Sorry for the wait and lack of response to reviews. I say now thank you all for reviews but also favs/follows. Real life happens and steals away time, but here is the next chapter.

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Chapter 8: Seattle

It had been no issue for Alice to organize the trip to Seattle. She was practically a miracle worker. The group would go with Esme as the supervising adult. If Bella had hoped to somehow get out of shopping, then Charlie had been no help at all. He was charmed by her and since Esme was accompanying them, there really were no issues. She had seen so many possibilities and outcomes of the different conversations that she knew which route to walk and talk. How to be with each person. Sometimes a more subdued approach had been better than her usual bubbly personality. She knew though that some had to stay behind and she regretted that it fell on Rosalie. She, Emmett and Jasper would stay behind with Carlisle so the family and town would stay protected.

"Ready?" Esme asked as she walked past, carrying a bag for show.

Alice beamed. "Of course! We do need to wake up Edward, he's slept in and I don't feel sorry for him."

"I'll do it!" they heard Emmett yell followed by a few suspicious sounds.

"Water…" Esme muttered with her eyebrows pulled together. "He wouldn't…" she threatened under her breath.

"I'm quite sure he will," Alice answered when they after heard the following sounds of disaster.

Emmett's booming laugh rung through the walls and Edward's curses and yells were no softer. Then Rosalie's hissing became clear as she scolded her husband for his childish behavior.

"You better clean it up!" Rosalie hissed. "And at human speed at that!"

"Aw. Come on, Rose!" Emmett whined as he followed his stomping wife.

Edward felt slightly better when Rose growled at Emmett, but hurried to shower nonetheless. Ice cold water was really not the best way to wake up. If only a locked door could keep Emmett out. He sighed as he turned the heat a bit more up. If he was going to walk around with a chill all day, he certainly knew whom to blame.

"Edward!" Alice yelled and banged on the bathroom door. "We need to leave soon!"

"Let him be," Jasper muttered from her side and kissed her cheek lovingly.

Esme stood preparing lunch when Edward walked into the kitchen. She handed him a sandwich and continued on while he sat down and stared down at his food. So many things had happened, and that this was a must for everyone's futures – it was puzzling. Whatever bad that could happen that Alice had not seen yet seemed as such a distant future.

He sat down in the back while Alice and Esme covered the front. Bella would ride with them. Angela, Ashley, Ben and Eric would meet up with them in Seattle where Esme had rented a small house for their weekend stay.

"I'm so excited!"

"Aren't you most of the time?" Edward wondered and lifted his brows.

She nodded in agreement. "But we are actually going out with friends! That are not vampires! And we're going shopping!"

Esme smiled softly. "Settle down," she said softly, not really minding. Truly enjoying the happiness around her.

Bella breathed when she saw the car pull up outside the house. She was not really aware that she had been holding her breath, though her sudden intake of air made her aware of her issue. Of course they would not forget her. She flung her bag over her shoulder, contemplating whether or not to actually go out. Maybe she could fake sickness. Rose had managed that. But she was a vampire, so maybe she had a reason to stay behind.

Travis looked at her from the living room. "They will wait until you walk out that door," he said.

"I know," she answered with a soft sigh. "Alright. I can do this."

Travis waved while shaking his head a little. Humans. Why did they have to be so dramatic?

She smiled when she saw Edward standing ready holding a door open for her. "I see someone is ready for some shopping," she teased.

He seemed to visibly pale.

"I knew you'd come around, Bella," Alice said from inside the car with a very cheerful tone.

"Shopping? Not really. But I do need a few things," she responded.

"Don't we all?" Edward then commented with a strained smile.

Bella snuggled close to his side once inside the comfort of the car. She shared in his warmth and sighed content. She could not imagine anymore a time without him. He was hers as she was his. Nothing could change that.

The house was cute and they were the first to arrive. Esme and Alice took that opportunity to set things in order with vampire speed. "I'll go get some groceries," Esme then said.

"They won't be here for another hour," Alice said while looking into their futures. "That all this is ready – they just need to choose rooms, then we can go out!"

Bella stretched out on the couch. "Don't mind me, I'm just going to rest a bit," she muttered and closed her eyes.

"Absolutely not! You can rest when you're dead!" Alice said and hoisted her up. "We are going through what you think you need and what you actually need. Trust me."

"And what will I do?" Edward asked, seeing Bella's silent call for 'help'.

"You can fix your own list here on the couch. I'm sure you don't want to know what kind of lingerie she needs."

"And what if I do?" he challenged, hiding his blush quite well.

She pointed to her head. "I know it. Don't need to give you a heart attack."

"I'm just getting normal underwear. No way you're getting me into anything fancy," Bella protested, her own blush quite obvious.

"You say so now, just you wait and see!" Alice countered and pushed Bella up the stairs.

Thankfully time seemed to pass quickly and soon the rest arrived. After a little debating of who would share room with each other and organizing which rooms – they were all ready to go out. At one point the boys and girls split as they clearly had different interests. Bella and Edward shared a painful look at being parted, but he did not mind Eric and Ben's chatter. Bella was relieved that Ashley and Angela seemed a bit more into the shopping and easily kept Alice distracted. Though she knew without a doubt that Alice had not forgotten about her. Esme walked beside her, already a few shopping bags in hand and smiled to the world. It was not hard to say that the world smiled back towards her. She noticed the few looks they had their way; her blush was inevitable but she knew that she wasn't in the main focus, thank goodness. She dearly wished that Rose could have come along. She was utterly beautiful, even more so than the rest of the family, and she knew how to use it to her advantage.

Distracted she barely noticed that they came to a stop and almost walked right into Angela. Beside a jewelry shop (the others were clearly aiming for) there was a cozy little bookstore.

"Alice," Esme called, looking at Bella.

"Hm?" Alice responded, already going through future possibilities.

"Bella and I will join you in a moment, but first there are a few books we would like to see," Esme said and winked towards Bella.

"What books were you thinking of?" Angela asked, curious. Interested as well.

"Oh, just a bit of browsing first of all," Bella responded.

Ashley and Alice shook their heads. "Hopeless," Ashley muttered. "They will spend hours in there," she added when Angela followed after.

"Oh well!" Alice was grinning. "At least we have the shop to ourselves then!" She pulled Ashley with her in and together they 'ohhhed' and 'ahhhed' at the different pieces. By the time they were joined by the rest Alice had done a lot of shopping.

Ashley had bought a simple necklace that fit her style more, but also secretly drooled over the more sparkling ones. She had to admit she was jealous of Alice that had so much money that she could buy whatever she had wanted. She did hide it well for she cherished her as a friend.

Bella didn't see anything she liked of the pieces and were more than happy with the books she had bought. Angela found a pair of earrings and Esme saw a full set she admired but did not bother to buy. "I have enough," was her response to the questioning gazes.

When they later sat down to eat Alice handed each girl a box. "These are gifts from me to you. I want to say that I appreciate your friendships and am very glad I got the chance to know you all.

Bella found a blue bracelet with a blue sapphire in her box. Angela got a silver necklace with a ruby in the middle and framed by tiny diamonds. Ashley got a diamond necklace and matching earrings. To say that they all gaped at Alice would not be a mistake.

"We can't accept this!" Angela protested, finding her voice. Feeling very touched at the same time.

"You saw I looked at these," Ashley muttered and then looked up. "But you bought them, I could never afford them, yet you bought them and then give them to me?" Her tone was filled with disbelief.

Esme nodded with a smile. "It is up to Alice to do with her money as she wants to. If she chooses to gift you this way it is her choice. And you won't be able to return it," she explained.

"And I won't take them back," Alice pointed out with a triumphant smile.

Bella whom still had not said much opened her mouth but quickly shut it again. Alice knew she was not likely to wear jewelry, but she would make an effort to occasionally use the bracelet, that was for sure. "Thank you," she said, without protest.

"Thank you," Ashley followed with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you," Angela said after calming down a bit more.

The boys joined them at the end and together they finished off their rounds.

Back at the house Alice and Bella went to their shared room and were soon joined by Edward. "Is the crisis averted?" he asked. Tone serious.

Alice looked into the future. "I saw some other vampires while we were out. They are with them now. Talking."

Edward nodded to that. "We still have another day. Did you get everything?" he then directed at Bella.

"No, I miss a few things. Managed to get distracted by books." She smiled.

"What is that?" Edward then asked, seeing the blue that glinted against her skin on her left wrist.

"Alice gave this to me, I feel I need to wear it, at least for a bit."

Edward nodded and came to sit down beside her. "I think you have made her very happy," he said. "You make me very happy," he then added and took her hand.

She looked up at him into his green eyes. They flashed golden and she gasped. "Your eyes were a beautiful golden too," she then said softly.

He wasn't sure how he could respond to that. She had seen a part of him that was more in the past than now. At times he even wondered if being a vampire had been a dream and that now he was truly awake. Evidence was hard to deny though. He did have all his memories, and the rest of his family were still vampires. No question there. His head tilted a bit and rested against hers.

Bella barely dared move a muscle. All she wanted was to get closer to him. She also knew to be careful. Even if they were soulmates it did not mean everything felt natural all at once, but she really wanted to kiss him. The electricity between them had seemed to buzz even more and pull them greater together. They were not supposed to be apart. They were together, they could not be not together. Still they had not kissed yet. A kiss on the cheek here and there at random, but those times it had felt completely natural. But in a room all alone – knowing the pull for touch wanted even more – it was hard to listen. Carefully she tilted her head a bit more up and turned some more towards him. His eyes had closed and he seemed utterly relaxed. She breathed out with a silent huff and let her lips rest on his cheek. She turned again, feeling the pull dim, but only a little. If only she could have felt the turmoil inside her other half, maybe she would have dared.

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