A/N: It was just meant to be a little something fun, but who knew that what amounts to probably about an hour's worth of time could provide enough happenings to create an entire chapter? I suppose that's what happens when you finally let E&B have a little time alone ;)

Chapter 25

Edward wasn't sure how safe it would be to turn his brain off for a few seconds so that he could just enjoy the feeling for a while, but he was undeniably eager to know if his instincts could be trusted all of a sudden. And he'd known on some level that the talk he'd just had with his father this afternoon was going to prove necessary at some point, urging him to seek out the advice he desired sooner rather than later, but he would have never guessed that sooner would be now.

He'd kissed her lightly, the same as he had always done before. Initially it was just meant to be another thank you for her thoughtful gift, but with her impassioned words of encouragement it had suddenly become an unknowing attempt to satisfy this hunger she'd expressed.

Slowly yet firmly her hands had begun to move against his chest, rubbing a small pattern from his shoulders down to the top of his abdomen and back up again. Unexpectedly, the sweet taste of her lips combined with the feel of her touch left his body begging for something more. Edward forced himself to pull away however, in favor of holding her, when he realized that he could feel her hands shaking ever so slightly as she cautiously went about exploring him. He would never deny her the pleasure she sought, but he'd refuse to press her beyond what she felt comfortable with—since he was indeed beginning to crave whatever more might signify.

"Edward," she said his name so quietly that he would have never heard it if he hadn't been so focused on everything she was doing right now.
He hummed a little to acknowledge her, unable to trust that he wouldn't embarrass himself were he to open his mouth, particularly with the way that his eyes were already threatening to close of their own accord, the amazing feel of her hands as they continued to familiarize themselves with his upper body making his potential response unknown.

No matter how much she wanted to, Bella couldn't seem to look directly at him, so instead she let her gaze stay focused on his chest and on her hands, which were still happy to roam about, discovering the pleasant contours of his strong, muscled torso.

"What is it?" he asked eventually, when she hadn't said anything else—his curiosity unable, or perhaps unwilling to wait.

Bella was trying to figure out how to say or ask for what it was she wanted, but every way she thought to mention it felt so awkward or inadequate. Finally deciding to avoid words altogether she attempted a deep, calming breath and let her right hand descend to the hem of his t-shirt. She looked up briefly and saw that Edward was relaxed yet curious, so she proceeded to slowly let her hand slip up underneath his shirt, only pausing once she'd come in contact with his invitingly warm skin. The muscles of his stomach quivered a bit, but he never pulled away nor did he indicate that he was too uncomfortable with her touch for her to continue.

His body was just so extraordinarily beautiful that Bella couldn't seem to help herself. She didn't want to make things difficult for him, but she was so selfishly intrigued by the soft feel of his skin, the subtle definition of his shape and the way his muscles would move and flex; and of course there was the pleasant tickle from the hair lightly covering much of his body as it came in contact with her brave little hand.

"Is this okay?" she hesitantly asked—her voice breathless and barely controlled.

Edward placed a hand to the side of her face and gently encouraged her to look up at him. He smiled a lazy little smile and bent to kiss each corner of her mouth.

"It feels amazing," he sighed.

"You're just so…" Bella still didn't have the right words to describe just how attractive she found him. Handsome sounded quite dull for some reason and beautiful didn't really seem appropriate for the type of man he was, but to say that he was beyond sexy was way outside of their combined comfort zones.

"In love with you." He completed her thought with a cocky little smirk, hoping to save her the trouble of struggling for what he had to assume was going to be something that would likely to end up embarrassing the both of them.

Bella smiled shyly and chuckled a bit as Edward again lowered his head to take yet another kiss. He first kissed her upper lip, then the lower one, taking it gently between both of his, applying just enough pressure to make her heart skip a beat as she felt the tip of his tongue just barely come in contact with her. She had no choice but to let the surprised moan of pleasure escape, but she panicked slightly when Edward chose that very moment to pull away.

"Please." She sighed immediately, moving both her hands from their previous locations to take hold of his face, physically begging for him to do that again.

His kiss was as usual tentative and gentle, but Bella wanted more. Mimicking, what was possibly the unconscious way that Edward had let his mouth caress her lips, Bella took the initiative and pulled his lower lip gently between hers, letting her tongue delicately taste the smooth, moistened skin just below his bottom lip. He'd shaved this morning but she could still feel a small amount of his new beard growth prickle against the tip of her tongue and not knowing how else to proceed, she was happy to linger there for a moment and enjoy it.

Surprising her with his reaction, Bella giggled slightly when his strong arms latched on to her so tightly, his mouth immediately repositioning to return the pleasurable favor. He kissed her hard this time—their bodies coming together in the same manner as their lips.
A moment later she heard rather than felt him remove her glasses, apparently along with his own, when they both clattered to the floor somewhere nearby, just before his hand settled firmly against the side of her face once again, his fingers pushing into her hair as he finally let his tongue slip fully into her mouth, introducing her body to a whole new world of sensation.
And god, he tasted wonderful—like coffee and mint, mixed with that fabulous scent that Bella could never seem to describe, but that she knew was the very essence of Edward. She let her arms move around behind him, one hand splayed against his back, the other fisted into the material of his shirt, her body pressed flush against him, so that she could feel the rumble in his chest and hear the slightest whimper escape him when he attempted to break away, but she refused to allow it. Her knees were becoming weak and her head was swimming, but he continued to hold her so tightly that she had no fear of falling; and though she could tell that his control was limited now, she wasn't worried. This was Edward after all—he would take care of her above all else.

The feeling was just too intense and the taste was so intoxicating that she couldn't let the moment end and he seemed to agree as he once again deepened the kiss; his hands looking for better purchase, moving from her face to her shoulders, across her back and down to her hips—his fingers curling into the fabric of her loose fitting trousers, pulling her lower body closer.

"Jesus, Bella." He grunted with great restraint, as he finally had to come up for air, his head instantly moving to rest upon her shoulder, his labored breathing hot against her neck. He was trying desperately to figure out how in the world he'd let this happen, fearful of just how out of control he felt.
Edward's heart rate was beating erratically and he had this relentless tightening in his lower abdomen that was threatening to turn him inside out. There was no need to look or feel, to know just what that kiss had done to him and he was terrified suddenly of having Bella so close.
He let his hands slowly release her, caressing her body in reverse order until he finally let them rest upon her shoulders, lightly kissing her forehead as he straightened to his full height.

"Don't." Bella had simply requested when she realized that he was trying to calmly sever their embrace. She gently took one of his hands and placed his palm against her chest so that he could feel her heart racing.

"Still not scared." She promised softly—timidly.

"I know Baby, but…I need a second." He sighed.

Bella reached up and let her thumb trace along his lower lip, swollen and reddened from their kissing, and also sighed.

"I'm…not sorry," she chuckled once—a sort of humorless moment to show the level of disappointment she had in her self, "I've been sort of umm…" Bella was blushing now and had to look away, since Edward seemed so fascinated with whatever was across the room, somewhere behind her.

"Bella," Edward took her hand and gently kissed each of her fingers, "I'm not saying that I'm sorry either, so I don't want you to feel…bad or embarrassed. I really think that I needed that, but…" he took a half a step away, nervously holding her gaze. "I don't know how I'm suppose to uhh…" he'd run out of words now and he was beginning to feel rather self-conscious as he tried to explain his dilemma.
He didn't want her to think he blamed her for his own lack of control and he refused to acknowledge anything other than shear delight at the experience of really kissing her and of knowing the feel of her touch upon his skin, but he needed her to know that he was still aware enough of himself to say when.

"Sweetheart, I know it's difficult…" Bella glanced down, while looking for the right words to reassure him, but what she found instead was a rather prominent bulge distorting the front of his pants. She blinked twice and discreetly looked at her feet instead, her cheeks radiating an uncomfortable amount of heat in an instant.

"Shit, Edward." She groaned rubbing at her forehead now. Seeing the reality of what he was made to deal with in order to be so close to her was unexpected yet rather eye opening.

"No, Bella." He was quick to correct her assumption. "I don't care about that at all. I just…we're not ready to umm…for so much, just yet…are we?" he cringed at the reappearance of his awkward, stuttering way of speaking.
He'd never assume to know how Bella was feeling, or what her needs truly were, but he knew, especially after his talk with Carlisle, that he had a few too many questions that still remained unanswered.

Bella urged Edward to follow along, as she gently tugged on his hand. She walked them over to and sat down on the edge of the sofa, encouraging him to do the same. Before saying what was on her mind she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and placed her other hand lightly atop his knee.

"I love you, Edward and I trust you. The fact that you just pulled away and put an end to something that you felt was getting out of hand only proves that I'm right to put so much faith in you." Bella told him, "but I know that you doubt yourself at times."
Edward went to speak but Bella calmly shook her head to indicate that she wasn't quite finished.
"I also know that I've given you a lot to think about over the past couple of days and I know that neither of us really has the knowledge or experience to know what and when or even how this is really suppose to work, but I need you to understand that I'm okay with that part of it."

"Can we maybe make another little promise to one another for now?" Edward timidly inquired when it became obvious that Bella had said all that she felt was necessary for the moment.

He'd never make light of the situation, knowing that his insecurities had possibly saved them both from a very unnecessary moment that they were certainly not ready for, but he couldn't help seeing a bit of humor in the way that it had all started in the first place.
God, he was just like his father—wasn't he?

"Until we can umm…either find a way to control ourselves or at least get a little more comfortable with all of this, maybe it would be best if you didn't buy me anything that I'd want to thank you for, and umm, in return I'll keep my shirt on, so that you aren't, you know, tempted to touch."
He was blushing something fierce, but his mouth couldn't help but smile, especially when Bella began to giggle at his silly little attempt to defuse the intensity of their situation.

"No."

He was surprised by her refusal.

"No?" he chuckled.

"No." she said again, still snickering, most likely from the appearance of his adorably confused expression. "I want to do things for you, things that will make you happy—things that will make you want to say thank you, particularly if the thank you's will be anything like that last one."

Edward laughed with her now, the embarrassment she was trying so hard to hide, hovering just beneath the playful little grin she was sporting.

"And," Bella let her eyes wander across his upper body for a brief second, "I really want you to feel comfortable enough around me to do something as simple as change your shirt if you're so inclined."

Edward wanted to go find his glasses all of a sudden; since he was dying to see for himself the type of longing he could hear in her voice. His ego didn't need that kind of encouragement, but he was seriously enjoying it nonetheless.

"Bella, are you saying that you find me attractive in some way?" he teased, ducking his head slightly in a bashful sort of posture.

"Don't play shy with me." Bella protested lightly, crawling up into his lap, cupping is chin so that he'd have to look up. "The man that kissed me a moment ago," she gestured towards the front door with a tilt of her head, "That man isn't nearly as shy as he would lead others to believe." Bella kissed his cheek and snuggled into him with her head resting against his shoulder.

"That's only when I'm with you, Baby." He sighed, letting his arms come around to hold her.

"And Edward?" she said after they'd settled into a comfortable silence. He looked down to indicate she should continue.

"I think that you are the most attractive man I've ever seen." She moved her head so that her face was hidden against his chest, feeling all sorts of uncomfortable finally saying the words for some reason.

"Now look who's being shy." He teased, gently encouraging her to look up at him.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was convinced that she must have been pleased by his appearance in some way, but to hear her say as much, out loud and in no uncertain terms, warmed his heart and made him realize once again just how wonderful this woman was.
He kissed the tip of her nose and looked at her for a moment.

"I'm so glad I found you." He told her.

Bella leaned in to kiss his cheek and sighed with contentment.

They held one another for a while longer, just happy to relax and be together as they were. Edward couldn't help but think about and remember how adamantly he'd once refused the idea of needing companionship and love in his life. Holding Bella like this and feeling so at ease in her presence was such a blessing that despite the uncomfortable moments they'd had together and those that would no doubt still be in their future, he was still able to determine that he'd be willing to attempt almost anything in order to be with her.

Likewise Bella was reminding herself of every little reason she'd never allowed herself to let her guard down and let love find its way into her heart. While thinking of her past she couldn't help but wonder about her future—a future that now seemed to include Edward in every way imaginable. Suddenly that future seemed far more exciting than it had ever been before.

The happy quiet that surrounded them unfortunately came to an abrupt ended when Bella's phone started to ring, enticing her to go and fetch it from where she'd set her things down in the kitchen just before Edward had arrived. Surprisingly, Edward's phone started vibrating in his pocket not a second later. They laughed together and determined that they obviously weren't calling each other as Bella stood up to go retrieve her cell. Edward luckily managed to grab her hand, before she got too far away, so that he could ask rather pitifully who was calling him.
Fortunately through her laughter he was able to determine that it was his mother, before she dashed off to try and catch whomever it was waiting for her to answer.

A moment later as he was carefully trying to locate wherever their glasses had ended up in his haste to be rid of them, Bella finally emerged from the kitchen with a similar mission in mind.

"Hang on a sec, Mom." Bella requested, tucking the phone into her shoulder as she bent to pick up their glasses, entangled as they were over by the door.

"Sweetheart." She said with a little smirk, holding up his glasses for him to come and get them.

"Thanks," he chuckled a bit, shaking his head at how far off base he was during his search, "I should be more careful next time I suppose." He mentioned, while wrapping his arms around her, seeming to forget about his mother, the fact that he still had her on the line and that the phone was in his hand as he wished to thank Bella once again. She had after all been rather pleased with his last thank you it would seem.

Their lips met briefly and quite audibly, before their tongues happily decided to become involved—Bella moaning and Edward growling in approval for a split second before they both pulled away with a heavy sigh.

"So beautiful," Edward murmured after slipping his glasses back into place. His free hand lightly touching Bella's heated complexion before he turned away, his hand now repeatedly combing through his hair, his head bent forward as he began to listen to whatever his mother had been saying once again.

"Now Edward, you know how much I love you and Bella, but I could never forgive myself if I didn't…" his mother started off by saying as soon as he got back to her, cluing him in on the fact that their little exchange just now, apparently hadn't been the private affair he'd taken it to be.

"Mom, I've already talked to Dad today, in great detail, about Bella and I and I'm not really in a good frame of mind to hear anything else on the subject right now. Just know that I really appreciate your concern, but that we're not at a stage that you need to worry about anything, okay."

There was a pleading tone to his voice that nearly broke Emse's heart. Her goal was never to embarrass or make Edward feel uncomfortable, but she knew how hard he was on himself and her concerns were merely a reflection of that knowledge.

"I understand, Darling; just remember that you have time on your side now and that there is no need to rush anything." She cautiously reminded him.

She was married to his father after all, and as a woman that knew first hand what Carlisle Cullen was capable of, she would never underestimate his son. Bella had been through a lot and Emse felt it was important to remind Edward of that on occasion, since he might be unaware of just how alluring that Cullen charm could be for a woman, regardless of any personal fears she might have.
Edward may indeed have a good grasp of the situation and she felt sure he had his doubts and insecurities keeping his own desires at bay for now, but she always wanted him to know that as a man, he should strive to protect his lover's heart above all else.

"Does that mean you've found me some houses to look at?" he tactfully redirected the conversation to a more comfortable topic—a sex talk with his father was awkward enough, he certainly wasn't about to encourage such a discussion with his mother sitting at the helm.

"Is Bella free to come with us, if we were to go look at a few things tomorrow afternoon?" she responded easily, leaving well enough alone, having voiced her main concern already.

"I don't think that will be a problem, but hold on and let me ask." He smiled, a sense of excitement suddenly hitting him.

The idea of moving back to Port Angeles had only been a rather fleeting possibility until just yesterday, but now with the idea out in the open and things moving forward so quickly, he was becoming rather eager to make it happen already. Once he had his own place and he was settled into this new lifestyle he felt like all of this would start to seem even more real to him.

Edward would eventually get around to telling Bella about how uncomfortable he'd felt, hearing his mother broach the subject of their relationship, after having obviously overheard the kiss they'd shared, but Bella was convinced that he would have been truly mortified had he been forced to deal with the conversation she was busy having to endure in the very next room. She couldn't get a word in edgewise as Renee seemed content to go on and on with some rather sexually explicit opinions as to how wonderful Edward must be, just basing her views on having heard a few simple words and apparently a little too much appreciation for that ill advised kiss they'd shared a few moments ago.

Even without such fuel to the fire, the awkward restart to their conversation hadn't helped matters at all, as Bella was briefly struck dumb by the unexpected passion of that kiss. She was thinking just prior to it happening that Edward was going to likely insist that they calm some of this physical interaction, but boy had she been wrong. Unable to comprehend just what had taken place she was a little out of sorts watching him step away in favor of chatting with Esme.

"Bella?" she'd heard her mother's voice calling through the phone that was still pressed against her shoulder.

"Sorry Mom, what were you saying? I sort of got distracted there for a minute—couldn't seem to find my glasses."

"From the sound of things, you managed to find something alright." Renee had playfully countered.

As predicted Bella's mother was ecstatic over the news that her daughter had finally met someone she deemed worthy of her love. She had been checking her email this afternoon and when she'd opened the message from Bella, she'd nearly fallen out of her chair from the outrageous surprise awaiting her there. Her baby girl had found love and she was apparently ready to embark on a real relationship with this Edward of hers. Hopes and dreams and wonderful times that they had missed out on as a mother and daughter, because of Bella's reluctance to date suddenly seemed possible once again and Renee didn't want to waste any time. There was advice to give and there were questions to be asked.

"Mom." Bella sighed; a hint of protest in her voice as she was able to catch every bit of the meaning behind her thinly veiled comment.

"I'm just saying…" Her mother continued to tease. "I haven't even set eyes on this boy yet and I can already tell how delicious he is, just from hearing the sound of his voice."

Fortunately she hadn't gotten too far into the predictable sex talk before Edward had cleared his throat in an attempt to gain Bella's attention.
She was sitting on a stool pulled up to the breakfast bar, her forehead resting in her hand and Edward thought for a moment that she looked sort of tired; but when she looked up to see him waiting, needing to ask something, he noticed how red her face was and how uncomfortable her expression seemed to be.

"Hey Mom, let me get back to you on that." He killed his phone without waiting for a response and motioned for Bella to try and wrap up her conversation as well, concern etched into his every feature now as he went to her side and let his hand settle comfortingly against her back. He was hoping that he wouldn't be disturbing something important when he'd come into the kitchen to find her still on the phone as well and of course he had no way of knowing what Bella's mother was going on about, but he could tell that she was terribly unnerved by the situation, whatever it was.

"Sorry Mom, can I call you back in a minute? Yeah, Edward needs me for something, but I'll call back—promise."

"Everything okay?" he asked softly seeing her toss the phone aside with an audible huff.

"That may have been the most awkward, one-sided discussion I've ever had to endure with my mother." Bella sighed, while shaking her head at some of the randomness her mother was apparently capable of, her fingers attempting to rub some of the tension from her temples.
She knew that her mother didn't really mean anything by her comments, but she had always been so sensitive to her needs in the past. Bella just couldn't understand it—did finding a man you openly admitted some type of affection for suddenly warrant so much uncensored innuendo?

Edward wrapped his arms around her offering a hug of understanding and sighed as well.
"I didn't really come in here to make you get off the phone. It was just that you really looked like you might appreciate a little break." He explained, "I did however need to ask if you'd be free to go house hunting with me and Mom tomorrow afternoon."

"Tomorrow?" Surprise was evident in her tone, accompanying the happy little smile that had immediately replaced her worn look from just before.

"That's where I was most of the day…talking with Mom and Dad about my plans." He confessed, a bit of color threatening to suffuse his cheeks, "I umm…" he cleared his throat and chuckled a little, seeing the humor in how nervous he suddenly felt.

Here he was holding a woman in his arms, smiling at how happy her expression had suddenly become when he'd told her that he was making good on intentions he'd shared—and now he was nervous to tell her of his plans? He wanted this woman so badly that he'd actually gone to his father for advice on the matter and just moments ago he'd had his tongue in her mouth for god's sake. One would think that revealing his desire to have her opinion when choosing his new home would be rather easy.

"I'd like for you to go along, if you have the time, since I would really appreciate your help making these decisions."

"Of course." She giggled, throwing her arms around his neck in a celebratory type of hug. "And for the record, Sweetheart," she mentioned after a moment, when she pulled away slightly so that she might look at him, "You are ridiculously adorable when you do that whole thing with your eyes, when you are feeling sort of unsure about something."

"What are you talking about?" he had to laugh.

"I don't know, it's just this look—kind of like you're worried I'm gonna say no even though I can tell you really want whatever it is you're asking for." She tried to explain.

"I know it seems strange to be so nervous, even when I know that I shouldn't be, but it's basically a learned behavior at this point." He tried to explain, taking a seat on the stool next to her now.

"It's not a bad thing; it's just a part of who you are." Bella promised.

"So what did your mother have to say that was so disconcerting? If it was anything like my mother's unnecessary warning, after having overheard my little thank you from before, I can sympathize completely."

He switched gears, not feeling much like talking about his problems after the long morning he'd spent thinking of nothing else. Plus, he somehow knew that whatever Renee must have been bending Bella's ear about had to do with that kiss. He would apologize if she would let him, as it was a totally uncontrolled and unthinking moment on his part, but he knew that he wasn't exactly sorry. The only regret he would ever have over something like that would be if Bella ever indicated that he'd somehow managed to make her overly uncomfortable with the intensity of his affection.

"Actually, she is convinced that you are a very umm…capable young man." Bella was trying her best not to laugh, but she could hardly believe that she was actually telling him this.

"I take it she knows about us?" Edward swallowed, obviously a little surprised by how much information she seemed willing to share.

"She seems to think that she knows more than she does." Bella added, while rolling her eyes for affect.

Nothing else needed to be said as they were suddenly both content to just sit there, leaning against the breakfast bar, thinking over this information, avoiding the return calls they'd promised to make. Everything was so much easier when it was just the two of them—no outside interference, no opinions to consider but their own and no reason to be embarrassed or self-conscious.

Edward looked over when he felt Bella wrap her hand around his bicep and rest her head against his shoulder a few moments later.

"Let's call the moms back. You tell Esme that you and I will be ready whenever tomorrow and I'm gonna tell Renee that my boyfriend is making me a fabulous dinner; so I can't be tied up on the phone all night discussing how wonderful he is."

Edward was beaming with satisfaction, hearing Bella refer to him as her boyfriend for the first time, officially.

"I like this plan, but could you give the boyfriend a little hint as to what this fabulous dinner is suppose to entail?" he wondered.

"I have some eggplant parmesan in the freezer that just needs to be put in the oven." She winked.

"That doesn't sound like it will require an awful lot of effort on my part." He chuckled, "I'd really hate not to live up to this 'wonderful' standard that I've somehow been labeled with."

"We'll think of something for you to do." Bella assured him as she picked up her discarded phone.

She smiled at Edward as she thought about calling her mother back and couldn't help but fall a little bit more in love with him. He was wonderful and whether Renee wanted to talk about sex and relationships or the price of tea in China she couldn't care less; with Edward she knew what they had together was something incredibly special and in her opinion it was only getting better.

They'd talk more tonight, she was sure of it. Edward had changed the subject just a little too quickly when they were speaking of his shyness a moment ago, making her feel like something must be bothering him that they had yet to talk about; but for now she just wanted to enjoy a little more time getting to know this not so shy version of her man.

In the most nonchalant tone she could muster she just could help but suggest, "If nothing else you could always try on the rest of your new t-shirts and then maybe spend a few minutes thanking me."
Her playful idea was rewarded by the sound of his hearty laughter.

"Take it easy on me, Baby. I'm not so good with new things, remember." He chuckled.

"Practice makes perfect, Sweetheart." She smirked, holding a single finger up to her lips to indicate that he should keep it down, as she waited for her mother to pick up.

Edward was standing there just watching her, his crooked little grin pulling at his mouth. Once she'd obviously gotten her mother back on the phone, he finally turned away in search of this dinner he was suppose to be preparing. After adjusting the temperature of the oven and locating the casserole dish wrapped in foil and neatly labeled in the freezer, Edward quietly walked past Bella, presumably on his way back to the living room to give her some privacy and perhaps make his own call.

No longer having anything of interest to look at Bella closed her eyes and let her head rest against her fist, while leaning once again on the breakfast bar. She figured she'd let her mother ramble on a little longer before putting an end to their conversation for the evening; the promise of having Edward all to herself once she was finished with the call made a few extra minutes of this torture seem reasonably tolerable. That is what she thought at least, until seconds later when her eyes were forced open by the oddly familiar sound of a pair of glasses coming to rest right next to her elbow on the bar and the feel of soft cotton landing atop her head in the very same instant. Bella recognized that Edward's scent was already trapped in the fabric, confirming her suspicions, before she even saw the blue color of his t-shirt. When she tugged it free from her head and glanced to the left, sure enough, she found his glasses sitting there beside her.

"Mom, I've got to go." She mumbled in somewhat of a daze, before tossing the phone aside, scrambling out of the kitchen in search of Edward.