A/N: Another update? What is this? Well, lately I've just felt like writing, and so here you go. Another chapter in the saga of Bella and Rose. LOL. I'm honestly not sure how many more chapters there will be. Life, as I've said before, is crazy, but I'm trying hard to not forget about my stories, and keep them coming to you! I appreciate each and every review. :-) You guys are great.

Disclaimer: I make money selling undies. Not books. Yet. ;-)

Spring break was just around the corner, and Bella and I were trying to make plans. Key word: trying. We couldn't decide where to go. Money, as always, was a factor, and of course, we both had entirely different ideas of what would be fun.

"But baby, don't you want to be warm? Lie out on the beach, grab a book, maybe get a little tan…" I rubbed my fingers down her arm suggestively, grinning when she blushed. "Come on, it'd be fun."

Bella wrinkled her nose. "That sounds so boring. When I go on vacation, I want museums, historical sites; you know… stuff to do. Just laying in some dirty sand sounds horrible."

I made my best persuasive pouty face. "Come on, it's not dirty. Not where I'd take you. I promise, it'll be quiet, beautiful, warm…" I kissed her neck for effect. "And there's probably some like, pirate wreck we could go visit."

She chuckled lightly, even as she shivered under my touch. "Babe, I highly doubt there were pirate wrecks off the coast of California. Particularly not near San Diego."

"Hey, you never know!" I said defensively, even though she was probably right.

"Baby, why are you pushing this issue so much?" she asked, wrapping her arms around me. "Can't we compromise? How about San Francisco?"

"The beaches aren't warm there," I whined, but that was the furthest reason from the truth. I had just found out that Tanya, Kate, and a few of our other sorority sisters were going to San Fran for the week, and I didn't want to go within a mile of those girls right now. Tanya was a persistent gossip, and I knew how she acted when she was hurt. According to her, right now I'd be Public Enemy #1, even if the girls had no idea of the real reason Tanya was mad at me.

I'd have Bella and I vacation in Florida, or even back home to Texas if we could have afforded the flights. San Diego would do nicely though. I'd spent a summer there with Jasper and our aunt when I was sixteen, and well, let's just say I'd spent a little too much time "down by the docks" as it were. Military men were yummy. But I digress. This would be an entirely different experience with Bella though. I couldn't wait.

That is, if she'd agree with me.

"Do we really have to go someplace warm?" she asked. "I hate heat."

"This time of year it won't be hot, I promise. Just warm enough that you won't need your jacket all the time."

"Well that does sound nice…" she hedged, and I could see the walls she'd put up against the San Diego idea start to crumble. "Can I think about it and get back to you on it?"

I laughed at her adorable office talk. "Sure, just don't think too long, I found some amazing deals on the flights and hotel, and I don't want to miss out on it. They'll get grabbed up really fast these days."

"OK." Bella cuddled closer into me, and we turned back to the movie we'd been watching.

Things between Bella and I since the little blowup with James and Tanya had been… not different. Just slightly more tense in some moments. Whenever we'd get frisky, there'd be this moment where I could tell she was thinking. I couldn't read it plain across her face, but I could tell she was remembering the words Tanya had said, the things that James had said to her. I know she didn't judge me for my past; everything she ever did proved that to me in spades, on a daily basis. But I know she could hear those words echoing, and it killed me.

I vowed that this trip would erase all those thoughts from her brain.

Later, after the DVD was well over and we were making out on the couch, Bella pulled back, just as I was doing that thing with my tongue that I knew she loved, and announced, "I think we should go to Arizona."

"Wait, what?" I was still in a Bella haze.

"Arizona. It's warm, so you can't complain, but there are things to do. Pueblos and baseball and stuff. The Grand Canyon even."

"Umm… you were thinking of all this as we were making out?" I tried to sound offended, but really it just made me want to laugh. She was so cute sometimes. Wait, make that always.

"Well, I mean I was just thinking…" Her voice dropped down, along with her face. She was staring at her hands now.

"What is it babe?" I asked, whispering to match her tone. I tucked her hair behind her ear and waited for her to speak.

Her hand rose up to the necklace around her throat, and I started to piece things together. Then she spoke. "My dad always wanted to go to spring training. They do that, the Mariners, in Arizona. He'd been saving up to go down there, but then he got sick…" She drifted off, her eyes clouding with tears. "Anyways, I think it would be nice, in his memory, you know? And I don't think the tickets would be that expensive. I mean the Mariners aren't exactly the best team in the AL, now are they?" She laughed then, and a tear dripped down her chin as she did.

I couldn't help but give her a puzzled look. I knew zip about baseball, and even less about how and when they trained. But it was something that was important to her, and after the hell I'd been putting her through lately with all the drama and angst and self understanding, I needed to give this to her.

"Well… I've always wanted to see the Grand Canyon," I told her, and she grinned. "Maybe there'll be a pool at the hotel we could stay at."

She beamed at me. "Exactly."

"Should I look up tickets?" I asked.

"Mmm, we can finish kissing first," she said shyly.

"Well I have no plans on stopping soon, so if you want to make reservations, we should probably do it now," I teased.

*MD *

Two days before the flight to Phoenix, I had a revelation. It had come to me in a flash, just as I was going to bed. Tanya. It was something she'd told me months back, before Bella and I had even gotten together. "It's- I mean... you're going to be an aunty."

I don't know why it hurt, that she'd lied to me. The subject had been dropped so quickly, and then Charlie had died, and I'd been so involved with Bella that I hadn't realized Tanya had never grown, never had a baby, not even told me she'd gotten an abortion. I supported her right to choose, naturally, but that she hadn't told me she'd done it… that hurt. Especially since she'd been somewhat adamant that she wouldn't get rid of it.

Sometimes people just don't make any sense, I guess. And it was just further evidence of the crumbling of our friendship. She hadn't trusted me enough to confide in one of the biggest decisions of her life, and I suppose I hadn't included her in many of mine lately either.

It hurt, having a friendship fade that had once meant so much. Even on a shallow base, it had been important at the time, and no matter what, it sucks to lose a friend.

I shook my head. A lot of this process of... whatever I was doing... growing up I supposed, had to do with moving on. Changing the things in my life that were weighing me down. As awful as it sounded, Tanya was a big part of that, and I needed to accept that that part of my life was well and over.

It was time to pack up and head to Arizona.

* MD *

Bella was right, it was pleasantly warm in Phoenix as we deplaned. The sky was bright blue, unlike Seattle, and a balmy 75. There might not have been a lot of water in Arizona, but I could definitely sunbathe in this.

We held hands as we walked through the airport with our bags, following the signs for the rental car place. "Wow, I forgot about how busy this airport is," Bella laughed as we dodged people left and right.

"You've been here before?" I asked.

"Well... a few times actually," she said, frowning a little. "I don't know if I ever mentioned. My mom used to live here. Years and years ago, when her husband worked down here. She never had custody of me, but my dad let me come visit her a few times, that is once she had a stable house and everything."

"So she doesn't live here anymore?" I asked.

"God, no. My mom is a gypsy. Or at least, she loves to move. I doubt she's stayed in a place longer than a year before moving on. The only reason she stayed in Phoenix for three years or so is because she met a guy, who's now her husband, and his team was here."

"Team?" We were fast approaching the car rental counter.

"He's a minor league baseball player," she explained. "Well, when I was a kid he was. Now he's a coach, I think. He was never very good. But they live in Florida... or maybe New York now... I honestly don't know. She dropped all contact with me after I turned twelve."

My mom and I barely went a week without an email. Bella hadn't heard from her mom in more than ten years. I couldn't quite wrap my head around that. "Does she even know Charlie passed on?"

"No, and I doubt she'll ever know," she shrugged. She seemed nonchalant, but I knew Bella was pro at brushing off her feelings and acting like it didn't bother her. I dropped the subject as we got our keys for the car.

It was gorgeous, a black Dodge Charger, and I revved the engine a few times before we peeled out of the parking lot. There was nothing sexier than having a powerful car beneath you, feeling the smoothness of the engine-

"Geez Rose, slow down!" Bella squealed, interrupting my thoughts, and I wiggled my eyebrows before pushing the pedal a little harder. I rolled the windows down and let the wind whip through our hair as we sped down the freeway. I loved how the earthy tones of the land met with the clear blue of the sky, how dry and warm it was compared to the gray dampness of Washington that we'd been experiencing lately. I could get used to this. Bella held my hand, maybe more out of fear than affection, but that didn't matter to me. I had realized just how great this week was going to be.

* MD *

"So how well do you know baseball?" I asked as we walked sideways towards our seats. We held pop and hot dogs in our hands, and I was wearing a black baseball cap. The sun was already beating down on us, even though it was an early game, even in baseball standards. Bella had chastised me for the hat. "You're a Washingtonian now Rose, you should be supporting the Mariners!" She was wearing not only an M's cap, but a jersey with 51 on the back, for Ichiro. He was apparently the champion of the Mariners, and had been Charlie's favorite player.

"Well enough," said Bella, sitting in her seat and hissing as it radiated heat into her delicate skin. The sun was baking now, hotter by the minute, and I busted out some tanning lotion. Hey, when opportunity knocks… "I only grew up watching, at the very least, a game a day in the summer. Plus my dad would coach the little league teams I was on," she added.

I tried to picture Bella as a child, swinging a bat that was too big for her and racing across the bases. Adorable. I imagined she would have gotten the same determined look on her face that she did now, whenever she was facing a daunting task. She'd get little wrinkles in her forehead, waiting for the ball to race her way.

"My dad's into football," I said. "It's kinda huge in Texas. He really hoped Jasper would play in high school, but he never made it past the PeeWee teams." We laughed. "I did sports when I was a kid, but only cheerleading and swimming in high school. I was never one for competitive sports."

"That's funny, I imagine you'd kick some ass if you were on a team," Bella smirked. She was always teasing me that I was kind of like a pit-bull; tough, determined to get what I want, and surprisingly sweet when I wanted to be. I supposed that was a compliment…

Bella gave me a running narrative as the game began, and it was instantly clear that she knew exactly what she was talking about. Her father had taught her well. I tried to keep up, but she was so into the game that there were times when she'd stop giving me a play by play, to jump up and start screaming at the umpire, or to encourage someone to "run faster, you dumb bastard!" We laughed and cheered and devoured our hot dogs as the game went on. It was a blast.

But then there were moments throughout the game where she seemed wistful, sad. She fingered the locket around her neck often, and my heart went out to her. I knew that no matter how much she loved me, she didn't want me here, not really. She wanted her dad, and I wished more than anything that I could give that to her.

The Mariners lost, which according to Bella wasn't a big surprise. "They've got all newbs out there," she said disdainfully. "They traded so many great players that honestly, they've only got a handful of players that truly know the game and can lead them into a good season." She sighed. "Oh well. Maybe this'll be the magic combination, the year we go to playoffs. You just never know with baseball."

It was late afternoon now, and even though we'd eaten hot dogs, I was starving. "Wanna go get something to eat?" I asked. I had Googled some good places to eat around the area, and there was a Mexican place that sounded divine just a few miles down the road.

"Sure, sounds good to me," she smiled, and we headed through the crowds to our car. Bella dropped her voice and whispered in my ear as we walked hand in hand towards the Charger. "And after dinner, could we have some dessert?" She bit her lip. I knew what that meant. And oh yes, I was very interested.

I smirked at her. "Well of course baby. You know how I love dessert."

A/N II: Yay for baseball! I'm a huge Mariners fan, and have been LONG before SM even thought of Twilight. PNW pride baby! Yeah, I love them even though they suck... hahaha. Also, I HATE Dodge Chargers, but I figured Rosalie would probably like it. :-P Let me know what you think!