I DREAM OF RAINBOWS

Disclaimer: The Cullen's, the Swans, and most of the characters mentioned in the story that are known from Stephanie Meyer's beloved Twilight Saga, are all hers and hers alone. I neither have nor wish to pass them off as mine. I do appreciate the fact that she did bring them to life and allows us to play with them in our imaginations. The only thing I will claim is the current storyline.

The awesome and talented dowlingnana searched out my errors and corrected them.

My apologizes for it taking so long to get this chapter out to you. My muse decided to take a mini vacation, then real life get involved with making itself known, and next came the passing of a dear friend just a few days ago.

He didn't let anyone know that he had arrived back home. All that he wanted to do was to have some quiet time to see if he could sort out his feelings towards Bella, however, even a couple of days on his own at home didn't do anything to bring him closer to an answer. Edward decided to return to work and just showed up at the office to everyone's surprise.

CHAPTER 59: CONFUSION ON ALL SIDES

It didn't take long for both Emmett and Jasper to begin asking Edward what had happened in New York City which caused him to return home earlier than when he had said he would? Edward just looked at both of his brothers before shrugging his shoulders but ignored answering their questions.

All he would say was, "I decided that I needed to be in the office to keep you two from screwing things up too badly."

"Come on, bro. We know that you went to see Ms. Swan. What'd she do; reject you outright? Or did you act like your usual self, and she refused to even see you?" Emmett couldn't help asking with a bit of a chuckle.

"Em, can't you try to keep your nose out of my private life? Then act like an adult instead of an overgrown child with a warped sense of humor." Edward tossed back as he turned to head back to the door of his office. He opened it and stood there waiting for his two brothers to take the hint to get the hell out and to leave him alone.

With a huff from Jasper and a "who pissed in your cheerios" from Emmett, both left without another word.

Edward was glad to see them go because he truly had no answers to any of their questions. He knew they would be asking him the same questions as to what he was asking himself. So, it was better that he ignored them until he was able to provide answers to himself concerning the feelings he was experiencing where Isabella Swan was concerned.

He still couldn't explain to himself why he had stopped what had begun in Bella's hotel room as he was saying goodnight. And he couldn't understand why he felt it was better to stay away from her after that. Also, why did he think it was better to return home instead of approaching Bella again.

The rest of the day was a full one which Edward appreciated because he was too busy to be worrying about his personal emotions or feelings. He was too busy to be trying to find answers to all of his unasked questions.

Edward didn't know how lucky he was during that time as both of his brothers were trying to think of a way to corner him once more to try to find out what had happened in New York City. Why did he suddenly return home when he had originally planned to remain in New York City?

XXXXXX

Both Alice and Rosalie had received a phone call from Jasper and Emmett telling each woman about Edward's unexpected return home. This information prompted the two cousins to try calling Bella to ask her what had happened that would have caused Edward to return home. Unfortunately, no one was able to get a hold of Bella; she was too busy with her duties at the conference.

In fact, although Bella did wonder over the next few days, while she was in New York City, as to why she didn't hear anything more from Edward. Truth be told, the thought of Edward was nothing more than a passing thought in any case. And the thought of calling Alice and Rosalie to fill them in about the details of the night she and Edward had dined together wasn't something that Bella considered doing at all.

By the end of the week Bella was ready to get back home for a day or two of relaxation before returning to L. A. where she would once again become involved in Emmett's Cullen's project turning her book into a movie.

From what she had observed before having to go to New York, the activity of getting ready to make a movie and the actual filming set a maddening pace for everyone. She wasn't sure that she could keep up with it on a continual basis without some sort of break. She couldn't understand how her cousins, Alice and Rosalie, were able to do it, but then with them living in L. A. it was probably something they were used to anyway.

But, once she did get back to Seattle, she took the two days to get caught up on all the things that needed her attention. She was able to set her own pace but still got everything accomplished that needed to be done.

Bella even took the time to make a quick trip to Forks to see her dad. And while she was there Charlie was interested to know about what happened with Edward.

After Bella had filled him in about having dinner with Edward that first night, omitting what happened as the evening was ending, she to her dad that the two of them never managed to get together again. Each of them had gone their own busy way.

"I get the impression that there are some things that you're leaving out, but that's okay. You're a grown woman and know what you're doing. I'm only going to say to make sure that you're taking precautions." Charlie couldn't resist commenting to let Bella know that he wasn't fooled by how she had described things.

Bella felt herself beginning to blush a bit but maintained her silence even though she saw how Charlie was watching her closely.

XXXXXX

After the day had finished Edward was ready to go home and just relax. It wasn't that the day had been all that hard, but it had been busy as hell. Even though he had only been gone three or four days, work had somehow managed to pile up. He knew that Emmett and Jasper, both, had their own jobs to do and then the two had to try to cover for him as well was more than a handful for each of them.

The more Edward thought of how he could get back to his old habits of controlling his personal life and feelings towards the ladies the worse it seemed his confusion where Isabella Swan was concerned seemed to get. He couldn't understand why she was so damn different than any other woman he had desired.

It was hard to figure out which way he needed to go to get her in the position that he was wanting her; to have her bending to his will and his dictates. He had planned for her to be placed amongst the list with all of his other lady friends waiting with bated breath for his call. But, for some reason Isabella Swan refused to be added to that group and he was also having a hard time seeing her in that capacity. It just didn't seem right for some reason. A reason that he couldn't explain to himself let alone to anyone else.

That damn woman was changing him without even trying and there wasn't a thing that he could do about it. At least nothing that he could think of at the present moment. How or why, it was happening was what was so confusing to him. And, then the reason that he couldn't stop it was another puzzling question that he couldn't answer for himself. He wasn't used to not being able to control any situation that he might find himself in, especially with women.

XXXXXX

While Edward was making an attempt to work his way through his confusion Bella was busy taking care of some things in Seattle and visiting with her dad in Forks before returning to Los Angeles. She had her own bit of confusion as to how she felt about Edward. She knew that she was greatly attracted to him. in fact, she often wondered just how good he would be in bed making love to her. But his actions were confusing.

The way he behaved towards her now compared to how he behaved towards her when they had first met; it was like a completely different person from the past to the present just by a snapping of the fingers.

Just how far should she trust him and this change? Was it just for show to try to get his way with her, or was it a true turnaround from how he had been? Has his attitude truly changed after what he had experienced with the law and the possibilities of what could have happened to him?

Bella was having such a problem trying to work through her issues of just how far she should trust Edward that she decided to talk the matter over with Charlie.

Father and daughter were having a quiet dinner that Bella had fixed for them when she decided to ask Charlie for his opinion. "Dad, do you believe that Edward Cullen has really had a change in attitude or is it just a pretense to try to get his way with me and fool everyone else?"

Charlie looked at Bella before he answered, "Bells, if I were you, I would be cautious until you've had more time to see for yourself. Chances are that he has had a change of heart, and you should be able to trust him, but don't be foolish to take all things at face value."

Bella looked at her dad for a brief pause before asking him, "Why do you think that I haven't heard from him since that night we had dinner together in New York City?"

"Isabella, why don't you tell me what happened that night so that I can give you a better answer than just guessing. It's hard to give someone advice when you don't have all of the facts."

So, Bella did exactly that; she told Charlie about everything that happened: how she had felt a bit uncomfortable around Edward at first without truly understanding the reason, about how things had progressed during dinner which was a bit more relaxed and enjoyable, and although she was a bit hesitant to mention the intense make-out session before Edward left, she did tell Charlie about it anyway.

"So, how did you feel about the way he reacted during that period?" Charlie asked her.

"Dad, I feel a strong connection to Edward, but I'm not sure that I can completely trust him.

"Also, I'm not sure just how he really feels about me. You know if we're on the same page or if he is reading an entirely different book than what I am, if you catch my meaning.

"Before I went to New York City, he was attentive, sweet, caring and easy to be with, but when we met for dinner that first night in NYC it was as if he was a bit reserved. But then to be honest, I don't know if that was because of the vibes I was letting off or if it was him or something coming from the both of us. I just don't know. That is one of the reasons I'm so confused about him and his motives."

"I'm sure you have some kind of idea, but we'll let that go for now. However, Bells, as I've told you before, give the man a chance to prove himself but be vigilant in just how much or how quickly you open yourself and your heart up to him.

"Don't leap without making sure that you've looked well before leaping." Charlie advised his daughter. After that the conversation turned to more conventional topics of conversation.

Bella went to bed that night, but all that Charlie had said kept running through her mind. Because of that she kept tossing and turning all through the night. But the next morning she had decided to say goodbye to Charlie and headed back home to pack for her return to L. A.

A/N: Both Edward and Bella are questioning how they feel about each other and what is the true position they should be in each other's life. Bella followed her instincts and asked Charlie for advice, but Edward is still floundering in his confusion and refusing to ask anyone for advice. What will their next moves be?

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