Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews! I love reading every single one. I own nothing! So much love to Kitty & Mary for their continued help with this story.

Chapter 21

We were going home and I was gutted. After Edward had called Phil to explain that the deal was not happening, we were instructed to return to Seattle the next morning. I reserved us three seats on a flight leaving at 11:40am and then emailed the details over to Phil's new assistant.

Edward, Emmett, and I went for a drink in the hotel bar when we returned from the meeting with Laurent Manchard, and while they talked business I let my mind wander about all the things I had planned for this trip that would not be happening. Edward, too, would not be getting his tour of Alcatraz anytime soon.

As I sat there, a thought occurred to me. Edward had told me the tour took less than two hours—maybe if I reserved us tickets on the very first tour and we went straight to the airport afterwards we could squeeze it in. Discreetly, I pulled out my phone and went straight to the official website. When I saw the earliest departure time was 8:45am I assumed the idea was a total bust, but then I saw something else that would most definitely work.

"I'm just going to call Amber," I said to Edward and walked out of the bar so he couldn't overhear the conversation.

Ten minutes, $74, and a lot of persuading later, I had bumped us to the top of the standby list and subsequently reserved two tickets on the night tour of Alcatraz and we had less than an hour to get to Pier 33. I was still in my pretty dress and unsuitable shoes, but there was no time to change, so it would have to do.

"You need to finish that quickly and come with me," I told him when I returned to the bar. "Really quickly."

"Why?" he asked, but gulped down the last few mouthfuls of his beer.

"It's a surprise." I winked.

"Am I invited?" Emmett asked hopefully.

"Sorry, Em, but this is definitely a two's company, three's a crowd sort of scenario," I said apologetically.

"Sorry, Eddie, it looks like you're staying here while I go and have fun with Bella," he joked.

"I don't think so," Edward disagreed and jumped up quickly. "You have to tell me where we're going."

"Why?" I frowned and he smirked.

"How will I know what outfit to choose if you don't?" he said in a really bad impersonation of me.

"As pretty as a designer dress would look on you—trust me what you're wearing is just fine." I grinned and then rifled through my purse for some earphones to continue the surprise. "You need to put these in your ears and let me tie this around your eyes."

"Oh so it's that kind of scenario," Emmett laughed and ordered himself another drink. "Have a good night, Buddy, it looks promising so far."

"It does, doesn't it?" Edward waggled his eyebrows and then bent down to play along with my request. "What else do you have in there? Handcuffs? Whips?"

"As a matter of fact…" I trailed off, laughing to myself as I tied my scarf around his eyes. "What music do you want? I know!"

I scrolled through the list of tracks on my phone and hit play on one I knew he'd hate, selecting the repeat option just to drive him crazy.

"No way, Bella. Something else." He groaned, "Anything else, please."

I ignored him and turned my phone around to show Emmett who found the choice hilarious. "Whatever you're planning, have a good night."

I waved and escorted a now blindfolded Edward towards the front of the hotel and had them call us a cab. Several passers-by and the valet laughed as he thumped his head on the door frame as I tried to get him in the car.

"Ow, Bella. Jesus." He rubbed his head.

"Oops, sorry." I kissed his forehead.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked.

"Pier 33," I whispered as quietly as I could. "It's a surprise and we're in a hurry."

"Gotcha," he said.

I kept my eyes on Edward just to make sure he didn't peek or remove the earphones. After a few minutes of moaning about the song choice, his foot started tapping to the beat, and then after a few more minutes and several repetitions he started humming along and mouthing the words.

Who let the dogs out?

Who, who, who, who, who?

Who let the dogs out?

Who, who, who, who, who?

"Poor guy," the cabbie observed. "You couldn't have given him a better song to listen to?"

"This is sort of half a present and half a punishment for an unrelated incident that occurred yesterday," I told him.

"Definitely a punishment," he agreed and then to my amusement he sang along.

When we arrived at Pier 33, we had to hurry to collect our tickets and that included several stumbles on Edward's part, which irritated him even more.

"Does this surprise involve me ending up in the ER with a broken ankle?" he grumbled loudly. "You need to remove this scarf or slow down, Bella."

"If we slow down, we'll be late and the only place we'll have to go to will be the ER," I said, knowing he couldn't hear me as I tugged him along to the boat and then stopped him. I pulled out the ear phones. "Okay, here we are."

As I pulled off the scarf he looked around and immediately started grinning. "You're taking me to the slammer?"

"Yeah, and if you don't behave I'll leave you there. You can try your own version of Escape From Alcatraz." I giggled and we joined the other visitors on the boat just in time for the 3:50pm departure.

"Thank you," he murmured and pulled me into a hug.

"Well, I figured I owed you, since I screwed up your big book deal."

"You don't owe me anything, Bella." He kissed the top of my head. "

What I expected to be a leisurely boat ride across the bay actually turned out to be a bumpy, stomach-turning experience. I clung onto Edward and he found my distress amusing. We circled the island before docking on Alcatraz listening to facts about San Francisco, Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the conservation of the landmark itself.

When we were off the boat, we had to walk a quarter of a mile up what looked like a million steps to the jail. There was a tram for the less-able, but I didn't think bad shoe choice would class as a justifiable condition. "Consider it a healthy experience," the guide joked. "It's the equivalent of thirteen flights of stairs."

"Want to trade shoes?" I whined. "I may not survive this trip."

"Hang back a second," he told me, slowing us both down until we were at the back of the group. "Jump up."

"Excuse me?"

He turned around so his back was to me and patted his shoulder. "Up, I'll carry you."

"Up all those stairs?" I laughed. "We both may not survive this trip."

"It's either on my back or in my arms?"

"On your back," I decided and scrambled up. "You walking up with me like a damsel in distress would be humiliating."

At first he strode up the stairs with ease, but the higher we got the slower he moved. By the time we reached the top he all but threw me down. "You can walk back down," he panted. "Or you can carry me."

I giggled and he grabbed my hand, towing me along behind him so we could catch up to the rest of the group. Despite my initial reluctance about the tour, I actually loved every minute of it. We weren't ushered around like cattle and instead of a guided tour of the cells we had an audio set so we could peruse at our own pace.

The most fascinating thing for me, was watching Edward; he was like a boy at Christmas excitedly exploring every crevice he could find. I was cold, my feet were killing me, and I still felt sick from the boat ride here, but I was in no hurry to stop.

I laughed as he picked up souvenirs from the gift shop, even buying a piece of rock. "You do know I could just slip a piece in my purse from outside, right?"

"They use the money to put to preserving the island," he told me. "You'd fit in well here with all the former inmates. I never took you for a criminal."

Edward was thoroughly enjoying the experience and we were one of the last to arrive back at the boat. It was almost 6:30pm and the sun was starting to set, leaving a spectacular view of the San Francisco skyline. The setting sun also took with it any warmth that had been in the air.

"That view is so pretty," I shivered, rubbing my arms to try and get warm. "Jeez, why didn't I just grab a coat before we left? It's so cold."

"Here, take this." Edward shrugged out of his jacket and held it out for me.

"Thank you." I grinned, loving how easy it was to just be together no sneaking around or watching how I acted in front of him. Too bad we would be back in Seattle tomorrow.

We took a seat on the side of the boat so we could see the bay as we returned and I braced myself for the journey back to dry land. Edward laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me tightly against his side. "It won't take as long this time."

"Thank God," I muttered.

The water was even choppier and I groaned as the boat bobbed up and down. After one particularly big lurch I held my breath, convinced we were about to sink but in fact something equally horrific happened. A large wave crashed against the side of the boat and completely saturated everyone sitting on our side.

"Fuck!" I screamed as the freezing cold water hit me.

While the people on the right hand side of the boat made a pitiful attempt to dry off, those on the left-hand side found it all very comical.

"Cockheads," Edward muttered and when I looked at him, I burst out laughing, too. "It's really not funny, Bella."

His hair was soaking wet and flat to his head, his white shirt was clinging to him and I could see his little nipples protruding. "Aw, poor little guy's cold."

"I would be less cold had I not donated my jacket to the Warm Bella Swan Campaign," he said, trying to sound pissed, but he smirked as he spoke. "Jesus, that water was cold, but I suppose it could have been worse."

"I am soaking wet, freezing, have probably ruined my dress, and have blisters on my feet the size of Texas and you think it could have been worse?" I looked at him incredulously. "Please, Mr. Cullen, explain to me how it could have been worse?"

"There are several valid arguments, Bella," he told me casually.

"Please, elaborate."

"It could have happened on the way to the island instead on the way back," he said and I half-heartedly agreed. "It could have been a tidal wave, which sank the boat."

"Now you're clutching at straws," I said and he laughed. "Is that all you have to put forward?"

"No," he whispered and kissed my temple. "I could have been here alone. I'd choose being freezing cold and wet through if I was with you."

I looked at him, swooning massively and he noticed. With a cocky smirk he said, "I rest my case."

"I love you," I blurted out and immediately held my breath as I waited for his reaction.

He looked a little taken aback, but instead of turning to stone or running for his life, a small but crooked smile appeared on his face. He reached forward and held my face in his hands. "Bella, I—"

"Excuse me, here are some towels to help you dry off." One of the staff handed us a towel each and smiled. "I can bring you a warm drink before we dock. Coffee or chocolate?"

"Coffee," Edward answered, breaking our moment. "Two coffees please."

"Of course, Sir."

As he hurried away, we sat there in awkward silence. Whatever he was going to say, the moment had passed and it was too late for me to take what I'd said back now. I rubbed my face, hair, and arms with the towel and couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"Shit," he snapped, looking at his phone. "My cell is dead."

"Aw crap, I'm sorry," I said, unsure what else to say. I watched as he rubbed at it furiously with the towel before he realised it was a lost cause.

"Goddammit, what if someone tries to reach me now?" He slammed the phone down onto the seat and shook his head.

I checked mine, but luckily the water hadn't gotten into my purse. "Here," I said, holding out mine. "Use this to call anyone you need to and tell them they can reach you on this number."

Instead of taking the phone, he just looked at me like I was an idiot and snapped, "And what exactly do I tell them, Bella? Sorry, but my phone got ruined by a wave on a night trip to Alcatraz. Don't worry, Phil, your step-daughter's phone somehow avoided the same wave and is in perfect working order so you can reach me on this until further notice. Do you want me to tell him you're staying in my hotel room while we're baring our souls? It's so typically you, Bella, forgetting about everything except your little fucking bubble that you live in."

Oh, so his alter ego Edward the Cockhead had reappeared? Any residual good mood vanished instantly and I glared at him.

"Fuck you, Edward," I hissed, gritting my teeth. "How about this for an explanation? Hi Phil, I damaged my phone and Miss Swan was kind enough to let me use hers to call you just so you weren't trying in vain to reach me. Either call my hotel room or leave a message with Miss Swan and she can pass it on when we check out. You didn't need to give him a thousand word evaluation of the situation, Jackass."

I was angry, upset, livid, crushed and every other emotion that I could think of, before he had the chance to say anything else I added, "There was no need to overreact. I was only trying to help."

"Fuck," he sighed and his expression softened. "Shit, Bella, I didn't mean to... fuck, I just keep fucking this up, don't I?"

"Yes," I said simply. "You keep fucking this up."

"I'm sorry," he started to say but I shook my head.

"Don't even..." I trailed off and looked out of the boat, wishing the flight was at 11:40pm tonight instead of tomorrow morning.

We managed to get a cab back to the hotel quickly and despite numerous attempts to apologize, I refused to listen to him. I didn't speak a word in the car and when we stopped outside the hotel, I flung open the door, almost knocking he poor valet to the ground.

"Wait, Bella," Edward shouted, but I walked quickly inside, ignoring him. "Please."

As I waited for the elevator, I heard Emmett shout my name and when I turned around he burst out laughing.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, jogging over to my side with Edward close behind him. "Edward text me to say you'd taken him to Alcatraz, but I thought it was a boat ride, I didn't realize you'd have to swim."

"Not now, Emmett," Edward said quietly.

"Hey, Edward, why don't you use Emmett's phone to call Phil?" I quipped, "On second thoughts, using his phone must automatically mean that you're sleeping with him, right?"

"Whoa," Emmett said and looked between Edward and me. "What am I in the middle of?"

"Nothing," I said quietly.

"Bella, please," Edward said and started to follow me into the elevator but I pushed him back.

"No, Edward. I need to be on my own right now."

He nodded once and stepped back, keeping his sad gaze on me as the doors closed. I sighed and banged the back of my head against the wall of the elevator. When I got to my floor, I walked slowly to my room, heading straight for a hot shower as soon as I closed the door behind me.

I stood there for a long time, letting the water run down my face and body even after I forgot about the cold. I refused to admit it to myself, but I strongly suspected that one or two tears may have rolled down my cheeks amongst the water and I hated that he'd made me cry.

San Francisco was supposed to be just Edward and me, together, with no concern for who might be watching or listening. We were supposed to have three or four days—maybe even a week in the city enjoying ourselves and having amazing sex whenever we liked. Instead, it was going to be two shitty days of cockheadish and assholeish behaviour of epic proportions with absolutely no sex whatsoever and to top it all off—he hadn't even got the deal he came here to secure.

When I finally got out of the shower, I dried off and curled up on the bed watching television. A long hour passed and I found myself wanting to call Edward.

"No," I said, relieved that his phone was dead.

Another thirty-eight minutes later I decided to order room service, not wanting to make it two nights in a row that I skipped dinner. When I was connected to the front desk however, I found myself asking to be put through to the Oriental Suite, instead. The phone rang and rang without an answer so I slammed the receiver down.

I forced all thoughts of Edward and the shittiness that had been this trip from my mind and closed my eyes, hoping to sleep for as long as possible before I had to leave. I'd barely drifted off when there was a loud bang on my door. I sat up with a start and almost phoned hotel security when it happened again, this time with an accompanied shout.

"Bella, please." Three more bangs and another almost slurred call of my name and I realised Edward Cullen was drunk.

"Please open the door—talk to me, Bella," he pleaded through the door.

As he continued banging on the door I heard a few people in neighbouring rooms yell at him to cut it out. As angry as I was, Edward getting arrested or kicked out of the hotel I didn't want on my conscience so reluctantly I walked over to the door and opened it slightly, poking my head around to look at him.

"It's late and you're drunk, Edward," I sighed. "You should go back to your room and sleep it off."

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice rough. "I'm so fucking sorry."

"Do we have to do this now? Let's just go home and…" I started to say but he shook his head vehemently.

"Please I can't leave things like this. I am sorry, Bella. I was… I acted like… the biggest fucking idiot on the planet." His head dropped and he sighed. "The truth is I'm scared to death that when we get home I'm going to forget we have to be careful around each other. I feel like I'm going to slip up and people are going to know what's going on. I just can't deal with everyone knowing about us, Bella, not yet. Like I said yesterday, every time I say or do anything about you, every time I'm with you in front of people I feel as though they can see straight through me, like they know I'm…"

"Involved with me," I finished bitterly, thinking of the same conversation yesterday.

"Falling in love with you," he whispered.

He's falling… oh fuck.

Edward…

There I said it… she knows. It never should have happened like this. I should have told her on the boat right after she said it, but naturally I fucked that up. Maybe it's too late now anyway; maybe she's seen enough of my boyfriend etiquette and realized she can do so much better. God, I don't want to lose her… fuck.

More to come next week—thanks for reading. In the meantime I will post a teaser in MrsK81 on Facebook probably Tuesday if you want a peek just let me know.

TTFN

Katy