A/N: Just finished exams - whew. Glad they're over! Enjoy! DD.

CHAPTER 25

Dawn broke through the horizon with a hazy smear of orange. Behind me, a gallery of stars dotted the sky, and above me, the moon still hung like a giant's watching eye. I couldn't, for the life of me, remove what had just transpired from my mind. The thought of Isabella desiring me was…was…too incredible a feeling to deem inconsequential.

Then I went blabbing on and on about the wedding and Jacob and shit.

But — how dare I use her vulnerability to my advantage? I knew for a fact that if I pushed it more, if I convinced her that her anxieties were too large to confront, she'd have more on her mind to think about. Bella wasn't an idiot. She'd figure out what I was doing in a heartbeat. She'd think I was purposely sticking myself into a situation to pull her away from Jacob. Mate or no mate she'd pin me for gross misconduct.

But it was exactly what I wanted to do.

Dare I let it happen? Give myself a chance? Let myself be an alright choice?

Before the sun passed over the tree line, I was down at my cottage, working away on the finishing touches in the living room and forcing my brain to actually think about myself for a change.

I was the happiest I've ever been in those few short hours with her. Laying sprawled on the floor with her, belting out words to songs we didn't even know — what honest joy that was. My lips curled up on their own accord as I thought about Bella some more. My ancient heart just about fluttered, my veins lined with adrenaline.

I was in deeper than I realized. Much, much deeper.

How could I remain impartial now?

The thought of her laughing at my stupidness made me want to do anything to hear it again. She thought it apt to join me last night, meaning that on some level, she wanted to hang out with me. Maybe she enjoyed my stupidity.

Man, was I ever cheerful.

There was a quiet rapping on my door just when I was nearly done lining the living room floor with plastic drop sheet.

I was so consumed by my own thoughts that I didn't even realize Jasper had been calling my name.

"You're feeling oddly chipper," he said, eyes narrowing and smiling. "What was last night all about? Alice told me to check up on you, said something about a sly fox."

I couldn't contain myself. My cheeks and lips tugged up into a smile and I would have blushed tomato red if I could.

"Nothing really, just drinking and dancing."

"Yeah, I totally believe you. Liar," he smirked as he brushed past me. "Painting today? Need help?"

"Sure," I said, tossing him a roll of scotch tape. "Mind prepping for edging?"

We both started at opposite ends of the room; he worked on the windows and doorway while I worked on the fireplace.

"So…" he began. "You are happy, very happy…and slightly nervous? Why?"

"Like Alice hasn't told you and everyone else."

"Nope, she said to ask you about it. Though she's pretty stoked."

"I'm happy because Isabella made me happy. Just being with her makes my whole damn day," I admitted. "But last night was a dream… we both had a lot to drink and well… I think she may like me. Not as much as I like her, perhaps, but it's something."

"Planting a little seedling, are you brother? You sly fox," he laughed.

"I even told her that I was bisexual y'know, the courting ball and all that," I added. "She was perfectly fine with it. Like it didn't matter."

"Which it doesn't."

"Right. But I think I may have pushed a little too far, you know? Maybe we both did. Maybe she feels something… It's stupid to think that she can be totally ignorant of it. We see each other everyday. Denial's powerful and all but… it's instinct. Nothing's more powerful than millions of years of habit."

"I wish I could gauge her," Jas said. "She's like a brick wall that girl. So frustrating. I mean, I can influence her I assume. I hope. Well," he added. "I haven't really tried all that hard."

"I get it. No matter how hard I try to hear her thoughts — nothing."

"So…you like her?"

"What do you think?"

"Are you going to tell her?"

"I'm not sure. I don't want her to think that I'm just inserting myself into her life and fucking things up. Making everything more complicated. But on the other hand, I want to give myself a fair shot. Give her a real choice instead of pushing myself by the wayside."

"I almost guarantee she'll choose you if you let her."

"That's a big thing to guarantee. You don't know that."

"And you don't know that she wont."

"I'm consumed by that almost every second. It plagues me," I said, borrowing Isabella's words from last night. "I feel hopeful…but life with her as a friend seems far better than being the villain in her eyes."

"And you're scared to mess that up?"

"Correctemundo."

"You're a little bit of a coward, you know that? When it comes to her."

I flung the roll of tape at him, and he dodges. Smirking.

"Coward," he said again. "You're a chicken."

"Don't I know it," I muttered. "Sometimes I feel like it's too late to force my way into her life. That I should have done something before Jacob proposed." I was kidding myself if I thought I could ever behave in that way.

"It's not technically forcing if you're already in it," Jasper said, suddenly sizing me up, mind scrutinizing my appearance. "You just have to get her to see you in a different way. You're already blatantly attractive but…maybe if you dressed a little better…and combed your hair. And tried to shave a little more often. Maybe get a haircut. With gardening sheers, of course," he laughed.

"What?" I gawked, instantly self-conscious. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever commented about the way I look. "I dress fine. I look fine. A fucking Adonis, you know that. Jessica Stanley's words, not mine."

"Well, Alice, you know she says otherwise," he shrugged. "Sometimes I agree, sometimes I disagree but…wearing the same thing like a uniform everyday kind of puts you at the wayside."

"What's wrong with the way I dress?" I said, looking down at my half-buttoned plaid shirt, jeans, and runners. My staple.

"And your shoes? You've had the same pair of Adidas for two decades now, Edward. Seriously."

"They work fine therefore I don't need another pair."

"Yet, you look like a perpetual teenager."

"I am a perpetual teenager, Jasper."

"Look at Jacob. He's a man and he dresses in board shorts and a t-shirt every day. You're just the same. Distinguish yourself. Find your broody intellectual side and dress like it. Be a professor. Chicks dig the hot professor look.

"Do you know how many people throw themselves at Carlisle? Not only is he good looking but he is finely dressed. Tailored. Shoes shined. The whole nine yards. You look like a high school student. Worse, one who doesn't give a shit about how he's perceived. And the only person who's opinion you give a crap about lives ten feet from you."

I opened and closed my mouth, unsure how to retort.

"Fine. What do you suggest then? A makeover?"

He nodded, grinning. "A gentlemanly blanket over your teenage boyishness. It's time to get your old dressing habits back from whatever decade they're hiding in."

"I'm gonna stick out like a sore thumb wherever I go." One of the reasons why I dress like I do is so that I can hide away in plain sight. Hats, beanies, ill-fitting hoodies with the drawstrings pulled tight.

"Yeah but maybe Isabella will do a double-take and go daaaamn I wish I could tap that."

I cringed. Hard. "No. That does not work well on you, Jas."

"That's besides the point. Everyone minus Bella will be here in like two point five seconds to check to see if I convinced you," he said quickly before he raised his arms in defence. "See the light, Eddie. See the light."

Right on cue, my family appeared at my door step, eyes bright with humour. Alice was at the front of the crowd, bursting with excitement.

"We have so much to do," Alice said to me while rushing over to Jasper. "Thanks sweetie."

Carlisle, who'd been extremely busy at the hospital lately, had yet to see the finished product of my distraction-hobby. "Nice work son. I really like how you incorporated all the rocks from your mother's garden."

I smiled at Esme sheepishly. "I didn't have time to go to the landscapers to pick some out and yours were the right size…"

"Replace them with wider flowerbeds and you'll live," she joked. "It's fine, honey. I like it better on the walls anyway."

"So what's the plan?" Rose asked. "Car first or what?"

"Car? We're doing that today?" I knew I needed to replace my Volvo eventually, but I wasn't even sure about what to get.

"Yeah, something nice. Something that Bella would like," she said.

"I really doubt she'd care about what I drive."

"Anything's better than that family-mobile you had going on. So inconspicuous."

"And that's the way I like it! What's wrong with wanting to blend into the background?"

Rose smiled and entered the house so she could see everything fully. Emmett followed in suit followed by my mom and dad.

"Absolutely nothing," she said. "But right now, blending in is not what you need. You need to be noticed. You need to be—"

"Everything she wants rolled into one!" Emmett interjected. "Think big and act like you own the world. Chicks dig the whole cocky act."

"But that's not me!" I complained. "It's one thing to seduce a human but…Bella? She'll see right through the charade."

Alice, with Jasper's arm draped over her shoulders, spoke up. "It won't be a charade — it will be a new and improved Edward!"

"Honey, it will be okay, okay?" Esme said. "It's just a matter of cleaning yourself up, that's all. You'll feel more confident once you're in the right clothes…and shoes. Though I love how young you look in your outfits, it's time for you to be a gentleman again. Or at least dress like one," she smiled, remembering the way I danced in circles around Bella.

"We won't be getting rid of anything we're just gonna…make some tweaks. Are you okay with that?" Alice asked.

"Fine, fine," I said, a smile creeping up my cheeks.

Emmett clapped me on the shoulder. "ATTA BOY EDDIE! Finally you grew a pair!"

Even for a vampire, the day was exhausting. Rather than visiting Port Angeles' luxury car dealership first, we headed to the mall and…well…the rest was interesting to say the least.

I know that my family loves me. Heck, I know that they'd kill for me — within reason of course. But I realized, albeit slowly, today that they'd do anything to see me as happy as I was this morning. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wanted to play a part in the scheme to get Isabella to see me as a viable partner.

I think that the ultimate goal was to get her to realize, on her own, that she was my mate. If I was being honest to myself, I didn't want that. Right now, all I wanted was more time with her. More time alone with her to just…chill. Do anything. Hang. Whatever.

It was easiest to just go with it.

It turns out that my family had been plotting behind my back to get Isabella to look at me in a different light. Whatever it was they did, I was grateful. Last night had been extraordinary.

Rather than head to each store together, the men and women separated, each armed with a list the size of a forearm. Emmett and Jasper went one way through the mall while Carlisle and I hung back, meandering around the food court looking for a place that sold coffee.

"Still keeping up the pretences?" I asked him.

"Coffee and doctors are rarely seen apart," he said as we got into the line for Starbucks. "It has grown on me, really."

"So, I take it you wanted to talk about more than just coffee?"

He smiled. "Of course."

"About me and Isabella."

"Naturally. What else do we talk about these days?"

"About nothing really…not lately at least," I said carefully.

He nodded slowly. "I feel like I've neglected you, son." You were my first friend and I know I haven't been there for you in spite of recent events…We used to talk more.

"Dad, you really don't have to explain yourself. I'll be here for eternity so long as nobody drives me mad enough to off myself," I joked half heartedly.

He sighed a little, and leaned in so he was out of ear shot. "Teaching you how to be a gentleman again reminds me of when you were younger. Showing you how to button your shirt without breaking them. How to pick things up and hold them so they wouldn't shatter. How to be human again… I feel like it's my fault for leaving you to your own devices so much so that you don't feel the need to find happiness."

Shocked, I frowned. "That's not your fault. Not even a little bit. It's my disposition. I wallow. I put myself last."

"And a what a great thing to have when the world needs it. But the world doesn't need your selflessness right now. You need to think of yourself for once. Think of what will make you happy instead of appeasing everyone else. Be what she needs and perhaps…show her that she may be making a mistake. That you could make her happy too."

"You always hit the nail on the head."

"I have a gift," he chuckled.

We got our coffee black of course — to match our souls — and found a table a little ways off the main seating area.

"So…what are we going to do? And by we I mean what are you going to teach me about wooing Isabella?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Precisely. I'm just here to convince you to put yourself first for a little bit. Help you. Fatherly guidance and all that."

"Has everyone been planning this take-down for a while?"

"Not really, we just figured that we'd take advantage of your post-Isabella glow," he laughed. "You're positively shining. It's so wonderful to see this side of you for a change."

"I admit I've been rather melancholic for these past few months."

"Only the ones we love have the power to affect us so," he said looking down at his drink. "Remember how I was when we met Esme?"

"Of course." She was just a young girl when he saw her first. She came in to his hospital for treatment and was hooked on her. He was attracted to her immediately — her mind, her kindness, her thoughtfulness. It was the first time I had seen Carlisle at a loss for words.

He felt immense care for her. Deeply troubled by his constant thoughts about her, he and I…well… we left to ensure that he didn't do anything stupid. And by stupid I mean befriend her. It was hard to see Carlisle so beaten down. He was painfully mute for years and years, unsure if he'd ever feel that way for another person again, let alone a vampire. Then his luck changed. The love he had for human Esme only grew over time. She was under his care again and as fate would have it, she was dying — driven to suicide by the death of her child — the only condition under which he would turn somebody.

But, Esme didn't love Carlisle right away. Not by a long-shot. Carlisle's intense feelings for her were difficult to mask. He grew moody, morose, and distant…very much like me.

You'd think that I'd remember that Carlisle had dealings with unrequited love. I felt grossly shallow for neglecting to remember that my father also worried about becoming an eternal bachelor.

Carlisle smiled as he watched my features change as I remembered his torment.

"She loved you eventually though."

"It took years, but yes."

"I remember you telling me that friendship was better than nothing."

"I wish I remembered that. I feel like I was too harsh on you. Before Isabella was turned I said things…thought things… you know."

"And there's nothing to forgive," I said, remembering how frustrated he'd been about my lack of willingness to cooperate in desensitizing myself of her scent. "You've always had my best interest in mind. You'd never have put her in danger."

"Then you grew to hate her. So much. You were so full of fury every time we brought her up. I had to accept that it was better to let you go."

"And look at how well that turned out."

"Fate works in funny ways."

"It really does."

After a few moments of silence I managed to down the rest of my coffee. Bitter. Too warm — not my favourite human vice to have. Something else had been picking away at my brain, something I wanted to ask somebody so badly.

"Dad?"

"Mhm?"

"Alice and I were discussing — well, yesterday we were — about Jacob. What do you think of him? Do you think he really…imprinted on Isabella?"

"I've been thinking about that too. Been doing some research, but there are very limited resources. I think it's possible that he did before she turned. If he imprinted on her after she was turned…I find that very difficult to believe."

"I think the same. It just…it bothers me how his community isn't supporting him. I thought that imprints were protected no matter what, but if Bella were to step on their land again they'd kill her."

"Maybe the imprint contract is void in situations like these. Has Jacob ever given you reason to think otherwise?"

"Not really."

"Then it might be best to not dwell on it."

I sighed, not fully satisfied with the answer.

I drove my fresh Vanquish out of the dealership and all the way home. Emmett and Jasper managed to squeeze everybody's exploits in the limited trunk space before hopping in their respective cars.

My stomach did a little flip as we raced down the highway back to Forks.

Okay. Maybe my car had been a little bit minivan-ish.

I turned up the radio as loud as it could go, enjoying the fact that I could still hear the car's acceleration. Damn did it ever offer a boost of adrenaline.

Perfectly content with carrying the numerous bags upstairs by myself, I noticed that the women had gotten stuff of their own. Alice smiled widely at me and nearly shoved me up the steps. Apparently she did not want Isabella to see that I'd gone shopping.

I did my best to organize my closet but I was at a loss as to what goes where. Groaning, and muttering something about Alice better having free time, I padded over to her and Jasper's shared bedroom. She squeezed out of the doorway as quickly as she could before she took me by the wrist and back into my room.

"I saw you give up more than a half hour ago, Edward. I've been very patient—"

"Well then you should have said something instead of letting me go crazy over what goes where."

"I don't like doing things before you see that you need me to. Now, you've done this all wrong," she said motioning to the way I hung the various suits and shirts."

"Okay so like…where does everything go?"

"First of all, all your ties should not be folded in a drawer like that. You're gonna wrinkle them. Second, I need you to get rid of those plaid shirts. Put those in the last drawer."

"No, I thought you were going to let me keep them!"

"I did. And so you're going to keep them over there." She had her hands on her hips. The look on her face was final.

"Fine. Just tell me what to do."

"Socks do not go in a rubbish bin, they go in a drawer with separators. I'll grab some." After a moment she was back with a pile of closet accessories.

"Clip your ties on this wheel thing then hang it up."

I nodded and took the thing from her. I sat on the floor with a pile of ties between my legs while she grabbed armfuls of clothing out of each drawer and plopped them on the couch. She then put the separators inside before sorting my socks, boxers, and undershirts in the three units.

I'd never understand what was wrong with merely neatly folding everything.

I hung my ties and worked on organizing the shoe display she had me set up on the left most side of the closet. Each pair of shoes had their own snug cubby to call home. While I did that, Alice took to keeping my suits together with special hangars. I did my best to pay attention while she showed me various outfit combinations. I had to raise my eyebrows a couple times throughout it all. Blue suits, skinny pants? Paisley socks and bowties? Suspenders and slim fitting boxer-briefs?

Goodness. I was beginning to regret putting my fashion choices in my family's hands.

"I have an outfit laid out for you to wear tonight at the gala."

I froze stock still.

"Gala? What gala?"

Alice smiled deviously.

"Bella's welcome back gala. The one mom's been planning for weeks."

"Why wasn't I told?"

"I just told you."

"Does Bella know about this?"

"Nope, it's a surprise. Everyone's gonna be there…even the kids from high school."

I wanted to collapse on the spot.

"Oh dear god no. Jessica Stanley?"

"And Lauren, Mike, Eric, Tyler, and all your teachers. Think of it like a prom and graduation that never happened. It's a rite of passage — Bella has to experience it."

I looked as Alice more clearly than I had in months. Despite her hatred of Jacob she truly cared about Bella. As much as she disliked planning the wedding, she too was doing it for Bella's sake. For her happiness.

"All of this for Bella?" I asked, dumbfounded

"Always, you idiot," she smiled wryly.