Ms. Ambrosia and Browns are the most wonderful, best, amazing betas in the entire world. Without them, I don't know what I'd do! Thank you ladies for everything!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


BPOV

I hadn't killed Alice...

Yet.

But I was seriously considering it.

It was bad enough she had invited Edward to dinner without telling – or asking – me first, but when you throw in the fact that I had to cook dinner along with wanting to dress me up, Alice was on my last nerve.

I finally had enough and stormed out of my bathroom when she tried to put glitter eye shadow on me.

Glitter.

On.

Me.

The Pixie was about to become Pixie Dust if she didn't knock that crap off.

She was currently in her room singing along with Lady Gaga about a bad romance. I rolled my eyes as I walked to the kitchen to check on the food.

My iHome was in the living room, playing Norah Jones softly in the background. The chicken was in the oven and the water was warming for the spaghetti when I heard the knock at the door. Ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, I went and answered it.

Edward was standing there looking amazingly hot, wearing a leather jacket with a fist full of Gerber daisies in his hand.

Oh, my.

"Hey," he said quietly, giving me his crooked grin.

"Hi." I could feel the blush on my cheeks, as well as the smile that lit up my face.

"Come in." I opened the door wide to allow him entrance. He moved into the entryway, slipping his jacket off his shoulders as he maneuvered the daisies from hand to hand.

"Let me take your jacket." He handed it to me with a quiet, "Thank you," and I hung it up in the hall closet. When I turned back to him, he was standing there watching me intently.

"These are for you...and ah, Alice, of course."

"Thank you. They're beautiful." Walking to the kitchen, I reached up to the cabinet over the refrigerator to grab one of the vases I knew we had stored up there. The reach was a bit high for me, and as I turned to grab a chair from the dining room table, I felt Edward behind me.

"Which one?" Edward asked, his face bent so his lips were down near my ear. I bit my lip to hold back a groan as his breath passed over its lobe.

I was pressed tightly between him and the fridge and I could feel every inch of Edward behind me. It had been a long time since I had any physical contact with someone I was attracted to and the temptation to push back into Edward's body was strong.

Very strong.

"Doesn't matter." I had to hold it together.

It was only hours ago that I had admitted to Alice I was willing to see where this attraction to Edward took me – us – but it had been almost seven months since I'd had sex. I wondered if I'd react this way to any male body this close to me, or if it was Edward in particular that was eliciting such a strong reaction in me. Jacob had hugged me, held me and was physically closer to me in the past few months than any other man. Yet, I never had this sort of reaction to him. I had no choice but to believe these feelings were brought on only by Edward.

He moved just a bit closer to me to grasp one of the vases and I found myself sinking into his form. I wished his arms would encircle my waist and pull me tight against him. It scared me a bit that I got lost in the fantasy for a moment.

Whoa, take it easy there, slick. He's just a guy.

That he happened to be one of the hottest guys I've ever had the opportunity to lay my eyes on didn't help. I was a girl who hadn't been laid in a very long time and that made this a very dangerous situation.

He placed the vase in my hands and shut the cabinet door, but neither of us had moved from our positions. My breathing had picked up and if I wasn't mistaken, his had as well. I swear I could feel his face in my hair, but the touch was feather light and I wasn't sure if I really felt it or just wished I did.

Alice interrupted the moment.

"Hey guys!" She came bounding out into the kitchen. Edward backed up and I moved away from him, grabbing the vase and the flowers. I stood there, my back to Alice, as I arranged the bouquet.

"I, uh, just wanted to tell you, I'm going to have to skip dinner." She sounded amused and wary all at the same time.

Whipping around, I looked at her suspiciously. "What to do you mean you have to skip dinner?"

"Rose just called from Tacoma; she was on her way back and got a flat. Emmett's working and she couldn't get a hold of anyone else, so I have to go pick her up. We're just going to grab something to eat on our way back."

"Oh." Her story made sense, but part of me couldn't help but wonder if she set this whole thing up so Edward and I would be completely alone.

"Save me some chicken parm though, please!" She threw on her coat, grabbed her keys and was out the door before either Edward or I could say goodbye.

I stood there for a minute longer, continuing to arrange the daisies in the vase, even though they didn't need it. My back was to Edward and I wondered how he felt about Alice's hasty exit.

"Thanks for having me over tonight," he said quietly. He was standing very close to me, our bodies almost touching.

It's not close enough.

I seriously needed to get a grip.

"No problem. I'm glad you could come." Taking a deep breath, I turned and faced him. We stood there, staring at each other for a few minutes when the timer on the oven dinged.

The two of us jumped, and the moment of...whatever, was broken. I placed the vase of flowers in the center of the kitchen island and turned back to the oven.

"Do you need help with anything?" It sounded like he moved a bit further away.

Damn it.

"Um, there's a bottle of Pinot Noir over there if you want to open it and let it breathe." I gestured with my head to where I had put the bottle earlier and pulled the chicken out of the oven to check it.

"I can handle that. Bottle opener?"

"In the drawer next to the sink." The chicken could use a few more minutes, so I stuck it back in the oven and then moved up to the stove to put the pasta in the now boiling water.

"What the hell is this?" I whirled around to find him holding the bottle opener.

I laughed. "A, uh, bottle opener?"

He was holding our rabbit style bottle opener in his hands, looking at it like it was a new species of animal. "What happened to the old fashion corkscrew ones?"

I couldn't hold back another laugh. "That has a corkscrew."

"Uh, huh." He was still turning it around in his hands, trying to figure out how the contraption was supposed to open a bottle of wine.

"Give it here." I held my hand out to him and he gave the bottle opener to me without hesitation.

I walked over to the counter and attached the bottle opener to the bottle, maneuvering it so the corkscrew easily removed the cork from the bottle. Edward stood next to me, our sides touching, while he watched. I then used the opener to remove the cork from the corkscrew.

"Well, that's just fuc-freaking handy now, isn't it?" He gazed at me with a look of amazement on his face.

"We really need to get you out more." I laughed as I tossed the cork into a bowl Alice and I had set aside with the decorative purpose to fill with wine corks. It was a tradition my mom had started when she moved to Jacksonville and I had picked it up when I started drinking wine.

"Apparently," he said, his voice low and husky.

I looked up to see him staring down at me, his eyes raking over my face. He looked like he was searching for something, and I wondered what he was trying to find. I was startled when I saw his hand move toward my cheek, and I noticed he hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing his movement. He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers running through the tresses, before coming to rest on my neck. "I'm looking forward to learning all sorts of new things."

From the living room, I could hear Norah singing about having someone come home and turn her on.

Was it just me or did it get, like, amazingly hot in here?

"Good thing I'm an excellent teacher." My eyes went wide when I realized what I said and he chuckled softly.

"That is a good thing. A very, very good thing."

Holy. Crap. Would you prefer to take me on the counter or the floor, Dr. Cullen?

Things were moving very quickly and I needed to step back. A week ago, Jake and I were calling him Dr. Dick and I was annoyed with his attitude. A day later, we were on slightly friendlier terms. Last night, I was eating off his fork and staring deeply into his eyes before meeting his girlfriend. Now, I'm standing in my kitchen ready to drop trou and have him screw me silly on the kitchen floor.

Remember to breathe in, and breathe out.

"I...uh...um, have to check the pasta," I said as I moved away from him, and his hand fell from my neck. He didn't answer me. Instead, he just gave a small nod, staring at me with a smoldering look in his eyes.

I stirred the spaghetti, checking to make sure it was done. I spent the next few minutes preparing the pasta and sauce. When that was done, I pulled the chicken out of the oven. I moved to the fridge and pulled a bowl of tossed salad off the bottom shelf. Edward stood and watched my movements silently the entire time. When I began bringing our dinner to the table, he helped me carry things from the kitchen to the dining room table. I told him to take a seat as I took one last look around the kitchen to make sure I had everything we needed. Taking one last deep breath, I joined Edward at the table.

"Everything looks delicious, Bella." I smiled, and looked up to see his crooked grin.

Don't jump him at the table. Don't jump him at the table.

"Thank you, Edward. I hope it tastes as good as it looks."

I could have sworn I heard him give a low groan, but I couldn't be sure as he immediately asked, "Wine?"

"Yes, thank you." I handed him my glass.

There was more silence as we filled our plates and began to eat, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Tense, yes, but I had a feeling it had more to do with the sexual vibe surrounding us than anything else.

"Dad told me you were looking into jobs at UDub. Have you had any luck so far?" Edward took a bite of the chicken and I was temporarily mesmerized by the sharp angle of his jaw, moving as he chewed.

"Um, uh, no...not yet. But I just sent my resume out last Tuesday, so it might be awhile yet. Carlisle offered to call some of his contacts, but I'm not quite sure how a doctor will help me find a job teaching English." I had to remind myself to pick up my fork and eat rather than watching Edward.

"You'd be surprised; Dad knows a lot of people. Before he and Mom moved to Forks, he did his residency out here and worked with people who went on to teach at UDub. He's really good at networking and making contacts. He's probably already made some phone calls."

"I'd be appreciative of any help he could give me. I'm so tired of sitting around all day and not pulling my own weight."

Edward looked at me, confused. "Pulling your own weight?"

I shrugged, uncomfortable now. "No job means no money and I'm just not used to relying on other people to...take care of me. And for the past few months, that's all I've been doing – letting other people take care of me." He didn't say anything, just watched me with slightly narrowed eyes.

I shrugged again. "It's a bit humbling and humiliating to ask your father for money to go buy shampoo or deodorant, you know? Practically everything in the apartment was bought by your sister or your parents." I gestured around me.

"I can't even pay her rent right now. My insurance ran out when I lost my job and I'm currently on Medicaid to pay for my physical therapy." A tear ran down my cheek. "So yeah, it would be really nice to find a job."

I looked down at my plate, embarrassed that I voiced my shame to Edward. These were feelings and thoughts I hadn't told Jake or Alice about; I barely liked to think about it when I was alone.

Except, it was practically all I ever thought about.

I was horrified that I had to rely on welfare to help me pay my way. Any money I had in my savings account had been drained. My unemployment checks went right into helping pay my hospital bills; even with what my insurance had covered, they were astronomically high. No one that had loaned me money – my dad, Jake and Leah, Alice, Carlisle and Esme – had ever made a big deal about it, but it still made me feel horrible. Even though I had made it perfectly clear to all of them that I would be paying them all back, it still felt like I was asking for handouts. I was ashamed, mortified that my life had come to this. Now that I was physically able to work, and in a place that offered the opportunities, finding a job was my first priority.

The sexual tension was completely gone now, replaced by a heavy silence. Another tear ran down my cheek and I was afraid to move to wipe it away for fear that Edward would notice my crying.

Way to ruin dinner, Bella. Real smooth.

Edward's left hand reached out and gently grasped my chin. He raised my face so he could meet my eyes. I tried to turn my head, but he just moved it back so I was looking at him again. With his right hand, he used his thumb to swipe away the tears that had fallen. When he finished, he removed his hand from my chin and brought it up to my cheek.

"Bella, I have no doubt you will find a job very soon. And there should be no shame in allowing the people who love you to take care of you. They want to. They need to. So it's okay to let them."

More tears fell as I closed my eyes. I could feel a sob bubble up in my throat and I took a breath, trying to hold it back, but it came out anyway. The next thing I knew, I was in Edward's arms and we were striding across the floor to the living room. He sat down on the couch, pulling me into his lap, arms wrapped securely around me. I buried my face in his chest and sobbed.

I'm not sure how long I cried, or how long we sat there after my cries had diminished to sniffles and then silence, but we never moved. Edward held me, stroking my hair, rubbing down my back and arms, whispering words of comfort. His hand was currently making tender circles on my back, soothing me. I was content for the first time in months, feeling completely safe and cared for.

I finally spoke. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"I ruined your shirt."

"I have others."

"I shouldn't ha –" He stopped me.

"You needed to."

I shifted in his arms, moving to get up, but Edward held me tight.

"Are you still hungry?"

I shook my head.

"Why don't you go take a shower and try to relax? I'll clean up and put everything away."

"Oh, Edward, no, I can –"

"Doctor's orders." A small smile pulled at his lips. When I began to protest again, Edward placed a finger over my mouth. "Let me take care of it, Bella."

I sighed and then nodded. When he got my confirmation, his arms loosened and I stood. I couldn't meet his eyes as I whispered, "Thank you, Edward."

He didn't answer, but I could feel his gaze on me as I made my way to the hallway that led to my bedroom.


A half an hour later, I was in a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt, making my way back out to the living room. My hair was still damp, pulled on top of my head in a knot. The kitchen and dining room lights were off, the only light coming from over the stove and the glare off the TV. I could see that the table had been cleared of our aborted meal and there were dishes in the rack next to the sink.

Edward was nowhere to be found.

I found myself disappointed and depressed that he had left without saying goodbye. Over the course of the last hour or so, I had experienced comfort, safety and contentment, feelings that had been solely lacking in me lately.

What is it about this guy that makes me want to jump his bones one minute and feel perfectly comfortable crying in his arms the next?

Being held by him had been soothing in a way I hadn't expected, and the need to feel them around me again was so strong, it felt like an ache in my belly. I hadn't realized how lacking I had been for human contact; that the hugs from my family and friends had been only doing so much to ease the need to be close to someone.

I stood there, lost in my thoughts, when I suddenly felt him behind me. Edward touched my shoulder and I turned toward him.

"Where were you?" I kept my eyes on his chest as I asked.

"Alice's bathroom."

My mouth moved in a silent "o."

"Feel better?" Edward asked quietly, searching my face.

I was finally able to meet his eyes. "Much better, thank you."

Edward smiled. "You feel up for watching a movie with me?"

Grinning back at him, I nodded. "What do you want to watch?"

"You pick this time. I'll choose the next." He gave me that sexy, crooked smile.

Now I want to jump him again. Mood swings anyone?

...

Whoa, back up a minute. Did he just say "next time?" I haven't agreed to a "next time."

Wait, does he think this is a date? This isn't a date, its just dinner between friends. Well, kinda friends. Friendly acquaintances.

Holy crap, I need a drink.

I took a deep breath, trying not to worry about whatever "this" was right now. I'd analyze the whole night later, after Edward was gone.

"Okay. How about Shaun of the Dead?" I asked, naming one of my favorite movies.

"Zombies?" Edward raised an eyebrow, looking and sounding surprised.

"Yeah, I've been obsessed with them since college when my friend Jeremy handed me a copy of 'The Zombie Survival Guide.' I have a bug-out bag packed and ready to go at a moment's notice."

Edward just stared at me, and I could tell he was wondering if I was serious or not. After a minute, I couldn't hold a straight face anymore.

I started giggling. "You should see your face."

He looked relieved. "You were pretty convincing."

"Don't knock zombies at least until you've read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. But even I haven't gone as far as having a survival plan or a bug-out bag."

He looked amazed. "People really have those things?"

I nodded and grinned. "Charlie does."

Edward's eyes widened and I laughed. "His aren't for a zombie apocalypse though; he's just a law enforcement officer prepared for war or a natural disaster. He's been trying to get me to put something together since Hurricane Katrina. He's always telling me you never know what's going to happen and when help is going to come, so it's better to be pro-active rather than re-active."

"He's actually got a really good point." Edward looked thoughtful and I chuckled softly.

"Probably, but he still hasn't convinced me to do anything about it." We laughed together and I moved to the media cabinet to get the movie. Edward sat down on the couch as I put the disk in the DVD player.

I moved back over to the couch and sat down, leaving a good amount of space between Edward and myself. I settled back against the cushions, trying to get comfortable when he reached over and pulled me to him.

I looked at him, shocked, but he just smiled, throwing his arm around my shoulder. His legs were propped on the coffee table in front of us and mine were bent off to the side. I settled into the groove of his arm and shoulder, laying my head on his chest.

We watched the movie in silence, breaking it to laugh at Simon Pegg or Nick Frost. I know some people don't get British humor, but I just love it.

Edward spent most of the movie stroking my hair and I felt oddly comfortable and turned on, all at the same time. I was no closer to figuring out where his personality change had come from or what my sudden draw to him was, but honestly with all of the other things weighing on my mind, this was the least of my worries. I knew I was attracted to him, and the more time I spent with him, the more comfortable and safe I felt. I was going to stop worrying about it and just go with it.

The movie ended, but neither of us moved as the credits rolled and the DVD blue screen came up. Edward continued to move his hand through my hair and I snuggled further into his chest. After a minute though, I needed to ask him something.

"Edward?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you...will you please...not say anything to Alice about what I told you tonight?" I lifted my head so I was looking up into his face.

He was looking down at me, his face expressionless. Finally, he spoke. "On one condition."

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay..."

"That you stop beating yourself up over everything and that if you're feeling shitty about stuff, you'll talk to me about it."

I sighed. I was definitely the "suffer in silence" type, not wanting to burden anyone with my worries or problems. I was more like Charlie in that respect and neither of us were big on verbalizing how we felt. Agreeing to talk to someone when I was bothered or upset was nearly impossible. But if it meant that only Edward would be aware of my secret shame, I would do it.

"Alright."

Edward looked surprised. "That was much easier than expected."

I shrugged my shoulders, not sure how to explain to him why I agreed so easily. It was easy to talk to him and if that's all I had to do to keep Alice from finding out about my mini-breakdown, then I would. She was concerned enough as it was about me and I didn't want her to worry anymore.

Just then we heard a key in the door and I sprung up from my position on Edward's chest, throwing my feet on the floor. He didn't let me get far though, since he kept his arm flung around my shoulders. That's how Alice found us when she walked into the apartment a few seconds later.

"Oh! Well, um, hi!" She looked at us, clearly surprised at our close proximity. She may have hoped with her evil "I'm leaving" plan that this was what would happen, but she definitely didn't expect it.

Edward and I both responded with a "hey" as she moved toward us and plopped herself in the big brown chair. She looked quickly at the TV before turning back toward us.

"What movie did you guys watch? You did watch a movie, right?" She smirked, over her shock.

"Shaun of the Dead, smartass," I replied with a tiny growl.

Edward chuckled quietly and asked, "Everything's okay with Rose's car?"

"Her car?" Alice looked dumbfounded for a second before it clicked. "Oh! Her car! It's fine. When I got there some guy stopped and helped us change the flat and I followed her home. Everything's just fine now." Alice gave us a big grin.

I rolled my eyes. Could she be anymore transparent?

Edward removed his arm and stood up, stretching. "I have to work tomorrow, so I should get going before it gets much later." He smiled as he looked down at me. "Walk me to the door?"

I smiled and nodded, standing. He grabbed my hand and we walked past Alice to the hall closet, where I grabbed his coat. Edward took it from me and pulled it on, never taking his eyes off mine. Once he had it on, he took my hand again and pulled me just the tiny bit closer to him.

"Are you busy this week?" He spoke quietly, probably so Alice wouldn't overhear him.

I tried to tone down the large smile that threatened to split my face in two. "Not that I know of." I bit my lip, still unable to contain my grin.

"Will you go out to dinner with me?"

I nodded, unable to actually form the word "yes." Was it normal to feel this giddy, especially after I'd been feeling so horrible earlier?

"Is Thursday okay? I'm working a marathon stretch starting tomorrow, but I'll be done Thursday morning."

"You won't be tired?"

"Not enough to keep me away from you."

Swoon.

"I guess we're on for Thursday, then."

We both smiled. Edward held my hand as he moved the few feet to the door.

"Bye, Alice!" he called out to his sister, before turning the knob.

"Later, big brother!" Her reply was a bit muffled and I wondered where she was.

Edward stepped out into the hallway, having still not let go of my hand. I planted my feet at the doorway, refusing to go any further.

"You're not going to walk me down to my car?" he teased.

"I think you can handle it."

He leaned in and I thought for a minute he was going to kiss me, but he just touched his lips to my forehead briefly before moving away. He released my hand, and a quiet goodbye, walked to the elevator. I watched him until it arrived and only shut the door after he gave me one last wave and the elevator doors shut behind him.

Thursday couldn't come fast enough.


A/N:

If you're interested in outtakes, visit my profile to read After All - The Outtakes. It includes the moment where Edward decides to pursue Bella, as well as the Breakup Scene.