AN: Decided to post another chapter tonight because I was feeling ambitious and inspired thanks to all of the positive feedback that I've been receiving. Hope you guys enjoy!

The first thing I noticed upon waking up was that my head was pounding. The second was that I was going to be sick.

I was thankful to find that a trashcan had been placed next to my bed at some point last night, for almost as soon as I had sat up, I was using it to empty the contents of my stomach. It seemed like quite of bit of time had passed, but finally there seemed to be nothing left in me, so with shaky hands I set it back down. Running a hand through my messy brown curls, I looked around the room, trying to remember how I'd gotten back here.

As the memories flooded my mind, a groan escaped my lips. How embarrassing, I thought.

I spotted my phone on my bedside table and grabbed it. It was nearly noon already.

Hauling myself out of bed, I stumbled into the bathroom and started the shower before stripping out of last nights clothes. When I stepped under the hot water, it cascaded down my body and made me feel slightly better. I probably could've stayed in their all day, washing off all of the regrets of last night. I could only imagine what my father would think if he knew. The police chiefs daughter alone for the first time in her life goes underage drinking and has to have a strange man take her home.

The healing powers of a shower and a fresh set of clothes were amazing. Wandering out to the kitchen, I knew that a gatorade and some tylenol would do me some good right now.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Alice was sitting at the breakfast bar sipping orange juice out of a champagne glass and watching some video on her laptop. Hitting the pause button, she turned her full attention on me.

"Let's go out to brunch." She said, and before I could decline, she added, "My treat. As an apology, for last night. I didn't know that you were a light-weight." Finished off with a little giggle.

"Uh.. yeah, sure." I said, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry.. by the way. For my behavior last night." I could feel a blush beginning to creep across my cheeks.

"Oh, god, you absolutely do not need to apologize." Alice insisted, shaking her head. "You were completely fine, really. You're a relatively good drunk. I've seen much worse." She explain with a half smile.

I returned her smile and nodded in understanding.

"I think my brother took a liking to you last night." She mused, shutting her laptop screen and standing up.

"Oh, yeah. Emmett seems really cool." I told her, thinking back to the brother that didn't totally hate my guts.

"Yeah, Emmett get's along great with just about everyone so long as you don't wrong him or someone he cares about. But.. I wasn't talking about him." Alice glanced over at me with a smirk on her face. "I meant Edward."

"Oh.. no. I don't think so. You saw the way he looked at me. There was nothing but distrust in his eyes." I shivered slightly remembering when his gaze first landed on me. No. He most certainly had not taken a liking to me.

Alice hummed and shrugged her shoulders. "I know my brother pretty well.. and I definitely think that you're wrong." There was a mischievous glint in her eye, and I absolutely did not want to know why.

I just shook my head in response to her.


We went to a cute little brunch place that was within walking distance of our apartment. It looked as if it were modeled after a french bistro and offered and outdoor patio in the back where there were gardens full of exotic flowers that your wouldn't expect to grow so well in a city setting.

I had to admit, though I was initially against coming, I was glad that I did because by the time that the food got to the table, I was starving.

The waffles were to die for, being perfectly fluffy and covered in fresh strawberries. And their cafe mocha was excellently prepared. Overall, I determined that this place would definitely have to become a regular for me.

"So.. have you never drank before or are you normally a light weight?" We'd finished our breakfast and were just sitting around laughing about the night before now. I'd had a surprisingly good time, save for the start of the night, and the weird encounter at the end of the night before we'd left.

"Ah.. I drank, once. With an ex boyfriend. It was.. bad. But, I guess I really didn't have the opportunity to be much of a wild child. When your dad is the chief of police, there are certain expectations that you have to meet." I explained.

"That makes sense. Well, you were hilarious. I swear, when you bopped Edward on the nose, he was just so in shock that I don't think he knew what to do with himself. I've never seen my brother speechless like that." We both laugh in unison at the memory. I would be so embarrassed by my actions if I ever came face to face with him again, but for now it was just a funny anecdote.

My mind floated back to him tucking me into bed, and I remembered the small smile on his lips. It was the kind of smile that could break hearts.

"Whatchya thinking about?" Alice pulled me out of my memory and I met her curious gaze with a shrug.

"Just everything that happened last night. That guy.. uh, James? Edward seemed to know him. But before Edward got there, I had given him a fake name.. and told him you were my girlfriend. I don't know why I lied. Something about him just rubbed me the wrong away." I explained to her, deciding not to mention the sweet moment I'd had with her brother. Because really, I was drunk and I had probably just imagined the whole thing.

"Oh." Alice's face fell slightly. "I don't blame you. I would've done the same thing had I been in your position. I know James, and he's not a good guy. But, Edward chased him off, and it's highly unlikely he'll bother you again. He's all bark and no bite, and Edward terrifies him." She reassured me with a half-hearted smile.

I thought about the look that had been in James' eyes. It was the same look I'd seen in... his eyes near the end. I shuddered think about my past relationship and how downhill things had gone so quickly.

"It'll be okay, Bella. Don't stress about it." Alice gave my arm a reassuring squeeze, believing I was still thinking about James. I nodded and smiled at her. "Now, what do you say we do some shopping?"


"Alice, I really don't have the money for this."

She had dragged me into the high end district of the city, filled with designer stores that sold items I could never dream of being in my price range.

"For the fifth time, Bella, it's on me. I saw your wardrobe, remember? You are in desperate need of a makeover. You're not in Washington, anymore." Her words made me feel as though I was Dorothy wandering through OZ.

As we stepped inside Saks, I finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Alice, what is it exactly that your family does?"

"Oh, my father's a business tycoon. He owns almost every hotel in the city, as well as a few technology firms. The Cullen's have their hands in several pots." She explained, waving a hand as if it were nothing.

"Oh.." I nodded as if I understood, but it was still a little surprising. Be raised in a small town, wealth wasn't something that you came by often. And if you did, it wasn't the same sort of wealth that Alice seemed to have been born into, so this was all a foreign concept to me.

"Well, still. I can't let you buy me anything. I could never repay you." I continued.

"Bella.. this is what friends do. You don't have to repay me." Alice insisted for the third time today. "Just.. go with it. I'm not going to have any fun if I have to try on all these clothes by myself." She pointed out

"Okay, okay." I conceded. I would try on, but I wouldn't have her buy a single thing.

It was a well thought out plan in theory, but in execution, it hadn't gone nearly as well. Anything that Alice had liked on me, she had the store attendants take away and ring up. We spent the day in and out of stores like Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Yves Saint Laurant, Louboutin, Hermes, and so and so forth. It seemed as if there was no end in sight.

By the time we returned to the apartment, Alice's chauffeur having to help us get all the bags inside, she'd put nearly a forty-thousand dollar dent in her credit card. I was absolutely mortified and was silently planning how I could return the majority of these items without her noticing. Perhaps I could find knock off's at cheaper prices and swap them out. But with the amount that we bought, it would definitely put a dent in the money my parents gave me to get through the semester.

"So, I was thinking for dinner tonight.. you should absolutely wear that Black Halo dress with the Louboutin Lace Follies. You'll look absolutely darling!" She said, smiling over at me as she got a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"Dinner?" The dress in question was a modest, brett ruched sheath dress that I actually didn't mind. But what dinner was she talking about. I had been planning on ordering take out and staying in tonight.

"Oh.. shoot. Did I forget to tell you? I can be a little forgetful. My parents want to meet you! They invited us to join them for dinner at Adour tonight." She grinned.

"That's very nice of them." I forced a smile onto my face. I couldn't exactly say no, but the idea meeting Alice's parents was daunting if they as affluent as she claimed them to be. Not to mention I didn't want to walk in there in a thousand dollar outfit and have them think that I was using their daughter for her money, because I most certainly wasn't. I wanted to return all the items she had bought.

"Are you sure I can't just wear something I own though?" She mused, trying her hardest not hot hurt Alice's feelings.

"Bella.. Ardour is a five star restaurant in the St. Regis. Nothing in your closet would suffice for their dress code." Her words were gentle, but firm, leaving no room for discussion.


"You're even more lovely than Alice described you."

Esme Cullen pulled me into a hug with her gracious words. It was warm, and loving like a mothers should be, and it made me miss my own mother.

"Thank you so much, that's very sweet of you to say. And thank you so much for inviting me to dinner. I really appreciate it." I told her. Meeting Alice's mother went much better than I had expected, and all of my anxiety had dissipated as I took a seat with her and Alice at the table.

"You'll have to excuse my husband's disappearance. He had to step out for a business call." She apologized.

"Oh, that's quite alright." I assured her with a small smile.

"Apologizing on my behalf once again, dearest?" A blonde man appeared at the table, sweeping a kiss across Esme's cheek before turning his attention on me.

"You must be Isabella. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Carlisle." He reached out and we shook hands, exchanging smiles.

"It's just Bella." I said, and he nodded.

"Well, Bella, I'm very glad you could join us tonight. Alice hasn't stopped talking about you since she got your name off the housing registrar." He grinned, causing Alice to blush.

"Dad.." She whined, and I couldn't help but laugh lightly at the teasing. Aside from the off-putting son, they really seemed like a lovely family.

The fifth chair at the table, which she had assumed would be vacant, was suddenly pulled out and someone dropped into it. I glanced up to meet the mess of bronze hair and hazel-green eyes that had the pleasure of meeting last night. He was smirking.

"Glad to see you're alive."