Chapter 11- Answers

Rosalie doesn't give me too much of a hard time when I get back to the manor, but I'd still want to avoid her death glare.

I do a few more things for her, but all the while my thoughts are on nine at night and the library. I wonder what we'll do and what we'll talk about. There are a few things I want to ask him and I'm sure he has some questions for me.

Unless he just wants to make out against the bookshelves. That would be cool, too.

Rosalie has more planned for me, and I end up working with her almost the entire day. With the exception of a lunch break, I find myself assisting in the rearrangement of her living space with an interior designer, putting together a total of four outfits for the weekend, helping Victoria (the redheaded girl that also works for Rosalie) clean the room, and serving food.

By the time I'm done for the day, I'm exhausted and want nothing more than to crawl into bed.

Then I remember that I'm meeting someone in secret in the library, and I'm wide awake again.

When I go down to the break room for dinner, there aren't many people there. I find Jacob on a couch, stuffing his face and talking to another worker named Jared. Alice is nowhere in sight.

I grab a sandwich wrapped in paper and head on over to where they sit.

I plop down on the arm of the couch next to Jacob. "Hey, losers. Where's the midget?"

"Haven't seen her," Jacob says with his mouth full.

"Dude, she's totally getting laid," Jared says. He's a tall guy with skin almost as pale as mine and hair as black as tar.

I stare at him with wide eyes, taking a big bite out of my sandwich.

He can't possibly know about Jasper… can he?

I chuckle nervously. "Why do you say that?"

Jared shrugs, nonchalant. "I can tell. It's almost obvious when a girl is gettin' some. I wonder who the lucky guy is; I bet Alice gets freaky in bed."

"Shut up, she's like my little sister," Jacob mumbles.

"Even if she was getting laid, it wouldn't be any of your business," I pointedly tell Jared. The last thing I need is Jared trying to find out who Alice's man is. He seems like the kind of douchebag that gossips.

"Whatever," he says. "It's just interesting info in a mundane place like this."

I quickly change the topic as I shovel down the rest of my food, but my mind is elsewhere. I am also wondering where Alice is, and once I decide that she's probably with Jasper, I let it go.

When 9pm rolls around, I'm no longer in the uniform. I have changed into a pair of jeans, Chucks, and an old blue sweatshirt that says L.O.V.E across the front. It's a little ironic, but I don't care what kind of message it sends.

The library is dead quiet, and empty. This is the time when the manor is fairly empty, since dinner is over and everyone has retired to their rooms for the night.

One of the double doors is propped open and when I step in, the lighting is dimmer than usual.

Why does Edward keep choosing dark places to meet me? Clearly he wants some obscurity but hey, that's cool with me. He probably just wants to get gropey.

He told me to meet him where I crashed into him that one time and he let me borrow that Austen book I almost stole. It takes me a while to remember where exactly that was, but I find it in good time.

Edward is sitting on the floor in between bookcases, a thick book propped up on his lap. He looks only vaguely interested as he flips through the pages. I notice that he's simply wearing jeans and a gray sweatshirt.

He looks fuck hot.

I don't hesitate in sitting directly across from him, and he looks up, startled, when I do.

"Hi," I say shyly.

"Hello," he whispers. In the dim light, his pale skin stands out and his eyes look dark, though dark in more than just one way.

"You came," he says, sounding relieved. He closes the book with a thud.

"Why do you keep doubting me?" I ask with a laugh. I feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"You're unpredictable," he replies with a small smirk.

I nod towards the book in his lap. "Anything interesting?"

He frowns and shakes his head, reaching up and putting the book back where he got it from. That happens to be right next to my head, and his hand brushes my hair.

He leans back and then looks horrified about something.

"Christ, I am so sorry," he says, sounding remorseful. "Do you want to go sit somewhere more comfortable?"

"The floor is fine," I assure him quickly. "It's casual… it's nice."

If anyone saw us, they wouldn't see royalty with a "peasant". They'd see two young people sitting in between bookcases and just chatting. They'd see two jean-clad, sweatshirt-clad, college-aged kids hiding away from the rest of the world for just a little while. They're not rich or poor; they're just human.

I bring my knees up and rest my chin on them. Edward's legs are too long to stretch out in front of him, so his sneakered feet touch the bookcase I'm leaning against while his knees are drawn up a little. It's an adorable moment that I wish I could freeze in time.

"So…" I trail off a little awkwardly. "Here we are."

"Here we are," he echoes softly.

"Why these bookshelves?" I ask.

"Blind spot."

I look around and sure enough I don't see any of those little half-sphere cameras.

"How long are we going to hide?" I ask. I'm not so sure how long I want to keep our relationship- if that's what it's called – a secret.

"As long as we have to," he says.

"But not forever."

"Not forever."

Then I remember something.

"You're engaged."

He looks away and then stares at his hands. "Yes."

I search his face, and he looks upset. I don't know if he's upset at me pointing out his engagement, the fact that he's engaged, or our situation in general.

"Are you going to do something about that?" I ask. "Because I don't think that's something I can ignore."

"I'll take care of it," he says, and there's conviction in his voice. I also get the sense that he's not going to talk about his engagement anymore. Still, I need to know he's sure about what he's doing.

"Why haven't you already done it?" I ask.

He glances at me briefly and his brows furrow. "It's more complicated than it seems."

"Do you care about her?"

An annoyed expression crosses his face and when he speaks his tone is curt. "I never have."

"So why did you get engaged to her?"

"I'm not here to talk about Tanya," he says irritably.

Ah, yes, There's that temper.

I shrug. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You."

I raise a brow. "Moi? I'm no one interesting."

"I think you're enchanting." He says it like his opinion is fact.

I snort. "Oh yeah, I'm so interesting." My voice is thick with sarcasm. "There should be a movie about me."

Edward grins and my breath catches. "I'd watch it."

"You're crazy."

"Quite possibly."

We sit there grinning at each other like fools and I realize that had he been any other guy, like at school or something, it would be just like this. His stature didn't matter; I wasn't even thinking about it anymore. In this moment, he's just a guy I like.

A guy I like a whole lot.

"You lived with your father before coming here, right?" he asks suddenly.

"Yep."

"Tell me about it." It's a command and I stare at him.

"Tell you about living with my dad?"

He has the strangest look of interest on his face as he nods.

"Um, it was unexciting," I tell him honestly. "I went to school, went to work, and came home. That's how it was for years."

"And your mother?"

"Dead."

He blinks. "I'm-"

"Yeah, you're sorry. I know. She had ovarian cancer. I was three."

"That must have been hard."

"I don't remember her."

He nods again, and the silence is grim.

"How did you end up here, in the manor?" he asks. The look of interest is back.

"Your father ate at my dad's restaurant and loved the food so much that he asked us to move in… Well, he asked my dad to move in. I didn't have a choice in the matter. "

Edward looks confused. "Where was this restaurant? Seattle?"

"Forks."

Both his brows shoot up. "Forks? I don't think I've heard of Forks…"

I laugh. "Mr. Ivy League Graduate doesn't know about Forks? Alert the press, you have got to be kidding."

The prince does not look pleased. "I'm sorry, would you happen to know the name of every single small town in the country?"

My smug grin falls. "Maybe."

"Prove it."

"Fine, I don't. I just thought…"

"Thought that I'd know everything simply because I went to both the University of Cambridge and Harvard?"

"I read that Cambridge is the best university in the world; you're supposed to be a genius being taught by more geniuses." I'm only kidding, but I don't know if he knows it.

"That's a ridiculous assumption."

"It's ridiculous that you don't know the name of every town in the country. You should also know the exact number of stars in the universe, who built Stonehenge and why, and when the world will end."

Edward laughs and I wish I could record the sound.

"Oh, and don't forget the meaning of life," I add seriously. "You should definitely have learned that at Cambridge."

He shakes his head at me but the grin never leaves his face. His eyes are crinkled up in the corners, and it's the most adorable thing.

"You really are something," he says fondly.

"I know."

He laughs again and then sighs. His smile starts to fade very slowly.

"What's up?" I ask.

He shakes his head and stares down at his lap. "I've always gone for what I want."

Um, okay….

"This shouldn't be an exception," he says it almost angrily.

Um, okay…

"Since when have I worried about what people think?" He's totally scolding himself. "That's just it, I never have. So why now? It's absurd. It's absolutely ridiculous. I know what I want and that's the end of it. Period. Case closed."

"Totally agree," I say, just because.

He looks up at me like he just remembered he's not alone. "Do you, really?"

"Uh, yeah…"

He huffs and runs a hand through his hair. He's working himself up with his thoughts.

Just like I always do…

He leans his head back against the bookshelf and closes his eyes.

Mmm, I'd like to lick that Adam's apple… and that jaw…

"Distract me," Edward says. "Now."

Okay, Mr. Bossy…

I wrack my brain and think of something random to blurt.

"I like your jaw...?"

Yeah… not exactly random…

Edward's brows furrow but he doesn't open his eyes. "My jaw?"

When I speak my voice can't get above a whisper. "Yeah… It's very chiseled, very strong… Like it belongs on a statue… or a runway model… " I stop talking, realizing that I sound like an idiot.

Edward's lips have turned up a little in one corner. "No one has ever told me about my jaw."

I shrug and hug my knees. "Now you know."

He opens his eyes and looks at me, smiling.

God, he's so bipolar. He's laughing one second, muttering angrily to himself another second, and then he's perfectly fine again.

"Tell me about Forks," he says.

I hesitate. "I would, if there was anything to tell…"

"There has to be something."

"Um… It's boring. It's wet. It rains eighty-five percent of the time. The sun is afraid to show itself."

"Where did you work?"

"Newton's Outfitters. It was this store that sold camping gear and all that shit."

"Your dad had a restaurant?"

"Yeah, a small Italian one called Bella Italia."

Edward smiles. "Named after you?"

I smile back and I want to kiss him. "That's the story."

"How was high school?"

What a strange question…

"Uh, it was stupid. I was so glad to graduate. Everyone in high school is just so petty. Or maybe I'm just an old soul… Whatever. It's over."

He stares at me with an intense gaze, like I'm telling him the most amazing story.

He's absolutely riveted listening to me talk about my life in Forks.

"Why the 20 questions?" I ask.

He shrugs half-heartedly. "I'm just curious about what it's like to have a normal life…"

He looks wistful and my heart goes out to him.

"Having a normal life isn't exactly the most interesting thing. That's why it's normal."

"It's normal to you, but to me it's extraordinary."

I gape at him. "What planet are you living on? My life sounds extraordinary to you?"

He nods. "I'd trade with you, any day."

That one sentence shows me that he may not actually be cool with being a prince. Then again, since when is anyone happy with their life?

I start to think about how hard it must be for him- the fame, the press, the unwanted attention just for existing. He has a lot on his shoulders, despite the fact that he doesn't have entirely too much power over the country. Just the fact that he is Prince Edward, heir to the metaphoric throne, must be pretty hard.

"You must have had a… tough childhood," I say.

He snorts bitterly. "If you can call it a childhood, sure. Although, I don't believe it was tough. More like… artificial."

I give him a confused look. "How can one's childhood be artificial?"

He looks irritated again. Bipolar. "It's artificial when there's a schedule for you, starting from the day you're born. I knew where I was going to be and what I would be doing every single day of my life, up until I went to college."

"Every day of your life was scheduled?" I say in disbelief.

Edward nods, his eyes far-off. "My nanny, Roberta, was more of a mother to me than Esme was. Don't get me wrong, Esme and I have a wonderful relationship, but it's very…" He trails off and licks his lips. "… Catered. The time I spent with my parents was always a part of the schedule, planned activities every other day…"

"All until you were eighteen?"

"Yes."

I shake my head at being a child and having every single aspect of my life controlled.

"So you never got to have any fun? That must have been suckish."

He smiles. "Suckish?"

"Major suckage."

Edward laughs. "No, I did have fun sometimes, but it was planned fun and as a kid you think that it's normal to be towed from activity to activity day by day. There was no spontaneity in my life."

"At least if you screwed something up it wasn't your fault," I try to make light of things, but Edward remains serious.

He shakes his head. "Making mistakes is how kids learn, it's how they grow. I didn't make too many major errors, so now every time something doesn't go how it's supposed to, I stress out more than I should."

"Is that why you have a temper?"

He makes a "psh" sound. "I don't have a temper."

I raise a brow at him and he backtracks.

"All right, so perhaps I do get irritated easily," he says in annoyance. "I've always dealt with this; it may have to do with the war between what I can and can't control in my life."

"Do you have control now?"

He has to think about it. "For the most part, yes."

"Is that also why you're so bossy?"

Edward gives me a funny look. "I am not bossy."

"Yes, you are."

"We're not talking about this anymore. Change the topic."

"I rest my case."

He sighs and shakes his head. "You know me so well already."

I stretch my legs out so that my feet touch the bookcase he's leaning against.

"Tell me something," I say quietly. I feel the blush creep into my cheeks and hesitate.

"What?"

I shake my head. "Never mind."

"Tell me."

"Nah…"

"Come on, please?" He unleashes the power of his eyes and I sigh. He is too good.

"What were you thinking that night I accidentally got into your bed?" I whisper.

Edward grins and I glare at him.

"I didn't know what to think," he replies with a smile. "I had just come back from a week in London and I was exhausted. I'm pretty sure I passed out the second my head hit the pillow and it felt like only minutes later that you screamed and scared the hell out of me. All I saw was this pretty brown haired girl crawling across my floor and trying to run away."

My face gets even redder at the memory. "I was half asleep and it was my first night at the manor. I had to pee really bad but my toilet was out of order so I went searching for a new one. On my way back I thought your room was mine."

Edward chuckles. "How does something like that even happen?"

"It happens to me all the damn time," I tell him grimly.

"My favorite part was when you told me that you just wanted to pee," he snickers. "I had absolutely no idea what you were talking about." He chuckles some more and it's embarrassing.

"You know it's really not funny," I tell him defensively. "And why the hell wasn't your door locked, anyway? It's totally your fault."

Edward cocks his head to one side. "You're right."

"Damn straight I am."

"I don't usually have to worry about being attacked in my own home, though."

"Except by young women with full bladders and a bad sense of direction."

"You're right again; that is dangerous."

"Completely reckless."

He grins at me. "Can I ask you something now?"

"Shoot."

"My Volvo. Did you really hit it by accident?"

"Of course! Like I said, it was parked very, very stupidly."

Edward narrows his eyes at me. "You're saying I'm stupid."

"No, I'm saying you parked stupidly."

"I parked fine."

"You parked fine in a stupid spot."

"It's not my fault you don't know how to pull out."

My jaw drops and I swat his arm with the back of my hand. "Hey! I know how to pull out! Besides, I was there first. You should have known your car would get hit since you squeezed in a tiny space."

"There actually wasn't a car in front of me when I parked."

I purse my lips at him, speculating. "Okay. How about we blame it on the person that parked in front of you and call a truce?"

Edward holds his hand out. "Done."

I hold his hand and shake it once; it's warm and his grip is firm. It makes me feel tingly again and neither of us lets go of the other's hand. Edward smiles, eyes warm, and intertwines his fingers with mine. We let our hands fall limp against the carpet.

"What were you thinking when I spilled hot soup on you?" I ask quietly. I almost don't want to hear his answer.

Edward grimaces, but his eyes glint with amusement. "You really want me to relive that?"

"It was that bad?"

"You spilled scalding hot soup on my crotch. Do you think it would feel great if someone did that to you?"

I giggle. "I guess not. I hope your, uh…. crotch is okay…" I can feel myself blush and I hope it's too dark for him to see.

Edward smirks, and it's pretty damn seductive. "My crotch is fine."

Oh my… God, I bet it is.

I bet it is.

"I bet is," I whisper.

His smirk falls, but that seductive quality that was on his mouth just a second ago has suddenly transferred to his eyes. His eyes, those two emerald orbs, now hold a dark, provocative gleam that make the muscles in my body contract in a way I haven't felt in a long time.

And he hasn't even touched me.

"I couldn't forget your face," he says quietly. His voice is like velvet, soft and husky. It gives me good chills. "That night when you crawled into my bed and then ran out… I may have dreamt about you."

I gasp. "You dreamt about me that night?"

"I'm not sure. Either I saw you in a dream or I couldn't get your face off my mind. All of your emotions show so clearly on your face… It's easy to tell when you're thinking a sarcastic thought, or a rebellious one for that matter."

"Yikes. Maybe I should work on that."

Edward shakes his head. "No, that's what I like about you. You don't pretend, you let yourself feel. You're not one of those girls that lies and says 'I'm fine' when you're dying inside. You're honest and beautiful, inside and out."'

Holy shit, he's right… about the honesty part, anyway.

His words make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

"You're still a mystery to me," I admit. "I don't know anything about you."

Edward looks down at our fingers. He strokes a circle on the back of my hand with his thumb. "There isn't anything you need to know about me."

"Liar."

He glances up at me, and he almost glares. "I mean it."

"I don't believe that."

He sighs and lets go of my hand, reaching up to rub both his hands over his face. "There isn't anything that matters. Trust me when I say that I am probably one of the least interesting people you will ever meet."

"I don't believe that either."

"Believe it."

"You fascinate me."

He stares at me. "Why?"

I shrug. "You just do. There's something about you, something I can't put my finger on…"

He snorts. "Let me know when you find out what that is."

I shake my head at him. "Are you always this cynical?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, the sound of a vacuum coming on makes the both of us jump. We look at each other in a "Who the hell is vacuuming at this time of night?" kind of way.

The loud whirring comes closer to where we're sitting, so Edward hops onto his feet and holds his hand out for me. He pulls me up and then peeks around the corner to see if the coast is clear.

"This way," he whispers, and he leads me by the hand and pulls me in the opposite direction of the sound.

Edward expertly weaves through the maze of bookcases, all the while being absolutely silent on his feet.

I, on the other hand, can't help but thump along loudly. Even my tip-toeing is loud.

Eventually we make it into the main part of the library, and instead of taking me out the front, Edward takes me through another doorway all the way on the other side of the room. The door is almost hidden amongst the paneling of the wall, and it leads out into a hallway I have never been in before.

"Where does this lead to?" I ask Edward in a whisper.

"Nowhere in particular," he replies, smiling down at me. "It's just a shortcut to my floor. I used to sneak out of homeschooling this way when I was a boy."

"You were homeschooled?" I ask in surprise.

"Yes," Edward frowns. "I had never really been around other kids, other than my family and friends that is, until high school."

"You went to some fancy academy didn't you?"

Edward sighs. "Yep."

He takes me out another doorway that opens onto his floor and just when we're approaching his door, my phone buzzes against my ass.

"Sorry," I mumble to Edward, and I raise my brow at the screen when I see that it's Jacob calling.

"Jake?" I answer.

"You gotta come down to the break room," he says, and it sounds like he's in pain.

"What happened?" I ask. I don't like the worried clench in my belly.

"Just hurry," he says, and before he hangs up I hear crying in the background.

The break room is crowded and the loudest sound is of someone's heart-wrenching sobs. It's a girl, definitely, and everyone is huddled around her. Some even have tears falling down their cheeks.

I swallow nervously as I push my way through them, only to freeze when I see that the crying girl is Alice.

She is in Kate's arms and Kate is trying to console her.

Kate has tears in her eyes and that's what scares the shit out of me.

"What's wrong?" I ask in a shaky voice.

Alice turns and sees me, and her face is red and splotchy from crying. She crashes into my arms and then she's sobbing on my shoulder, so hard that my body is shaking with hers.

"Alice," I say a little firmly. "Damn, girl… What the hell happened? Tell me. Come on babes, you're scaring me."

"I… got… fired," she chokes out.

My heart stops and I am in absolute disbelief.

It can't be.

No.

It can't be.

I look at Kate and the grim expression on her face tells all.

"No!" I yell at Kate. "No, you can't do this to her!"

"Isabella, please," Kate says, and she's all stern again. "This wasn't my decision."

"But why?" I cry in despair. I hold Alice to me, as if I can protect her somehow, keep her with me. "What the hell did she do to get fired?"

Alice pulls away from me and wipes her nose on her sleeve. "They found out," she whispers.

"Found out...?"

"Jasper."

My jaw drops and I look from Alice to Jacob to Kate. They all wear expressions of sadness, but there's awe there as well.

Holy fuck, it's true.

I look at my best friend's face, and her tears are too much for me.

She's being punished for following her heart, and that is just not fair.

Luckily for her, I have connections.

I knock on Edward's door, loudly.

He opens it and the look on his face is absolutely emotionless. It's strange, but I don't dwell on it.

"I need your help," I tell him.

He doesn't let me in, he just blinks. "I know about your friend."

I stare at him. "You heard about Alice?"

"Emmett told me a few minutes ago."

I let out a relieved breath. "You can help her, right?"

"No." His voice is flat and I furrow my brows at him.

What the hell is wrong with him?

"Why not?" I ask incredulously. "I take it you know about her and Jasper too?"

"Yes."

"Right, so don't you see how unfair it is? It's… like you and me…"

Edward shakes his head and looks at my feet. "Bella…"

Oh no… "What?"

He sighs and looks me dead in the eyes.

"Tell me," I say.

He pauses before saying five words that, after everything, feel like a slap in the face:

"We should just be friends."

EPOV Outtakes: The EPOV outtake "story", Royal Encounters, went up a few days ago. Check it out if you haven't already. :)

Updates: We're going to have to wait a little longer for updates, because the schoolwork is piling up and I'm running out of pre-written chapters. I don't want to run out of chapters and then make you all wait for me to write another one. That could take a while and that would be suckish.

Next Chapter: Sunday, March 27th