EPOV

I sat on the sand, pretending to read in the shade of my car as I watched Bella and her human friends play in the water. We had come to the South End beach on the southernmost tip of Ozette Lake. Bella had wanted to do something indoors so that I wouldn't have to take "sunlight breaks", as she called them, but I had insisted we do something to take advantage of the summer heat. I wanted her to do something with her friends in the sun- something that she wouldn't be able to do if she lost her humanity. Besides, I was still trying to make it up to her for the First Beach thing. But if Bella took a lesson away from this about the joys of being human, it would suit me just fine.

Carlisle's warning echoed in my mind again. I had until the end of summer, and then he was going to officially make his offer to Bella, complete with guilt trip regarding my suicide plan. I kicked at the sand in disgust. I wanted to be angry at him, but I couldn't. He was taking the only option available to him- he had made that perfectly clear. And my ridiculous plan of "saving" Bella from my family was ludicrous- I saw that now. Besides the fact that it wouldn't work, Bella would be miserable. So I was taking the only option available to me. The way I saw it, I had seven weeks to convince Bella that losing her humanity wasn't worth it.

There was only one way to do this, with any certainty of success. And I had actually considered it last night, for a few brief seconds. I could try to convince Bella that I didn't love her. I could try to make her think that I had somehow tired of her, that I was moving on. The problem was that I simply couldn't fathom actually doing it. Every time I even tried to imagine what blasphemous words I could say to her, a terrible pain ripped through my chest, and the sheer impossibility of such an act would halt my thoughts before they could descend any further. Besides, how could I ever convince her of such a lie? I had spent the last several months pouring my love out on her, and just a few nights ago, I had given her an even larger glimpse into my heart, telling her too much. She would never believe me. So after a few seconds of unbearable agony, I had given up that awful plan.

I would do everything else in my power, though. I would lay on the guilt about leaving Charlie. I would highlight the benefits of going to college. I would even find some way to get Bella around young mothers and pregnant women, or babies. Anything! Today was just the beginning. I wanted her to see her friends again, to become closer to them, to play with them carelessly in the sunshine, and to think about what it would be like to never do this again.

My plan had backfired, of course. I had been talking to Alice on the phone, instead of in person, when I checked the forecast with her. All she had said was that the beach would be "ninety-eight percent cloudy". She had failed to mention that there would be at least nine little bursts of sunlight peeping through the clouds throughout the day. So every now and then, I had to come up with another excuse about sunburns, or having to answer a text, or whatever I could think of and go sit beside my car like an idiot. Instead of warming up to me like I had planned, Bella's friends were becoming even more convinced of what an oddity I was. And the sun would hit its zenith soon- I wouldn't be able to sit by the car anymore. I would have to sit inside it, or go sit in the woods. I was sure Mike Newton would have fun with that one.

Along with Jessica and Mike, Bella had invited Angela, Ben, Eric and even Tyler and Lauren. I couldn't decide whose thoughts drove me more insane- Mike's or Lauren's. Lauren was a venomous girl, concerned not only with her own appearance but also with making sure that every other girl felt inferior to her in every way. Rosalie was a teddy bear compared to her. I couldn't imagine why Bella had invited her; no doubt she was just trying to be kind, as usual. And Mike's thoughts were par for the course, as far as he went. He and Jessica were currently in another "off" phase of their on/off dating relationship, and he wasn't even trying to hide his admiration of Bella in her bathing suit. Disgusting creature.

I peeked up at the sky, pleased to see that my freedom was about to begin again. As soon as the beach darkened, I jumped up and ran back to the water, tackling Bella gently and dunking her underwater for just a moment. She shrieked and splashed me, and it felt good to laugh along with everyone else. I could even pretend I was human, for a while. I had left my cell phone in the car, but I didn't need Alice to see that I had at least a half hour of solid cloud cover. This was how we had done it before Alice joined the family – by watching the sky. We had always consulted the almanacs, and, later on, the radio's weather reports. But the only way to be truly safe had been to watch the sky, and judge how many minutes we had until it was time to make ourselves scarce. Alice's arrival had brought us a whole new level of freedom, and I couldn't imagine my life without her forecasts- both about the weather and about more serious risks.

Bella's eyes were taking on a mischievous glint now, and I waited to see what she would do. It was always a pleasure to be surprised by Bella- she was the only one who had ever been able to do it. Would she splash me again? Would she say something unexpected? I grinned back, daring her to do whatever she was planning. Finally, she launched herself at me, and I fell backwards, allowing her to shove me underwater.

I don't know what it is about him, Mike thought sulkily. Why does she think he's so great? As Bella regained her footing, her moved up behind her, intending to tackle her as well. He thought it would be a harmless way to flirt with her, and he was looking forward to wrapping his arms around her when he did it. I glared at him fiercely over Bella's shoulder, and he changed his plan. Ugh! Cullen is such a freak! Instead of tackling her, he shoved a wall of water onto the back of her head, just to show me that he wasn't afraid of me. I resisted the urge to break his jaw, settling instead for a half-hearted splash in his direction.

Until Jacob's unpleasant re-entrance into Bella's life, Mike had always been my nemesis. Not in terms of competition- Bella had never given me any reason to fear that. But Mike was the one who always brought out the most inhuman reactions in me. It was always a struggle not to respond to his inappropriate thoughts about Bella, or indulge myself in the injuries I wanted to inflict. In all my years, no other human had tested my self-control in this way.

I groaned when I heard his plan to embarrass me in front of everyone. Maybe I should have splashed a little harder.

"So, Edward," he said loudly. "What's the real reason you keep disappearing? I've never seen anyone so skittish about sunburns before." It's like he's scared of the sunlight. What a-

His latest mental insult was lost to me as I suddenly focused on Ben Cheney's mind. You know, it's weird how he keeps disappearing the minute the sun comes out. And then he comes back the minute it's cloudy again. Now that the sun is at the top of the sky, I'll bet he doesn't sit by the car anymore. I bet he goes into the woods next.

I clenched my teeth, trying to think of a solution to this latest danger. Ben Cheney had one of the most brilliant minds at Forks High, making him the most dangerous in terms of protecting our secret. He had a scientific thought process, and he was eager to see if his hypothesis was correct.

"All right, Mike, I'll tell you, but keep it quiet, okay?" I began quietly, still forming the lie in my mind. Bella turned to me, interested to hear my latest invention. Of course, in my attempt to speak quietly, I had accidentally piqued the interest of everyone present, and they all stopped playing momentarily, drifting closer to hear a rare bit of Cullen gossip. "It's my mom," I admitted sheepishly. "I almost drowned once back when I was six- back when they first adopted me. She gets really worked up when I go swimming anywhere, and sometimes she has these panic attacks. So I check in with her every once in a while, and that keeps her happy."

Ben frowned in disappointment; I saw now that he had been hoping for some sort of rare photophobic disease. Disaster averted.

That's so sweet how he looks after his mom! Angela thought kindly.

"Yeah… but… we're at a lake," Mike said in annoyance. "How could you possibly drown at a lake?"

"It happened at a lake, back when I was little," I said slowly, making sure his miniature brain followed me. "I was a lot shorter back then."

Oh. I get it. Mama's boy… why am I not surprised?

I ignored him, resolving to exit the water while it was still cloudy the next time. Now I really did need to call Esme, to inform her of the latest amendment to our cover story. I felt bad about inventing the panic attacks, but it had seemed important to make the gossip worthwhile. Lauren was thrilled, of course – she could care less about me, but she was eager to share the new gossip about Mrs. Cullen's panic attacks with her mother. I wished I could splash her. I wouldn't, though- she and I were merely acquaintances, and it wouldn't be appropriate.

Bella swam toward the beach to take a break, and as she walked out, her hair sent little waves of lake water running down her body, and her suit was clinging to all her curves. As much as I wanted to stare, I averted my eyes to respect her modesty. I knew my Victorian manners were grossly outdated, but they were so deeply ingrained- both from my human upbringing and from Carlisle's example- that I would never think of ogling. It was difficult enough to hide my old-fashioned disapproval at the bikinis that Lauren and Jessica were wearing, and at the shameless way that the boys let their hands touch the girls' bare backs and midsections. I was thankful that Bella had worn a one-piece bathing suit today. If I was honest with myself, I wouldn't have minded if she hadn't, but at least it kept Tyler's eyes trained mostly on the other girls.

I thought again of Bella's reproach from last night. It's not 1918 anymore. She was right, of course. I would need to be more careful in how I spoke to her. I still had no intention of letting her get anywhere near the reservation again, but I shouldn't act as though I had any right to order her around. I really had no right to do so. This was the 21st century, and Bella's refusal to obey my wishes was due as much to her cultural placement as it was to her stubborn personality and her affection for the dog. It complicated my responsibility, though. I still needed to protect her, even if she didn't agree with that need. How would I keep her away from Jacob, without setting rules? It would take some delicacy, and no small amount of creativity. Perhaps Carlisle would have some ideas. He had almost a century of experience in terms of keeping an entire family of vampires in line- a task which had always been a delicate balance of authority and tact.

I frowned over at Mike and Eric, who were openly admiring Bella as she stood dripping on the beach, toweling off. Tyler was thinking about challenging me to a swim race up to Baby Island- a tiny dot of land just off the western shore. He was still mad at me for "stealing" Bella from him at Prom, and he thought he had found his chance to finally put me in my place. I was tempted to accept his challenge- I couldn't deny my own juvenile desire to show off in front of Bella. She was looking radiant with the extra color she had gotten yesterday and today, and her hair was still wet, swaying lightly in the breeze and spraying water droplets around her face. I often saw her hair like this after she had showered at night, but it was somehow different in the breeze and daylight, seeing her talk and laugh with Angela, who had also come out of the water. I was struck anew by her beauty, and Tyler's voice was a wordless blaring in my ear as I continued to stare.

"What was that?" I asked dreamily.

Tyler splashed me, effectively snapping me out of my vigil. "I said, do you wanna race to the island?" He pointed to the goal, and I measured the distance with my eyes. It was nearly a mile away, much farther than Tyler was thinking it was. As much as I wanted to accept his challenge, it would take a long time at a human pace, and I would no doubt end up having to rescue him from his own exhaustion.

"That's a little far," I said doubtfully. "How about that fallen tree over there?" I pointed toward the eastern shore.

Chicken. "Okay. Hey Mike, count to three!" He yelled over his shoulder. Mike gave the signal, and I launched myself forward next to Tyler, using the opportunity to kick a huge spray of water right into Mike's face. I grinned as I heard him spluttering, and looked over at Tyler to see how he was coming along. To my surprise, he was already ahead of me and was showing excellent form. I sped up just enough to match his pace, and as the thoughts of Bella's friends turned toward our race, I began to edge past him. I touched the tree half a second before he did, and flipped underwater to head back.

About halfway back to the beach, I heard Bella cheering for me and I was sorely tempted to start swimming at my real speed. Bella had never seen it before, and as I forced myself to keep it slow, I decided that I would bring her back here another day, alone, so that I could show her what swimming was meant to look like. When we had a hundred feet left to the race, I surged forward a little more, beating him by a length. Bella and Angela were clapping and screaming for me, and Tyler was just relieved that I hadn't accepted his original challenge.

I jumped out of the water, grinning down at Bella as I ran up to her. She patted the space on the towel next to her, and I sat down, making her and Angela scream again as I shook my wet hair toward them.

"I didn't know you were such a swimmer, Edward!" Angela said as she scooted away, giving Bella and I more room on the towel.

I shrugged humbly. "Well, after almost drowning when I was little, Esme wanted me to learn how to swim. I really enjoyed it, so I was on a swim team for a while." Bella just rolled her eyes, poking me in the side.

"You could have just let him win, you know," she whispered behind her hand, "but… I'm glad you didn't!" I just smiled, tousling her hair and letting my hand linger on the back of her neck.

"Come back in, you guys!" Jessica yelled from the water. "We need more people for Marco Polo!" Angela got up, and I started to as well, but Bella held me back.

"Sit with me," she ordered, and I happily leaned back onto my hands as she scooted closer. "So, poor Esme," she teased when Angela was far enough away. "First she runs into a tree in her own yard, and now panic attacks?"

"I know. I had to do it, though. Ben was getting a little too observant, so I had to come up with something embarrassing."

She frowned. "Observant? About why you kept getting out of the water?"

"He noticed it was corresponding to the changes in sunlight. I'll have to get out soon while it's still cloudy, to throw him off."

Bella glanced back toward my car, frowning at the disappearing shadows. "You won't have to leave, will you?"

"No. The last time I got out I checked my phone, and Alice promised there would only be two more patches of sunlight today. I'll have to step into the woods next time, but it won't be for more than a minute. The second time won't be for another two hours."

Bella frowned again, chewing on her lip as she looked up at me. What was she thinking about?

"Um, the next time you get out, can I use your phone for a minute? I want to check on Jacob."

I bit my tongue, and kept my face from betraying my disgust. Today had been perfect so far! Why did she have to call him, or even say his name? But I nodded. "Now's as good a time as any," I said, forcing myself to sound casual. "Let's go."

We headed to the car, and after I handed her my phone, I stepped far enough away so that Bella would feel that she had privacy, but close enough that I would still be able to hear everything that Jacob said. I had spent most of the night wondering what they had said to each other yesterday, and it had been pure torture when Bella had murmured Jacob's name twice during the night. Never before had I been so frustrated that I couldn't read her mind. What exactly did she think of him? She hadn't given any real indication that she returned his feelings, but I still felt uneasy. Was she dreaming about him because she was just worried about him, as a friend? Or was it another kind of dream?

I had to admit that my own opinion of Jacob's character was somewhat improved, after all that had happened at my house with him yesterday. Of course, that was tempered now by the knowledge that he had bruised Bella's arm; but I knew it had been accidental, and I certainly wasn't one to talk. I was glad to hear that he was also worried about Bella's safety, and that he had asked her to stay away. Not that Bella's safety was really his concern, but hopefully it would be enough to keep her away from the reservation for a while.

I was disappointed with the phone call; it was only Billy who answered. He assured Bella that Jacob was feeling much better, and that he would have to call her back later, because he was out with Sam. I could only imagine what he was doing with Sam. No doubt it was another indoctrination session. From what I had observed of Sam's demeanor and thoughts, he was an intelligent young man, but he carried a full-blown hatred of our kind. Even while he had negotiated the new treaty with us, he had been forming his plan for "bringing Jacob up" into his heritage, complete with combat training and detailed history lessons regarding each and every time vampires had terrorized the Pacific Northwest. And after Sam had learned about our talents, he had been even more determined to turn Jacob against us.

As Bella ended the call and walked back to me, I struggled to strike a relaxed pose. I would not react badly every time she mentioned his name. I would not make derogatory comments about werewolves. And I would not bark out another command for her to stay away from those filthy, dangerous, uncivilized-

"Whoa. Are you okay?"

Bella was frowning at me, and I realized that my teeth were bared and my hands were clenched at my sides. So much for a relaxed pose. I sighed, forcing my muscles to relax. "I'm fine. How's Jacob?" I asked pleasantly.

She smiled brightly and handed me the phone. "He wasn't there. Billy says he's feeling much better and that he's out with Sam. More werewolf training, I guess."

"I'm sure."

"Hopefully this means he won't phase for a while now."

"You never know," I answered vaguely.

She was biting her lip again, staring out into space. Was she about to say that since Jacob was feeling better, there was no reason to stay away from him? Was she planning another covert visit? I clutched my cell phone tighter, hoping Alice was paying attention. Maybe I should say something to interrupt whatever Bella was convincing herself of.

"Well, I'm glad he's feeling better," I muttered. I was glad he was feeling better. The longer he could hold off his first transmutation, the longer he would be only a danger and a rival, and not an enemy as well. The fewer werewolves, the better.

Bella stepped closer to me, laying her head on my chest. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I know you don't like him, or… what he is. But he is my friend. And I know you're trying to be civil, even though it's not coming easily. So, thank you."

My anger melted in the face of her generosity, and I wrapped my arms around her, breathing in her calming scent. Maybe I had been reading too much into Bella's friendship with Jacob. She was just being herself with him- generous to a fault and selfless in her concern for his well-being. Of course she had wanted to go check on her friend yesterday. It was just the kind of thing she did, and I loved that about her, even though I didn't like the recipient of her affections, or the fact that she had gone to see him behind my back.

I laid my nose right on her hair, taking another deep breath. As long as I had Bella safe in my arms, nothing else mattered. Not werewolves, or suspicious fathers, or even a family who conspired against me. For just a moment, I let myself pretend that it would be all right to make Bella like me. It might happen anyway, no matter how hard I fought for her humanity. So just for right now, just for this moment, I would pretend that there was no battle to be fought. There were no enemies, and no decisions. I tightened my grip on her shoulders, and closed my eyes, smiling.

A tranquil peace overshadowed me, and I felt my cold heart shudder as my love for Isabella Swan grew yet again, and I soared higher than I ever had before.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this relatively carefree chapter. I thought it would be nice to have some fun and harmless Edward-mood-swings before things got tough, which they will in the next chapter. Stay tuned!