A/N: This is kind of a filler chapter…but a much sooner update than the last one! Sadly, it seems as if the next chapter will be the last unless I feel compelled to add more than I originally planned. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or New Moon.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Edward and I finished putting away my new purchases, we went downstairs. My mom was in the kitchen, Phil mindlessly watching sports on the television. I briefly pictured Charlie watching the game in the chair opposite him, leading me to wonder how he was doing. I would know soon enough – we were leaving the next morning, unfortunately rather early. I was surprised, though, that Charlie had never called; I didn't believe he trusted Edward enough not to run away with me while we were out of his reach… I felt bad about the part of me that desperately wished that Edward would.

I entered the kitchen, and my mom looked up from whatever concoction she was making. I took a brief glimpse and was relieved to see that it was a frozen pizza. I wasn't sure if I was up for a Renee special. Edward followed me in, and after she put the pizza in the oven, she motioned toward a door that I had oddly not noticed before.

"I haven't shown you two my basement yet!" my mom said, looking quite pleased with herself. I thought back to when I had first visited Edward's house. If he had been half as excited to show me his basement as my mom was now, I would have been frightened for my life. I was just happy that my mom had more of an interest in the arts and crafts than the mystical and dark arts. I doubted there would be anything spooky or remotely resembling the coffins and skulls that I had sadly worried about finding in the Cullen's house.

Just as I expected, the first thing I saw when we descended the stairs into the basement was an arts and craft table. Paper and glitter were scattered everywhere. I felt myself shudder as I noticed the photographs that were spread out sporadically amongst the paper.

"Scrapbooking," my mom said simply. I silently reminded myself to show her my own pitiful attempts when we went back upstairs.

In the corner, there was a small office, where I guessed my mom did her current wedding planning. I wondered how long that particular career was going to last – it was mean to think, but I hoped it didn't last long enough for her to insist on planning a possible upcoming wedding between a certain vampire and myself…

I turned around to look at the last part of the basement. I was a bit surprised by what I saw. In the corner, there stood an upright piano. It was not the old one that used to adorn our house in Phoenix but a slightly newer one, though it looked as if it had seen some wear. I wondered why it was down in the basement.

I looked at my mom questioningly and in a lowered voice she said, "My playing tends to annoy Phil a bit. He can't hear me as loudly if I'm down here – and you know how I play when I'm frustrated." She looked at me as she said the last part and I nodded knowingly. My mom truly loved to play, but she also had a tendency to take her anger out on the piano. Maybe it was a good thing that I had never won the lottery so I could buy her a grand piano. She would play quicker and quite a bit louder when she was worked up, inevitably leading to one or more of the keys to be out of tune when she finally finished her frenzied session. I closed my eyes, remembering my mother's face the last time she had walked away shamefaced from the piano – it was the first time I had told her I was moving permanently to Forks.

She interrupted my reverie by looking at Edward and asking, "Do you play at all?"

Edward looked a bit uncertain about how he should answer. I nudged him a bit. I'm not quite sure how he interrupted my ambiguous gesture, but he nodded his head and answered yes.

"Oh, how wonderful! I wouldn't want to impose, but would you mind playing? I've never been very good and Bella never displayed any desire, but I really love music."

Edward chuckled and said, "Any requests?"

I knew the question was more directed to my mom than to me, but I mumbled, "Esme's favorite, if you wouldn't mind." He nodded in acquiescence and sat down.

It was easy to lose oneself in the music that Edward seemed to so effortlessly produce. I watched my mom as her expression transformed from expectant to awed to purely spell-bound. I couldn't help but feel a surge of pleasure and pride. It wasn't long, though, before I stopped watching my mom to allow myself to focus solely on Edward's enthralling music. I imagined myself sitting next to him with my head on his shoulder as he played – a perfect picture of happiness. Was it so wrong for me to want that for forever?

I was startled when the music ended. It was odd for another song not to begin… I had fallen into the habit of putting Edward's CD on endless repeat when he was away. I saw that Edward was smiling and my mom looked…dazed. I wonder what thoughts, if any, were going through her mind – her face looked completely blank. She turned to Edward.

"That…was…amazing…"

"Thank you, Mrs. Dwyer."

"Um…Renee's…fine…" My mom looked like the teachers at school when Edward unintentionally dazzled them. I stifled laughter.

"Hey, that wasn't you, was it Renee?" Phil popped his head in the doorway upstairs. My mom finally seemed to snap out of it at the sound of his voice. "I haven't heard you play in awhile, but that was…really good."

"No, it was Edward, honey. Quite a player, don't you think?"

"Quite. The game's over – do you think I could get something to eat?"

"Oh! The pizza! I completely forgot!" She proceeded to run upstairs, causing Edward, Phil, and I all to burst out laughing. Edward remained sitting at the piano bench and I took my normal place next to him.

"Edward, it really isn't fair when you do that."

"What?"

"Dazzle people like that. It's one thing to play well, but honestly, I thought my mom's jaw was going to drop off." I tried to sound severe, as if I could really manage to scold him in any way, but I was smiling brightly.

"You're just proud, aren't you?"

"You're just a bit smug, aren't you?"

He flashed me a crooked smile and I put my head on his shoulder as he began playing my lullaby.