I hope you guys enjoy. I'm finally able to explore Dexter and Edward in a more normal tone, without name-calling or fighting. I'm excited for it because it's furthering a scene that I'm really looking forward to. It isn't juicy, but I'll give you guys a little bit of a hint. To me, love isn't just a life-shattering event that happens all at once. It grows and it changes. So this love story isn't going to be an easy ride, and it isn't going to lead right up to a relationship in the first fifteen chapters. It's going to mold and take shapes of all kinds of different relationships, and bring about what goes on as those relationships change. It's going to be awkward, it's going to be funny, it's going to have situations that would be embarrassing if they happened to you, and hopefully it's going to be realistic. What I'm trying to say is that it's going to take time, just like love requires time. So please enjoy, and if you have any ideas or criticism feel free to tell me in any form of communication, whether it be a review or a PM because I'll take it and learn from it. That also goes for what you, the readers, suspect what will happen. I love reading your theories and how much you love the story, it keeps me going. So thank you very much :)

I laughed as yet another arrow placed itself into the target thirty feet away, just barely attaching itself to the five point mark, and nowhere near the ten points in the middle that I had been aiming at for the past hour.

I was a terrible shot with the bow, as painfully proven when Mike was able to take over on his turn and at least managed to shoot a few solid sevens. Meanwhile, the best I managed was an eight-pointer one time, and since then it had been mostly fives and some sixes.

The time had escaped me the past hour and I realized that I had to be going, so I bid adieu to Mike, gently handed him the bow and remaining arrows, and headed out.

To my dismay, it had begun to rain heavily. I hadn't noticed it in the stock room, and I hadn't brought my umbrella. I cursed my stupidity, almost running back into the safety of Newton's Olympic Outfitters, but thought better of it after pondering how upset Elijah would be if I stayed longer. Surely he couldn't pick me up, either, he wasn't even halfway through with his shift.

Steeling myself for the bitter cold, I marched on towards home in nothing but a thin black peacoat, tennis shoes, and sweats that were already seeping through.

"Forward on the foe," I quietly sang.

Edward Pov

"Did you have a nice dinner?" I asked Bella as we had just crossed into town after having dinner in Port Angeles.

"Yes, thank you," Bella quietly remarked.

"I just wanted to make it up to you since I couldn't take you over the weekend," I smiled at her.

"It's okay, I understand," She said, gazing out the window.

It had been raining pretty hard, Alice had seen that the weather would lighten up only to have it come pouring down again. The rain lightening provided a perfect window for Bella and I to grab a quick dinner at Port Angeles.

I tensed as we were farther down the main street of town.

Dexter was there, I could see her form in the distance.

"What is it?" Bella asked, noticing me tense up.

"Dexter is up ahead," I responded. Thankfully I had begun getting accustomed to her scent, so I wasn't worried about doing anything harmful, but it doesn't mean that it was entirely pleasant to be around her either.

"Oh. Why is she outside with the rain like this?" Bella asked, curious and bewildered at the thought.

"I don't know," I admitted, annoyed once again that I couldn't read the girl's mind. I pondered what I had seen in her bedroom the entire weekend I was gone, but I couldn't come up with an answer. I chalked it up to just coincidence, but I knew that couldn't be true.

We were near enough now that Bella could see her shadowy figure, but it was long before that when I could see her, and she was absolutely soaked to the bone.

I sighed as I pulled over on the side of the street, feeling a little worried for the sweet-smelling girl.

"Edward?" Bella questioned.

"Dexter!" I called, she had already been turned around at the sight of headlights coming towards her, tensed and ready to fight.

"What can I do for you, Major General?" She asked, relaxing at the sight of me.

She was borderline sarcastic, but had a playful smirk on her lips.

"Get in the car," I responded, gently, "You're going to get hypothermic."

She glanced into the car, seeing Bella.

"I'm okay, thank you though," She responded pleasantly.

While it was a little nice, and very odd, to have a conversation with her and not have her call me names, I didn't have time for it and I could see her shivering even without my keen eyes.

"You're crazy, get in the car," I responded, "Please."

"Edward, maybe we should just let her go," Bella intervened, "She doesn't seem like she wants to."

"I really appreciate the offer," Dexter said, not hearing Bella, "but really, I'm fine. Plus I would hate to soil your upholstery."

She was actually being sincere, and acting like a normal person. Maybe this was starting to be the real Dexter and not the angry monster I accidentally created with my glares. How silly of a girl to get so defensive over something so silly, but I took blame. She had no idea why I was glaring, and from her point of view I looked hostile. The truth is that I was, just for a significantly more fatal reason.

"My car will be fine," I shot, "but you won't be. Just get in. It's fine, really."

We held each other's gaze.

'Such odd coloring,' I remarked to myself, seeing that her eyes were an interesting blend of green and blue 'Like the Caribbean sea on a stormy day,' but with golden flecks in the middle or her irises. They were as golden as my own.

I waited patiently for her to think my offer over. Finally, she must have seen sincerity in it, because she nodded her head and quickly slid into the back passenger seat.

"Thanks," she mumbled, touching as little of my car as possible.

"The upholstery will be fine," I rolled my eyes, "There's a jacket next to you, put it on."

"Um," She responded, "I'm good." She shot a glance at the back of Bella's head.

Bella shot me a glance but I brushed it off quickly, the girl could very well become hypothermic.

"Just do it."

She slipped the jacket on quickly and sat back, gazing out the window as the rain pelted the car.

"So," Bella began, "What were you doing out in the rain like that anyways?"

"I headed to Newton's because I was bored. I figured I could browse what they had for a little while and get home. The rain let up, so I figured I would be fine with what I had on. Stupid me for not bringing an umbrella, my brother always says not to trust rain," she laughed softly.

Bella nodded her head but said nothing, and we sat in awkward silence.

"Nice car by the way," Dexter said, breaking the silence but still staring out the window.

"Thank you," I responded, not knowing what to say to add to the conversation.

Dexter seemed to understand my lack of insight on what to say and said nothing.

"What were you guys out and about for?" She asked, breaking the silence once again. I got the sense that she didn't like silence very much.

"Date night," Bella responded easily, stressing it.

"Oh, sorry for interrupting," Dexter replied, taking care to mask the indifference that I heard in her voice with sincerity.

"It's fine," I cut in, "we were just having dinner in Port Angeles and heading back when we came across you."

"What's Port Angeles like?" Dexter asked, interested.

"It's really just a normal town. It's nothing too exciting. A lot of people from Forks go because it has stuff we don't have here, like a mall or a movie theatre," I responded.

"Hmm, maybe I'll check it out this weekend," She said.

Her shivering was becoming more violent, I picked up my speed more to get her home sooner.

"Woah there, speedy, aren't you afraid of getting a ticket? Or, ya know, dying?"

I chuckled, "It'll be fine. I promise."

"Yeah, that's what they all say right before they die."

"You won't die in this car, Dexter."

We caught eyes in the rearview mirror, and she must have seen something in me because she dropped the subject and went back to staring out the window, slouching more comfortably into the seat.

I turned down Dexter's street.

"Lemme guess, you know where I live, too?" She raised one thin eyebrow and crossed her shaking arms over herself.

"It happens in a small town," I quipped, "Sorry."

I pulled up to the curb in front of her house. No one was inside and I was a little worried for her.

"Here you go," I started, "Do you need anyone to stay with you for a little while?" It was getting late, and her shivers were getting violent.

"Oh," she began, "It's fine. Elijah's here. He's just sleeping. He leaves the porch light on for me."

She was lying, I could tell by her furtive glances towards the house.

"You sure?" I asked, unbelieving.

"Yes, I'm good," She stated, "Thank you very much for giving me a ride. I really appreciate it. Have a good one!"

She stepped out of the car and hurried to the front door, waving before stepping inside.

"She still has your jacket, Edward," Bella said.

I knew, but I wasn't going to take it away from her when she was shivering so violently. She needed all the warmth her soaked clothes could get.

"Oh, you're right. I forgot. I'll get it back tomorrow or sometime," I responded, trying to soothe Bella's jealousy, "Let's get you home. Charlie will probably be asleep already, and I can spend some more time with you."

"That's okay," Bella responded, "I'll just meet up with you tomorrow. I'm really tired so I was just going to go right to sleep after a shower."

"Alright then," I responded, turning down Bella's street.

"Dexter is a weird girl," Bella commented.

"She's a little odd," I responded, pulling up to Bella's house, "I love you, Bella. Goodnight."

"Love you, too," She called, giving me a quick peck on the lips, "Bye."

Once Bella was safely inside I headed for home, fully intent to check on Dexter later.

I figured by the time it would take for me to come home, change, and do homework, Dexter would be asleep by then and I could check to see if she was alright after her wet escapade tonight.

There wasn't anything wrong in checking on her wellbeing, especially since Bella wasn't up to seeing me tonight. I wasn't putting Dexter in front of Bella, and there wasn't anything to be worried about. It was adorable that Bella was jealous tonight, but she didn't need to be.

I loved her more than anything, and a sweet-smelling girl who was a complete enigma to me wasn't going to change that.