another facet in the jewel that was Bella Swan. God if we ever had kids, their hair would have no chance.

Jesus, Edward, you're getting a little ahead of yourself.

She stirred. I thought she was waking up but she moved just enough to fit back against me. A perfect fit. It must be some kind of ratio that I can Google later. Her knee found its way between my legs and she sighed to herself humming softly. I'm going to have to make a list of the things I like about her now. By the end of the day, the list will be down the hall and out the front door, so I'll use my iPad. Then I can send her messages that will make her smile and maybe she'll do something else I like for the list - what a win-win that would be.

I buried my face in the mess of her hair, the softest, fluffiest, most fragrant mess anyone ever had attached to their head. Maybe she'd let me brush it before I take her to bed one day. That would relax her and she'd be cuddly again. She's definitely a cuddler in bed and I like that too. I'm thinking this feeling is more like bliss and euphoria. I'm certainly feeling different this morning, it's like nothing could go wrong.

The next time I woke up, she was playing with my hair. I had both arms wrapped around her and she was leaning her head back, smiling at me and pushing my hair back over my ears. I could have told her it was a lost cause but it felt too damn good even to think about stopping her.

"Morning Edward, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, you?" I couldn't help my hands; they just had to surround her tiny waist.

"I feel amazing." I totally agree with that.

"You ready to go skiing today, Bella?"

"Hmmm." She stretched like a cat and yawned. "Yeah, I'm up for skiing."

"Do you want to use the bathroom first?"

"Just to pee, I won't be long."

"Okay."

"You need to let me go, Edward." Hmmm, there's a mischievous smile if I ever saw one.

She squirmed to get out of my hold. "Oh yeah, sorry." Shit, I had embarrassed myself already and I'd been awake less than two minutes.

She stood and stretched again and the little pair of shorts she wore rode up showing the cutest ass cheeks.

Man…where's that list.

I heard the door close followed by a loud 'fuck!' and as soon as the toilet and hand washing sounds ceased, she rushed out, finding a tube of something she squeezed on her hands and rubbed through her hair, turning to me. "Sorry, Edward, it's all yours."

I grabbed some boxers and board shorts, knowing the more protection I had for my junk the better on a day like today. I quickly used the bathroom, changed and cleaned my teeth, thinking she would need to get back in here to do whatever girls do when they take all that time to get ready.

When I came out, I got a shock when she was already in a bikini. I really tried hard not to check her out since this was day one and hardly appropriate but Christ, she'd been naked in my room while I was oblivious and brushing my teeth.

She already had her hair pulled into a ponytail, the mane was under control and she was rubbing some lotion into her upper arms and shoulders. Her hips seemed to shimmy as she rubbed the stuff in and there was no wobbly bits except for, shit, up top.

Look away, Edward, look anywhere but there.

I cleared my throat. I really like rings on the side of bikini bottoms and I'm not exactly sure why, but these were definitely very nice. They pinched into the flesh on her hips just enough to make you think they were doing something towards holding the bottoms up, quite fascinating really.

"What's up?" she asked, jutting her hip out, examining the ring for some imperfection. She was wasting her time and I was still staring.

"Nothing, you got ready so quickly." She just shrugged at the comment.

"Do you think you could cream me, just on the top of my back please?"

That is a question for the list. I have a totally inappropriate answer for that and it would be rude of me to use it.

I nodded and she handed me the lotion, smiling before turning around and holding up the ponytail. I squeezed some on my hands and rubbed them together, feeling like Fagan from Oliver Twist ready to get my hands on some valuable item just brought to me by my minions.

Her skin was so pale that she needed a sun hat the size of Texas to keep its beauty intact. It was soft, so soft in fact that I felt my big hands would do it damage. It was like baby skin. She didn't seem to feel the damage though, as she made a sound like a cat enjoying it.

"That feels so nice, can you do it down just a little further please. That's where I think I'll burn the most."

God, that curve is sensational. I really need to start that list.

She smiled. "Thank you, Edward, would you like me to do you now?" I nodded, unsure what she'd asked me.

I think I just reached my limit.

Her hands were probably normal size for a woman but they felt very small as she rubbed the lotion into my shoulders, round my neck and down my back. I think she was humming. "We should give each other a massage one day, Edward. We'd learn a lot doing that you know," she said with a surprisingly innocent smile. Then she turned her attention to my chest, coating me and using both her hands to spread the lotion outwards and down my upper arms before running her hands down to my board shorts. I wanted to close my eyes to enjoy the sensation but I couldn't take my eyes off her working on me with so much concentration on her face, biting her lip. Then she took my hand and held it palm up, squeezed on some lotion and told me to do my own face while I watched her complete hers in one sweep outwards with both hands. I did mine the same way as I watched her pull a long cotton top over her head, step into some flip flops, grab her towel, sunglasses and look at me, ready to go.

"Are you taking your phone? I thought I'd leave mine here."

I shook my head still unable to verbalize a response and tried to drag myself out of my delirium.

I thought making the bed might help but she immediately went round to her side and we finished the job within seconds. Then I went to my dresser and lifted out a t-shirt.

Suddenly she was pouting. "Are you wearing a shirt?"

I stopped as if I'd done something wrong. "Yeah, why?"

"Oh nothing. Do we have time to get something to eat?"

I pulled it over my head. "Sure, they'll just be at the jetty. We can go down there anytime we want."

"I feel like a boiled egg today. Do you think that would be okay?"

There's another thing for the list, suggesting things I forgot I liked.

"I haven't had boiled eggs for years. Do you have toast fingers?" I grabbed a towel from the linen closet on our way to the kitchen.

She smiled nodding. "Mmmhmm. Dad used to call them soldiers."

"Okay, done, but I'll make it. You sit down."

She walked over to the sink and looked out the window, then leaned over further and laughed. "Jasper's a really good water skier! Come and see!"

I had to drag my eyes away from the impossible distraction of her ass as the shirt rode up. "Where? Oh, he's not that good." Alice was spinning the boat in a tight circle, whipping Jasper right out. He was on one ski. She kept turning around to watch him as he threw one arm out laughing.

"I suppose you're better are you?" She made the mistake of poking me gently with her tiny finger to challenge me, and I do like a challenge.

"I'd like to be." I grabbed the finger and bit it gently before pulling her to me, kissing her possessively. She moaned into the kiss, threading her hands into my hair while her tongue danced up close to mine. Here's another thing for my list. She kisses me like an angel. In another lifetime, I would have carried her to the bedroom right then to claim every inch of her but spontaneous sexual freedom wasn't a strong suit of mine these days. We had some ground to cover before I could let myself go like that. Never mind, so far each kiss had been better than the last and I could feel myself thawing every minute I was with her.

Nevertheless, I now had to impress her with my egg boiling skills, so I pulled back, put my finger under her chin and gave her a final tiny full-stop-kind-of-kiss. She understood, opening her eyes, dropping her arms with a little sigh and moved to fill the kettle with water. "Are there tea bags?"

I pointed to the cupboard above and to the right of the stove, where the mugs and hot drink stuff were kept. I opened the fridge and pulled out an egg carton before grabbing the small saucepan. "Do you want one or two? I'm having two."

"Just one please."

"Okay, do you prefer it hard or soft?" Gulp. Did I just say that?

"It really depends on what I want to do with it." One of those dainty eyebrows rose up and she had all my attention right now. "But with soldiers I like to see it ooze out a little bit before I put it in my mouth." Her tongue came out and licked her bottom lip. "I usually bring it to the boil and then turn the heat off, keeping the lid on for three minutes while it simmers. I think if you leave the heat on too much, it can explode and I don't like to burn my fingers when I hold onto it, you know to get right into it so I don't miss any of the white stuff."

Fuck me, there's a twitch in my dick. I watched every word come out of that mouth and this was one conversation I didn't mind memorizing.

I can't wait to watch her eat this egg.

I realized there was more to this breakfast and put four slices of toast on to cook. "Do you have butter on your toast?"

"Yes please, I use the harder bits of the toast to dip into the soft part. By the time I've dipped it in a few times it always seems to have gone hard, so I get all the rest of the white out and spread it on the soft leftover toast and sort of eat it like pizza. Does that seem weird?"

I'm not sure what I just heard. I just like watching her speak. I'll need to see it to understand because it sounds kinky and it's an egg for Christ's sake, a boiled egg, that's all. Fuck, I need to concentrate on something other than what's going on in my pants.

"No, Bella, it doesn't seem weird. I think everyone has their own way of eating boiled eggs. They'll be ready in…two minutes." The toast popped and I spread them with butter before taking a sip of my tea.

"How are you going with your book? Have you found the author yet?" It seemed like an appropriate change of subject and I could get us set up to eat while she chatted.

She sighed. "No, Dad rang during the week with an update. The boys on the res are going to contact him if they see Jimmy at the beach at La Push. He camps up there sometimes apparently. Dad said there is no police record, no traffic tickets or bank accounts on record since Jimmy was 17 – it's bizarre. He did find out that the grandfather, Brad, is camping and hiking in the NorthCascadesNational Park up near British Columbia, consulting for the National Park Service, documenting species of wildflowers against figures they had from thirty years ago. He has no specific return date and he's off the grid, so now Dad's going to try and track down Jimmy's mother."

"Have you seen him again, Bella?"

"I haven't seen the guy you saw since I moved and really, I've lost interest in it now. I don't have a legal publishing contract so what would I do with the book anyway?"

"Okay, I suppose so, but you should be careful. I'm glad your father still seems to be on the case because I'd like to know one way or another who this person is." I suddenly felt terrible. I'd left her alone when she needed me and the guy who I thought was the boyfriend had picked up the slack in my absence. I really should meet him and thank him. I'd just have to avoid thinking of them together because that would do my head in again. It was going to take me some time to get used to the whole 'friends with benefits' thing.

"I know and I am being careful. The security's pretty tight at Rosie's."

"Here's your egg. Not too runny but still oozy…I hope." I smiled at her, hoping my enthusiasm would cover any mistakes in the finished product. Her hands came together and her shoulders scrunched up. Then she leaned over and kissed my cheek, blasting me with her natural scent and the incredible smell of whatever she put in her hair.

"It doesn't matter. It will be good because you made it." She stopped and stared at my face and gave out a little noise and tiny sigh. "You really should wear your hair like that all the time, Edward. Do you always need to tame it for work?"

Of course I did. My hair was out of control most of the time and I'd tried a lot of product to get it into some semblance of normality for the working week. I couldn't act like a professional with bed hair.

"Yes I do! This is the weekend mop and I'm not proud of it."

She snorted and touched it, still trying to push it back.

"Well I like it, a lot. If you had it cut just a tiny bit shorter, you could get away with it. I know it would work."

God, she was interested in my hair. I guess that's a good thing because I really like hers, especially since I don't have to wait an hour for her to do something with it. I spent interminable hours waiting around for Tanya and this was unbelievably refreshing.

Now the egg - she sliced the top off lovingly and poked the spoon in gently. The yellow oozed out and she beamed at me. Fuck, I wanted to kiss her so bad just because she liked my boiled egg. She cut off two skinny pieces from the crusty edges of the toast and dipped one in, without spilling any of the yellow. She took a bite and she moaned. I watched as she dipped it in deeper, getting way more egg this time.

"Edward, aren't you going to eat yours? It will go hard!" I'd lost my appetite for food. This fascinating girl was all I needed to sustain me.

She repeated the process with the other piece, then she used the spoon to scrape every last piece of that egg out on the toast. I swear there wasn't a molecule left. She hummed quietly to herself while she did it and then folded the toast in half, taking an enormous bite and spilling a good dollop on her chin. I helped her with a napkin because, well, I just wanted any excuse to touch her, and she giggled - the most beautiful sweet sound I ever heard anyone make while eating a boiled egg.

It hit me. I very nearly screwed this up with her, lost her friendship and the possibility of more. The thought did something to my heart and suddenly I felt cold and empty.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I've treated you badly in the last couple of weeks. I want to make it up to you. Will you please forgive me?"

She cupped my cheek with her tiny hand and looked from one eye to the other. "Edward, this is us starting again, remember? None of that happened so there's nothing to forgive." She leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the lips. It's hard to stop the involuntary action of grabbing when she does this – almost impossible really. I focused on eating my eggs that had cooled and gone hard, the exact opposite of her warmth and softness. Jesus, I'm comparing her to my boiled eggs now.

We cleaned up the kitchen and left immediately. I was at a loss not having to go ahead on my own or wait for some adjustment or reapplication of make-up. This was freeing, like going out with the guys, and I tried to hide my amusement.

She put her hand on my arm. "What do we say to your family, Edward, about us I mean?"

"I don't think we have to say anything, do you? It's really nobody's business but ours."

She looked at me uncertainly and bit on her lip. "Uh, they're pretty interested in your love life, Edward."

"In what way?" I could imagine. Alice couldn't keep out of it.

"Well, both Alice and Emmett were sort of coaching me last night, telling me everything would be alright. I think they'll be watching, especially since I spent last night in your bed."

"What do you want to do?" Personally, I could easily spend the entire day holding her hand. That would send the message I want to give out.

"Why don't we just act like we're friends, we're not fighting but we're not starting a relationship." The mischievous smile was back. "That should screw with their heads a little."

"I didn't know you were such an evil woman!" Her hand came up to her mouth to stop laughing. "Okay, Bella, but you know that means no touching or kissing and no furtive looks."

She looked sad for a moment, as if having to give up any physical affection would ruin the day and it would, as far as I was concerned. We'd see how long it lasted.

The boat was flying past as we arrived. Emmett let go of the rope and breezed in, almost up to the dry sand, and stepped out of the ski with his hands raised in the air. Show off. Alice brought the boat round and called out to me.

"Come on birthday boy, can you still ski?"

I flicked her the bird and took off my t-shirt as Garrett tossed the rope up to me. Emmett handed me the ski, which I slipped on and promptly lifted my thumb up. Alice gunned the boat and it yanked me straight into the air. Thank God I made a decent landing because my new girl was watching and after my brother's textbook arrival, I was feeling a little competitive. I kept lifting my thumb and Alice hit top speed, taking us up into less crowded water where I gave her the OK sign. She flung the boat to the right and the left, allowing me to jump the wake and get serious air. The girl could really drive the boat these days. She was smooth with acceleration so the rope kept taut, giving me confidence there would be no stacks on this ride.

We whizzed past our jetty where various people waved and I saw Garrett talking to Bella who was now wearing only her bikini and sitting on a deck chair next to Rosie. I'd warned him to keep away from her but he looked like he was still going to try and it was time I set him straight. She stood and waved at me and when Alice flung the boat around I put my hand above my head, showing her I was ready to come in. I wasn't going to take a chance of doing something stupid like hitting the beach at full speed and looking like a dickhead, so I threw the rope early, ending up in waist deep water and pushed the ski in front of me. I took the ski up and placed it on the jetty, grabbing my towel and wrapping it round my hips. Alice brought the boat round, killing the throttle and the motor idled, still spitting water out the back.

"Come on Bella, your turn!"

"I've just had breakfast Alice! I think I'll wait for a while!"

"What about you Rosie, you haven't had a turn yet!" She shook her head before Emmett picked her up and raced into the water with her.

"See it's not that cold!"

She screamed and smacked him, her blonde hair stuck to her face. He raced back laughing, splattering everyone with water and grabbed two skis and a life vest, tenderly slipping her into it and doing up the straps before kissing her soundly. I sat in her chair so I could glare at Garrett who had angled himself towards Bella even though he was watching Rosie.

Bella was giggling to herself and stood up to get a better view. Christ the view I had was outstanding.

"I hope you're not going to laugh at me? I'm not very good." She wasn't even looking back at me as she spoke because her eyes were trained on Rosie. I took advantage and kept ogling her. I couldn't touch today but I could look.

"You'll be fine, Bella, it's supposed to be a laugh."

"Yeah at my expense when I fall down." She turned and sat back down, the smell of the sunscreen assaulting me even in the fresh air.

"We won't do that, I promise. Alice's driving is so smooth she'll probably pull you straight up and you'll be off. You watch Rosie."

Rosie was now floating in the water, the jacket riding up around her neck and the skis sticking out of the water in front. Emmett was spotter, calling out to her to keep the skis straight.

"Just let it pull you up, babe. Don't try to get up on your own, okay?"

"This better be good, Emmett Cullen or you're history!" she screamed out, obviously nervous.

"Come on babe, you'll love it!" he called to her.

Alice pushed the throttle forward quickly and soon Rosie was out of the water, if a little unsteady at first. Alice took the boat again up north and they disappeared.

"Are you going to have a go?" I really wanted her to try it and she nodded. I grabbed another life jacket and handed it to her, not wanting to show everyone the intimacy of putting it on her directly.

"Uh, Bella, you can't really ski in that bikini. If you fall you could lose it." I searched through the tub for a spare pair of shorts, finding something I thought would fit. "Here you go, put these on." I think they were my old shorts, patterned with weird lines and stripes that had faded with use.

"They're a little loose, Edward. Are there any others?" She was pulling the waist out as I was ogling her belly button and tummy up close.

She gave up waiting for an answer and accepted the slightly loose shorts. They were still ok and they would last for one water ski trip. It was better than the alternative. At least Rosie had a one-piece swimsuit so it couldn't completely come off.

Soon they were flying past heading south and Rosie was doing well. I could see Emmett waving his hands and calling out to her, training her on the signals to relay to Alice. Bella's face lit up, seeing her friend having a good time and she jumped a little, getting excited for her own ride. Alice maneuvered the boat past us and Rosie let go, coming to a smooth stop in the deep water, laughing and screaming out to Emmett. He dived in to her, helping her off with her skis and soon they were both on shore. Rosie lifted both her arms with a 'Woo-Hoo! That was awesome!' and Bella smiled at her friend, clapping and jumping for joy.

"Okay, Bella, thumbs up means faster and thumbs down means slower. When you want to come in you raise one of your hands over your head, or you can just touch your head and we'll know. Bend your knees a little bit, keep the skis parallel to each other and try not to let the ski's turn to the side on your first ski. Got it?"

She nodded and I took her out to put her skis on, setting her up the same as Rosie. Then I swam over to the boat and climbed on the back. Jasper, Alice and Paul were on board.

"You staying on board, Paul?" I'd seen the way he looked at her last night as well and I don't forget shit like that.

"You kidding me? While you keep bringing these beautiful women out here I'm staying right where I am." He smiled at me, nodding his head towards Bella, and I almost admitted my intentions right there. I glanced at Alice who was suddenly watching me intently so I said nothing and turned back towards Bella.

"Is she okay, Edward?" Alice called.

"Yeah, she's fine. She's done this once before, so just be gentle, Alice. I don't want her getting hurt."

Alice snorted and asked if she was ready. I called back "Yeah go!" and she gunned it, smoothly and perfectly pulling my girl out of the water. I could hear Bella screaming with delight and I remembered the disaster we'd had this time three years ago when Tanya tried it. She didn't want to have a good time, not like this girl did today.

She leaned forward and back a few times before she put up her thumb. "A little faster Alice, she's a bit unsteady." As soon as the speed was right, she stood up straighter, leaning back and beamed as she went along. We headed north and Bella was still laughing, enjoying the fact she hadn't fallen down. As Alice turned the boat, she was a little unstable but she managed to right herself and kept going back towards the house. I was so proud of her. She was magnificent until the final approach when the shorts started creeping down and she felt it, looking down and wondering what to do. One hand tried to pull them up but the damage was done. They vibrated down her legs, distracting her and as we went past our house, she lost balance, a ski hit the wake before catapulting her into the air and she tumbled on top of the water a few times before coming to a stop.

Alice killed the throttle and I dived off the back of the boat, terrified she'd hurt herself in the fall, and swam like I was doing the hundred to get to her. Suddenly I watched the neighbor's Labrador swim out to me, take something in his mouth and swim back.

"Edward, that dog's got my bikini bottoms!"

"Stay right where you are! I'll get the shorts. Are you okay?" She nodded and I swam over and retrieved the shorts, trying to hand them to her without getting too close, knowing she had nothing on under the water. We both broke into hysterical laughter.

"Shit, Edward, do you think anyone saw?"

I was still chuckling. I know I should have had the same reaction as she did but I was just so happy she was okay, I didn't really care. I shook my head and told her it was all over too quick, that she shouldn't give it another thought.

Alice had taken the boat slowly over to pick up the skis and was now idling close to us. Paul and Jasper both hung off the side, grinning. "Miss Bella that was one of the best crashes I've seen in ages. Did you damage anythin'?"

"Only my pride, Jasper!" she called back, still smiling.

"Oh, dun' worry 'bout that. You couldn't 'a stopped that one from happenin'. Once the shorts started to go south, you wah histry." Thank God he said that. Maybe she'd try again now, knowing it wasn't her fault.

"It's my fault; I'm the one who put her in those loose shorts." And it was all my fault. I hadn't been paying proper attention at the time and she could have hurt herself badly.

"Oh stop blaming yourself, Edward. Come on board you two, Jasper wants to have a ski and I want to spot, so you drive."

Jasper pulled Bella out of the water and the shorts nearly came down again. "Ain't you just a piddlee'o thang!" She giggled.

I groaned, thinking she would be mortified if she lost them in public. I pulled myself up and headed for the wheel, putting towels on the seats and telling Bella to come up and join me. Jasper jumped into the water immediately, putting on the ski, and soon Alice called out, "Gun it baby!"

It took a second and a couple of wobbles before he was out of the water. Deep-water starts on one ski were difficult to master but soon he was raising his thumb to the sky. I took him south, doing a big sweep of MossBay before heading back to the house. It was a long ride and he never looked like faltering, taking long sweeps across the wake. Bella didn't seem interested in his skiing. She kept turning her seat towards me and watching me drive. Every now and then I'd turn to her and she was always smiling. Maybe she'd forgiven me for the incident with the shorts. As we came in past our jetty, Jasper managed one of the most perfect exits I'd ever seen. As I steered the boat round I saw him slow up to the sand and step out of the ski, flipping it up and catching it. The guy was good.

The smell of cooking steaks was overpowering in the air. Dad was using his special Cullen rub and the whole place smelled mouthwatering. We pulled the boat in and tied up. Rosie picked up the sodden bikini bottoms by one of the rings, holding them away from her in disgust. "You better wash these, sister, there's a lot of dog slobber there, but he didn't put any holes in them." Bella raced straight up to her and took them before heading up to the house, still yanking the shorts up. I saw Mom meet her at the back door and they exchanged a few words before I watched them both laughing. They headed off somewhere together, probably the laundry.

Lunch was wonderful, steak and salad with a few leftovers from last night, and then Mom came out with a cake and surprised me because my birthday still wasn't until Wednesday. Everyone sang and it reminded me that the unhappiness that had plagued me for a while was now over. I had so many things to look forward to, especially with this happy, positive girl who would soon become my girlfriend if I had anything to do with it. So far, every trait she had was going straight to my list.

Bella

After a great deal of arguing, I finally convinced Edward how unnecessary it was to drive me home and then have to come back. Rosie and Emmett were going my way and Rosie wanted to stop in and pick up some more of her clothes anyway. When he knew he had lost, he pouted and put his arms around me, refusing to let go until they were buckled in and the engine was running. How things had changed in one weekend.

Rosie handed Emmett her swipe card to enter the underground parking lot, something I'd never done before. As we waited for the door to rise, my phone beeped with a message. I grabbed it immediately, hoping it was something cute from Edward, but finding an unknown number. It was a picture message entitled 'BYE BYE'. I pressed OK and the image filled the screen.

It was a picture of Mrs. Cope's two cats, her beautiful 'Kiss' cats, both looking curiously into the lens. Did she have a new phone and wanted me to know she had found them? I wasn't sure how the 'BYE BYE' fit in but I was very pleased if they had turned up. Maybe she was leaving Seattle. I continued to study the photo, smiling as I remembered some of the mischievous things they would do to get my attention, pouncing on me and batting me with their fluffy paws. Then the phone started ringing and I saw it was James. I huffed to myself but I answered, thinking there was no way he could bring me down from the great mood I was in.

"Is this your way of telling me you have a new number or are you moving again?"

"I don't know what you are talking about James."

"The cats from your old place, what does 'Bye Bye' mean?"

"I don't know. I just got the same thing sent to me. You don't know what it means?"

"No. Sorry I thought you must have sent it because the old duck wouldn't have my number. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. Don't mind me."

"Okay, goodnight James."

"Bye Bye, Bella."

Weird.

"What's he want?"

Emmett was already up at the top of the stairs and we heard him say, "Hey, what do we have here!"

"What is it babe?"

"Bella were you expecting something?"

I reached the top step and turned to my door. There was a cooler sitting right up next to it, like a delivery of food.

"That's not mine, Emmett. It belongs to somebody else."

Rosie breathed out in exasperation. "I'd love to know who let's these people in here!"

The three of us stood there wondering what to do with it because there were no labels or delivery details. Emmett pulled it out to look at the other side then leaned over and lifted the lid off, filling the hallway with a foul burning smell. "Fucking hell! What is that?" he said as he leaned into the box to get a better look. "Is that…fur?" His mouth opened wide and he grimaced like he was appalled at what he was seeing. Rosie flashed past me and stood half way down the stairs.

The word 'fur' made me recoil and back up against the wall. The terrible stench combined with that word filled my head with the most horrible vision and I wanted to scream at him to get away from it but no words would come out. I literally couldn't speak. Then he put his arm right into the box and looked like he was going to pull something out. Adrenaline must have kicked in to unlock my voice and I screamed, "Don't!" too late as he pulled out a long fluffy tail and I saw the beginning of it's scrawny singed backside before I felt the watery feeling in my mouth. I was going to vomit. I heard Rosie scream and we both raced down the stairs with the pulse at my temples throbbing and bile erupting up my throat. I barely got the entry door open before I threw up all over the first shrub I saw.

Emmett was right behind us, still holding the poor burned animal up by the tail. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and we both screamed at him to keep away.

"Christ what is wrong with you two? It's just a stuffed toy! Did you honestly think I would touch a dead animal?" He gave the toy cat a jiggle, sending a shiver up my spine and raising every hair on my body.

Rosie was furious. "Fuck you Emmett Cullen! You knew that's exactly what we both thought!"

"Oh you are just a couple of pussies," he said laughing at us. There was not one thing funny about this whole situation and I dragged my phone out to show him why.

"I just got this message as we pulled in downstairs, Emmett. It's a photo of my neighbor's cats, the ones I used to feed when she went away. They were missing last time I spoke to her, you know after the fire. Still think this is funny?"

Emmett's lips repeated the words 'bye bye' a few times and handed the phone to Rosie. They looked at each other nervously and Emmett said, "Grab some stuff. You are coming to stay with us."

...

A/N Dun dun dannnh!

Just for my info, how would you have reacted if the contents of that cooler were real and dead?

Rec's for the week are "In Plain Sight" by dishie
and "Firefly in Summer" by primarycolors - one of my all time favs.

Happy Easter everyone - stay safe if you are travelling