Two chapters in one day! I figured you deserved it since the last two were a bit on the short side. I'm not entirely comfortable with these, but the whole point of this exercise is just to do it and get it out there regardless of how uncertain I am. The best way to do this is to stop stalling and publish!

As always, feedback, follows, reviews and favorites are always appreciated! Thank you to any of you that have done so.

Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. Anything I didn't borrow from her belongs to me.

This story is posted on , , and Archive of Our Own. No other replication or distribution is authorized.

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Chapter Twenty
Getaway

Bella POV

You know you want to.

I bit my lip and continued to stare at the gloriously tempting scene as it played out before me.

From the dark corner, I watched as Edward fine-tuned his rig. 'His rig' referred to the myriad of knobs, buttons, peddles, and electronics that were stacked into a black case on wheels. I didn't know much about this complicated setup, but I knew that the collection of equipment was responsible for all the effects he produced with his guitars.

In itself, watching him work was interesting, but the fact that he kept bending over and leaning down to tweak the knobs and peddles made it sinful. Add the tight black jeans, and it was delicious.

Look at him. I bet he knows you're here. He's a tease. Call him on it!

The devil on my shoulder had been begging me to molest him for the past five minutes. The other shoulder was conspicuously empty.

"That is an ass that is just begging to be groped."

I turned to see Alice sizing Edward up like a cut of prime meat.

"Shame, really."

"What is?"

"That an ass that looks that fine is going to go to waste." She sighed dramatically.

My self-control finally cracked, and I marched toward the stage. My target put his guitar on a stand and turned toward the pile of gear behind him. I think I may have actually licked my lips as he bent over into a large case.

With grace and silence that I had never before been capable of, I climbed the steps and snuck up behind Edward, who still had his fantastic ass in the air as he dug around the bottom of the case. Feeling gloriously evil, I placed myself perfectly behind him and gave him one hard smack on the ass.

He stood up quickly, still holding the guitar strap that must have been the target of his search. The look of absolute shock on his face was priceless.

"What the hell was that for?"

I shrugged. "We took a vote and decided that your ass needed attention."

"Who's we?"

"The committee. I'll be going now." I crossed the stage in front of him. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him.

"You know what this means, right?" he growled softly into my ear.

I shivered shook my head.

"Your gorgeous ass is fair game now. Just remember, you started it." He let me go, but not before giving me a goodbye pat on the rear.

Alice covered for my stunned silence by relaying the message she had come to deliver. "Hey Edward, Carlisle sent me to look for you, something about a call on the bus?"

"Oh shit, is it that late already?"

Alice looked very pleased with herself as he disappeared through the stage door.

"You're coming along nicely, Bella. I'll have you out of your shell completely soon."

I sighed and shook my head before getting back to the work that had been disrupted by the appearance of Edward's ass. We'd been on the road for a while now, and I was feeling the need for a real break. If that didn't happen soon, Alice's prediction of corrupting me wouldn't take long at all.

Perhaps that's why Alice and I found ourselves being thrown around uncomfortably in the back of a 4x4 just under a week later. I shook my head at my tiny friend who was hanging on for dear life while Edward and Jasper had the time of their lives in the front.

I caught my breath as we pulled up to a large home on a South Carolina beach. It was a stunning and peaceful building surrounded by sand, water, and not much else. It was so remote that the only way to and from the house was an off-road vehicle.

Edward's phone conference the week before had confirmed that a good portion of the south-eastern leg of the tour was rained out. There was significant flooding in almost all of the towns they were scheduled to play. Resources were being put into getting essential services up and running again, concerts were obviously not safe or a priority at the moment.

Instead of taking time off, Carlisle called in a favor from a friend and landed us a week-long stay at his vacation home/studio. The place was perfect for artists who were looking to get away from the day to day distractions and put in some serious time writing and recording. The band members had been enjoying a burst of creative energy in their recent practice session and felt that spending some time getting the ideas down would be worth it. Once the week was done, everyone would head down to Florida for the next show.

It all came together very quickly. It wasn't more than two hours after the cancellation had been finalized that new plans were in place. We were disappointed to lose the time with the band, but still looking forward to some time at home when Carlisle asked if we'd agree to go along to document the studio time.

Rose would be flying in to spend some quality time with her guy, and even Esme said she might be visitng. The air hummed with excitement and possibility. As Jasper helped unload our bags, the sound of another jeep grew louder in the distance.

"This place is huge!" Alice said as she jumped out of the truck. "Gimme my bag, I'm heading right for the pool!"

"Make yourself at home, Alice," I muttered. She shot me one of her exasperated looks before grabbing her bag from Jasper and disappearing into the house. I filled up with a load of luggage and followed my hyper sister.

Inside was just as impressive as the exterior. It was decorated in tans and whites, with high ceilings and windows everywhere. The feeling when you walked in the door was light and airy but still grounded somehow. Warm woods and natural stone gave the modern architecture a homey feel. The décor was a perfect balance of classic and contemporary. Splashes of color from a pillow or a piece of art were used strategically to draw the eye to different areas of the open layout.

There was a lounge area by the fireplace with overstuffed couches that were just begging for someone to curl up in them with a good book. The kitchen was huge, with stainless steel appliances and an island with stools lining one side. Even if you were stuck in the kitchen, you still got to be a part of everything happening around you. Chairs surrounded the large table placed in front of oversize doors that opened to the patio with the pool. Off to one side of the room on a raised platform was a beautiful glossy grand piano. My mind was going nowhere good with the thought of Edward and that piano together. Or perhaps the problem was that it was going to all the best places.

I dropped the bags at the bottom of the stairs and wandered back outside to see the second jeep careening toward the house before coming to a less than graceful stop. I fought a grin as a white-knuckled Carlisle pulled himself out of the vehicle. "You are never driving again, Emmett. Or rather, I am never going to sit in another vehicle while you're driving. How is it possible that you've gotten worse since the last time I drove with you?"

"Practice," Emmett said with the kind of pride a child might show when bringing home a report card with straight A's.

I joined in with Edward and Jasper's laughter as Carlisle shot us all a dirty look before going around to the back of the vehicle to start unpacking the gear. I started loading up with more bags, but Jasper stopped me.

"Go ahead and look around, Bella. We'll unpack, we know where everything goes anyway. We perfected everything last time we were here."

Alice appeared from behind a random door on my first foray upstairs. I'm not sure how she managed it, but in the five minutes or so head start she had already got the layout of the house down and proceeded to give me a full tour. Four bedrooms, each with a king-size bed and their own private bath, a library, two offices that could comfortably accommodate a couple of people each, and scattered everywhere were intimate little nooks with comfortable chairs or a couch.

Then she led me downstairs, where all the toys were. Here we found the entertainment room with a TV that was probably bigger than my car, every game console you could think of, bean bag chairs, and all of it done up in a way that would put even the best of man caves to shame. There was a games room complete with pinball, foosball, air hockey, and other arcade favorites, a sauna, and of course, the recording studio.

Even without everything that surrounded it, the studio would have been impressive. It wasn't overly large as it was only meant for a few people to use, but even to laymen like us, it was clear that everything was state of the art, and no expense had been spared.

We wandered upstairs to join the guys who had just finished unpacking and were enjoying a well-earned beer. The awe must still have been fresh on our faces because they took one look at us and laughed.

"I take it you approve," said Edward.

"You really know how to vacation, don't you?" I said while still feeling a little like a deer caught in headlights.

"Vacation?!" laughed Jasper as he came over to Alice and kissed the top of her head. "We're working this week, you should see our vacations. Last time it involved passports, six elephants, three cases of Jello, and a clown." He winked and pulled Alice to the patio to check out the pool. I just shook my head.

The first day we all took it easy and blew off some steam. We swam and drank for most of the afternoon, Carlisle fired up the barbecue which took care of dinner, and before we knew it, it was dark and getting late. Carlisle was the one who had to remind us that we weren't just here to sunbathe for a week.

"Alright, I don't care if you all go to bed now or not, but I am waking you up at nine tomorrow. If I have to wake you twice, I'm coming back with a bucket of water." He gestured to a pile of buckets stacked neatly by the shed. With a wistful smile, he waved and left us to our own devices.

"He means it, and he uses cold water." Emmett shuddered with an obviously vivid memory. "I'm going to bed. All this sun and fresh air today just killed me."

I extricated myself Edward's arm and yawned. "Yeah me too, I think Carlisle knows us too well now to hope that Alice and I are exempt from his wake up call."

The day was definitely catching up with me, and I found myself dragging my feet to the room that Alice and I would be sharing. Alice wandered in as I was brushing my teeth. "I'll be finished in a sec, then it's all yours," I called to her. I walked out of the bathroom to a very guilty looking Alice.

"What did you do?" It was an excellent place to start. It put her off balance.

"What do you mean, 'what did you do'? I didn't do anything!"

"Alice, I haven't seen you look this guilty since you made Mark Fenton's locker explode in ninth grade."

"Well, l I didn't do anything, I just feel bad."

The look on her face was heartbreaking. Suddenly it hit me. "You want to go stay in Jasper's room."

"Yes, but only if you don't mind. I don't mind staying here at all if you want me to, I promise. I mean, I was planning to, but Jasper just asked and…"

"Alice!" I cut her off. "Of course you can stay with him, I don't mind at all. You don't even need to ask me, we're adults here, after all. I'm not going to throw a hissy fit or anything."

Her reaction was immediate and explosive. "Thank you, Bella. I didn't think you'd mind, I just wasn't sure. I mean, we've spent so much time together on the tour that I thought you might like some time to yourself, but I didn't want to assume because you know it's always bad when you assume. I just really wanted to stay with him, but I mean you're my sister I'm not going to just abandon you! Ok thanks again Bells, I'll see you in the morning."

She said all this without taking a breath as she flew around the room and collected various things. My sleep-deprived brain could barely decipher what she was saying, and before it had caught up, she was gone, leaving my one question unanswered.

Carlisle had one room, Emmett, the other. Rose should be here in a few days, and she would be staying with Emmett. Jasper and Edward were supposed to be sharing the last room, so where was Edward sleeping?

The day had been quite warm, but a chill had settled in as soon as the sun set. I dug a robe out of my bag to cover my thin pajamas and padded silently downstairs.

He stood with his back to me, silhouetted by the dim light from the fireplace. He was making up the couch with extra sheets. I shook my head and sat down on the sofa across from his.

"Have you been displaced by Jalice?"

He flashed that panty-dropping smile of his as he saw me. "I offered. Jasper has been getting more wound up by the day, at least this way he'll be relaxed for our session tomorrow."

I laughed at his martyred expression. "All for the low, low price of a sore back and cricked neck?"

"Nah, it's not so bad. This couch is actually pretty comfortable. In case you haven't noticed, this place is kinda high end."

"Well, that's just silly, there's a huge bed in my room, and I'm certainly not going to use it all. You need your rest, too."

"I wouldn't want to impose Bella. The couch is ok, really."

"Don't be stupid, we've slept together plenty of times." It fell out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. His eyebrows hitched up as a crooked grin crept across his face.

"That not…no, I meant…we've slept in the same room together. On the bus when you traveled with us and stuff…" I ended lamely and willed the blood to drain from my cheeks. "This isn't fair, I'm way too tired! Look, all I'm saying is that I'm happy to share if you want. I mean, if you don't want to, that's fine too."

He shook his head and placed a finger over my lips as I stammered. "Are you sure you won't be uncomfortable? I promise no funny stuff."

Somewhere deep in my gut, a war was raging. On one side was my realization that he knew I wasn't ready yet and how understanding he'd been, on the opposing side were my more base desires. Specifically, the ones that wanted to drag him upstairs and more or less devour every inch of him. I watched the fight with interest.

"Bella?"

"Yeah, sorry. Did I mention that I was tired? Of course, I won't be uncomfortable. I'm always comfortable around you."

"Ok, but I need one thing from you first." I gave him a quizzical look. "I need you to say: Edward, I want you in my bed now."

I smacked him and went back upstairs. He followed as soon as he finished laughing.

The days quickly took on a routine. The house started to wake up around eight in the morning. Carlisle would start cooking enough food to feed a small army. The guys would wander down and eat most of it, and everyone would end up in the studio by ten or eleven.

Watching them craft music fascinated me. It was amazing how an idea would take shape and build until it didn't even resemble what it started out as. One of the guys would start playing something simple. An idea he had on his own, then the others would join in building on and changing it. There was a lot of joking and laughing, the whole process was very easygoing. Everything was recorded and would be sifted through for gems and ideas that would go through the process again. It reminded me a lot of panning for gold. Edward told me that things weren't always this peaceful as they got closer to finishing pieces, and passions ran a little hotter.

Once everyone was warmed up and jammed out, the actual recording of songs in the works began. Again I was fascinated, but this time because of the change in the atmosphere. Serious discussion and critiquing were involved in every step of finalizing a song. Precision and perfection were demanded and delivered in all aspects.

By seven or eight in the evening, everyone was starving and ready to break for the day. On our fourth day, Rosalie and Esme arrived, rounding out the group and bringing a much-needed infusion of groceries. Emmett hadn't been able to take his hands off Rose for more than 30 seconds, and Carlisle officially called a day off to let everyone catch up and settle in.

"God Esme, did you buy an entire cow?" I asked as I packed the various steaks and burgers she brought into the fridge.

"You've only been here for a few days and you're already out of red meat. You have noticed how much these boys eat, right?"

"You have a point."

Edward, who was helping me unpack the groceries, laughed and placed a kiss on my cheek. "Stakes keep our inner cavemen happy, Bella."

I didn't fail to see Esme's look of surprise even though she covered it quickly. Edward had been making these calculated demonstrations of affection ever since our first night here. True to his word, he didn't try to pressure me into anything. We talked for hours some nights, and some nights involved heavy making out. I was starting to wonder if spontaneous combustion was imminent.

He was incredibly patient and clear that he had no problems moving at my pace. That pace was also becoming increasingly frustrating every time he set my skin on fire with his touch only to pull away.

That night it was decided that the group wanted to head into town. The closest town catered to the tourists that the beach attracts and housed more than a few renowned clubs and bars. I started picking at the label on my bottle. Loud, crowded clubs were never going to be my thing, and I was beginning to accept this fact.

"You don't have to go, you know. It's a social outing, not a prison sentence. I actually wouldn't mind a quiet night myself, if you want to stay here, I'll keep you company…unless you want to be alone."

Alice's exuberant voice rose up in triumph as they discussed their plans. "We can grab a room in the hotel, so no one has to drive back. Everything on the strip is so close, we'll just leave the cars there and barhop all night."

I grabbed the opportunity while it was there. "You might get away with one vehicle if you don't mind being squished. Edward and I are gonna stay here and chill."

There were knowing grins sent my way. I just did my best to not blush or choke on my beer as I ignored them all and watched the pool. I shook my head and muttered under my breath, "busybodies."

Edward let out a loud, boisterous laugh and threw his arm around me. I couldn't help the smile that planted itself on my face.

Between Rose, Esme, and Alice preening for their night on the town, the day passed quickly. They decided that even if I wasn't going out, I should still be pampered with the works, including a manicure, pedicure, and facial.

Were it not for the fact that I had a reputation for being difficult to maintain, I might even have told them how much fun I had. Rose and Esme were privy to all of the best gossip, and they were keen to share since they trusted that it would go no farther. It had been a long time since I had been part of a group of friends like this. Even though we hadn't really known Rose very long, it was as if she had always been a part of the group.

When everyone was ready to go, Edward and I helped pack up the vehicles and watched them disappear into the distance. The moment we were alone, I felt something settle over us. Not awkwardness precisely, more like tension and maybe a crackle of possibility.

Edward cleared his throat. "Well, now that they're gone, we can enjoy the peace and quiet. I'm going for a swim, care to join me?" He stripped his shirt off as he asked, and my eyes roamed over his well-defined chest. Of course, it wasn't the first time I'd seen it, but the sight never failed to affect me.

I swallowed and mentally shook myself. "No, I'm going to start dinner. I'm making Mushroom ravioli. What do you think?" His face had that damn crooked smile on it. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Sounds great. I'm going to do some laps, then I'll come in and help."

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Edward POV

I ate the last of the ravioli and sighed in contentment. "That was great, Bella. Thank you." Clearing the dishes, I got started on the cleanup. "Anything particular you'd like to do tonight? Don't say work."

"No, not work. I was going to catch up on some reading, believe it or not." She brought more dishes to the sink. "Wash or dry?"

"Wash. What are you reading?"

"Nothing heavy, I'm on a biography kick lately."

We talked about books as we finished cleaning up the kitchen. She went to get her book from the bedroom while I collapsed on the couch in the lounge. She wandered back into the room and started toward the other end of the sofa.

I made a disgusted noise and patted the seat beside me. There was no hesitation as she sat down next to me. I had been working very hard to get her comfortable with these moments of cuddling and closeness. There was no question that she enjoyed them, but she never initiated them. It was like I always needed to reinforce to her that I wanted her closed to me.

I played with her hair and peppered her neck and shoulder with kisses. I wasn't trying to distract her, I just couldn't keep my hands to myself.

Finally, she closed her book and turned to me. "Can I make a confession?"

"Is it a deep dark secret? I'm particularly fond of those."

"Not really…" she hesitated.

"What? It can't be that bad. Short of there being a dead body involved, I can handle it. Hell, even if there is a body involved, I'd handle it."

"If I have to spend another night in the same bed with you without touching you, I think I'm going to lose my mind."

Well, that was progress. "Hmmm..that is serious," I said as I leaned down and placed another trail of kisses down her neck. "We should definitely do something about that."

I took her hand and pulled her up from the couch. Before the bedroom door was closed, my lips were back on hers. My hands explored greedily and found their way under her shirt, caressing the smooth skin of her back. Working at the buttons on her shirt, I returned to her lips kissing her feverishly, but the was an unwelcome change, she wasn't responding anymore. I may as well have been kissing the wall behind her.

"Bella? Bella, come back to me." I said with a soft touch to her cheek.

She shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry," she said, looking ashamed. "I… I haven't done this in a while, and I'm not very good at it. I'm a little nervous. "

I smiled and buried the anger I was feeling, positive that she would misread it. This was another insecurity James had created, I would put money on it. I was going to have a hard time not killing him outright the next time I saw him.

"You don't need to be nervous tonight, love. And you don't need to worry about being 'good' at this. You have no idea how many times you've turned me on and driven me wild just by turning to look at me across a room. There is no way you could possibly not be good at this for me. Just you being here and being you is all I need. You're incredibly sexy and beautiful, Bella." I made sure she was still with me, "we don't have to do this now. Remember, only when you're ready."

She smiled shyly and kissed me with passion. Her hands found the bottom of my shirt and started to work it up my chest. I pulled away from her lips to allow her to finish the task and directed her towards the bed.

I'd been distracted when her shirt came off, and so I'd failed to notice the beauty of her breasts filling a midnight blue satin bra. "That bra is fantastic, and I really do love it, but it has to go," I said, managing to sound regretful as I reached around for the clasp.

She chuckled as she attacked the button on my jeans. "Only if your pants go too."

"That sounds like an extremely fair trade to me." I removed her bra, and she pulled at my pants and underwear until they rested at my ankles. I smiled crookedly and pushed her down onto the bed. She moved to the middle and lay down on her back as I removed the remnants of my clothing.

I moved across the bed to her holding her eyes with mine playfully. "I don't believe my underwear was a part of our deal."

She shrugged as she kissed me. "Sorry, I felt the need for you to be naked."

"Bella, you never, ever, have to apologize for needing me to be naked," I said with a wicked grin as I started pressing lines of kisses across her skin. It was going to be a long night, and we were both going to enjoy every second of it.

The heat of Bella's passion took me off guard. When she finally relaxed and let herself go, she was a temptress, and there was no way that I could keep myself from worshipping her. Knowing all I did about her past, her trust was a gift, and I was a lucky man.

I was listening to our breathing even out and slow as she distractedly ran her fingers through my hair. I would have been happy to never move again.

Before too much time had passed, I realized that Bella was crying softly. She wasn't sobbing, there were just silent tears falling. I looked up at her and took in the faraway look in her eyes. I sat up quickly and wrapped my arms around her tightly, pulling her head toward my chest.

"Bella honey, what's wrong?" I asked, trying to keep my voice soft so she wouldn't hear my alarm.

"Oh, Edward I…" she started sobbing and buried her head fully in my chest now. I stroked her hair and waited for her to sort through her emotions. I heard the sobs slow as she calmed. I pulled her chin up to look into her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I wiped away her tears.

"I feel ridiculous. It's just silly," she chuckled half-heartedly. I looked at her and couldn't help but frown a little.

"You always say things like that when it's the exact opposite. Did I do something to upset you?"

"Of course not!" she said, seemingly shocked that I would take her tears so personally.

"It's just that, well. James was the first man I'd slept with and then not till after we were married. He wasn't a very, um, compassionate lover. He was never gentle, and usually, he hurt me. I guess you could say that he used me just as much in that way as he did every other. I'm not completely naive; I knew sex wasn't always like that, I just… I don't think I was ready for how wonderful and cherished you just made me feel. I wasn't ready for how perfect that was."

She blushed again, and I smiled. Words weren't enough, so I kissed her forehead lightly, followed by each eyelid and her cheeks settling on her mouth last. Her tongue met with mine and danced as our kiss quickly became intense. I kissed her with every bit of passion and desire I felt for her but made sure that she felt my tenderness and reverence at the same time.

"You are definitely something to be cherished, Bella. I'm sorry for all the horrible things he did to you, and I wish I could take them all away. I'll have to settle for trying to show you how much more you deserve," I told her.

I stretched back out on the bed, and she curled up beside me. Within minutes we were both sound asleep.

When I awoke the next morning, Bella was already awake and watching me peacefully.

"Good morning, enjoying the show?"

"You're beautiful when you sleep." She smiled.

"As opposed to when I'm awake, then I'm the elephant man."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "You know what I mean."

"I do, thank you." I laughed and kissed her on the nose before stretching.

"Last night was… beyond words, thank you."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," I said smugly.

"Come on, let's go make breakfast. For some reason, I'm absolutely starving."

The guys returned from their bar crawl shortly after lunch. Alice, Esme, and Rosalie all decided to stay behind and shop for the afternoon with the promise to bring supper when they returned.

Emmett was finishing one of his ultra complex fifteen minute drum solos he was always trying to sneak in when Alice made her way into the sound booth. He called quitting time and rushed into the booth to ask her what she thought of his brillance.

Alice shrugged. "Needs more cowbell." Jasper chuckled and leaned down to kiss her.

"Everyone upstairs, I've got a load of disgracefully greasy fast food here just begging to be devoured."

Alice sorted the food and gave everyone their order before checking the empty bags and swearing.

"They short you some fries, Alice?" I quickly grabbed mine and pulled them safely toward me.

"No, they didn't give us any napkins, dammit."

"There's lots in the hall closet, I saw them there when we were unloading groceries," Bella said already pulling a giant burger towards her.

Alice muttered and disappeared. I watched as Bella licked her lips and slowly unwrapped the burger. She eyed the layers of juicy beef hungrily.

"Bella, what did I tell you about eye-fucking your food? Edward can't handle it," Jasper's voice was an even balance of annoyance and exasperation. She looked over to see me staring at her with wide eyes and my mouth hanging open slightly.

"Sorry, Jasper." She blushed brightly, and Rose snickered.

"WHATTHEHELL! MY EYES! MY PRECIOUS EYES! I'M BLIND!" Alice ran into the room, and threw herself at Jasper.

Everyone stared at her, startled. Bella recovered first. "What's wrong Alice?"

"Hands… everywhere… skin… too much skin… way too much skin."

"What the hell? Alice what are you talking about?"

Alice extended her arm and pointed. Five pairs of stunned eyes turned to the doorway where Carlisle and Esme stood, both making adjustments to their clothes.

I blinked. Then blinked again as my mind protested connecting the dots. "Carlisle, Esme?"

Alice Jumped up. "Yes, a whole lot of Carlisle and Esme."

Carlisle cleared his throat and sat down at the table. "Honestly Alice, between the six of you I have enough mental scars that if I were to take Esme right here on the table we still wouldn't be even.

"Mental image, Carlisle! Not cool." I shook my head, trying to dislodge said image.

Esme put her arm around Carlisle's waist. "I don't know, I kind of liked that mental image."

I saw Alice's jaw drop at the same Bella shouted. "ESME!"

"Ok kids, we'll be up in the office. We have some important paperwork to go over."

Jasper snorted. "Is that what they're calling it these days?"

Carlisle chucked as he took Esme's hand and left the room.

Alice shook her head again. "You know I'm delighted they're together. They seem perfect for each other. I just never ever needed to see them together."

"Oh well, the food's getting cold!" Emmett wasn't about to let anything come between him and his meal.

Jasper turned from watching Carlise and Asme leave with a smile on his face. "So a couple days left and then we're back on the road. Everyone ready?"

Alice dug through her fries, picking out the crispiest ones. "Yep. I mean, it's amazing here, and everything, but Bella and I are caught up now. I think we're ready to get back to work."

The sentiment was the same from everyone. We had worked out a lot of new ideas, and they would be polished up over the remainder of the week, but everyone wanted to get back to 'normal.' It wasn't the first time that I realized how lucky I was. This life filled with music, art, passion, and admirers was the last thing that most people would consider normal, but we got to live it every day. We were lucky enough to make it into our careers and earn a living doing what we loved.

And now, it seemed I had Bella to add to the list of things that I was grateful for. I sat back and enjoyed the lighthearted banter that surrounded me.

-==\\/==-