A/N: Hey folks, a million and one apologies for the delay in getting this latest update done, but that's what happens when a major case of real life catches up with you.

Chapter 6

"Hey." Emmett's tone sounded as if he was trying to whisper, but the volume of his voice made Edward wonder briefly if he wasn't actually trying to wake up the entire house.
"Shh...What?"
"Good, you're awake..."
"Of course I'm awake. Dead people in the next county are probably awake now."
There was a half second of confusion that clouded his brother's features and that was enough to make Edward chuckle, the overly loud greeting forgiven, since he was indeed already awake.
"So, what do you want?" He asked while swinging his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his face a bit to better wake up.

Edward was actually shocked by how alert and refreshed he felt this morning, which was the exact opposite of what he would have expected. He still remembered how hard it was last night just trying to keep his eyes open while everyone lounged around the livingroom watching one last movie. If someone would have said then that he'd be this well rested today he would have been prepared to call them crazy. He was in no position to complain though.
He'd had an amazing afternoon and an even better night hanging out with Bella and watching the rest of his family interact with her. He was exhausted by the end of the evening, but so excited that he didn't see how he could possibly manage to sleep through the night. This morning he was certainly glad that he had, especially now that his brother was sitting across from him with something obviously on his mind.

"Did you and Bella...you know..."

Edward was following his line of thinking far better than he let on, but for some reason he was actually enjoying Emmett's poor attempt at being subtle. Just to mess with him Edward raised an eyebrow in supposed confusion and let him continue to struggle for a few minutes before finally insisting he get to the point.

"Did we...what? You gotta be more specific."
"So something did happen!"
"I didn't say that; I'm just trying to understand what the hell you're actually getting at."
"You kissed her!"

Edward had to laugh at the indignant expression that went along with his outrageous guess, but he didn't care what Emmett thought of his reaction.

"No."
"Well something happened. Did you ask her out or tell her you like her or what?"

Even though he wasn't thrilled about discussing such things with his brother, Edward found that he was still grinning.
The truth was that nothing specific had happened, and whatever changes Emmett had noticed in terms of the chemistry between them had evolved on its own. He and Bella had done nothing more than enjoy their normal ease around one another yesterday, talking and laughing, same as they'd become use to over the past few days at school. Bella didn't seem unnerved at all by her surroundings or the new people she was introduced to. It was almost as if they were on an extended break in between classes just hanging out with Alice having fun.

"I swear nothing happened. We're friends, we like to talk, and since we're both hanging out with Alice so much Bella's gotten comfortable being around me."
"Edward, I haven't had too many girls who were just friends, but that's because when they are as comfortable as Bella seems to be around you, it's because they're interested in more than friendship. And I'm not trying to talk you into anything but a girl like Bella isn't the type to stay available forever."

Not in the mood to argue or say more than he should on the subject Edward decided to get up and find some clothes. As he started to dress he thanked his brother for his concern but assured him that whatever was between he and Bella was going to come about on its own and at its own pace.

"Don't worry about it Emmett, when there's something important to report you'll know about it." And with that Edward left him to ponder whether he was actually telling him the truth or not.

As he made his way towards the bathroom to finish his morning routine, Edward wondered if Emmett had overheard any of the private conversation that had taken place while he'd shown Bella around the house yesterday. Or worse, perhaps he'd noticed the moment last night when Bella had slipped her hand beneath his as it rested on the sofa between them during one of the movies they'd watched. Either way he never realized that his older brother was such a girl.

And speaking of girls, what exactly does, 'a girl like Bella,' even mean? Just what kind of girl do all these people who keep using that phrase see when they look at her?

Edward was nearly exasperated by his own thoughts by the time he'd made it the short distance down the hall, so it was fortunate when those thoughts quickly shifted to something far more desirable. It was a pleasant jolt to the senses when Edward finally entered the bathroom, noticing right away that there was a wonderful feminine scent lingering in the air, and it didn't remind him of his sister at all. This was all Bella, and he loved it. It meant that Bella was here, she was awake, and had apparently taken her turn in the bathroom already this morning. That realization made Edward grin once more, and before long he began to daydream as well.

He'd known from the start that he was attracted to her and he'd learned along the way that they had a lot in common. Even while he had refused to believe that he could offer anything to someone like her, or that she would find him appealing in any way, he'd still had a tremendous amount of admiration for her; but it was her personality, kindness and a unique ability to make him always see the bright side of things that had convinced him that she was truly something special. And after yesterday he now knew that she'd noticed just as many attractive qualities in him.

He hadn't lied to his brother this morning. There were no great declarations of love or some mutual agreement to be more to each other than they'd been previously, but Bella had said enough to make him understand that she did like him; and she was pretty clear that she appreciated the type of person he was, instead of giving any of the usual and almost always ridiculous reasons most girls seemed to fall all over themselves around him. Her honesty was refreshing to say the least. He'd already started to wonder about when and how he might talk to Bella about more than just books and family and whatever was going on at school. He worried that if the timing wasn't right he could ruin things or embarrass himself, probably both. But happily Bella had managed to take that particular burden away, and had opened the door to the possibility of something more. And it was while they were wandering around the house yesterday that he really began to see those possibilities as something that might be attainable.
Edward had done little more than point out which room belonged to whom during the brief house tour they'd gone thanks to Alice's recommendation, but Bella was still thoroughly fascinated by everything. She was so busy going on about renovations and potential that Edward found himself smiling despite his anxiety. He already knew that she would be polite and not judge him, or anyone else, over something like the condition of their house, but he'd still been a bit nervous for her to see the reality of what his family was truly dealing with. He hadn't needed to worry though. Bella was absolutely thrilled by the possibilities she saw in every room. She'd even mentioned at one point how lucky Edward and his family were to be able to transform their new house into whatever they wanted it to be.
Of course, had he and Bella not already talked at length about each other's situations, allowing him to see just how genuine and caring she truly was, he might have worried that she was being sarcastic. Instead he could see that her excitement was real, and though he didn't fully understand why she felt as she did, he could still trust that she had her reasons.

"Why do you say that? Wouldn't it be easier to move into a place that only needed a few minor changes instead of a complete overhaul?" He recalled asking good-naturedly as they finally reached the last room-the one he shared with Emmett.

Bella smiled as she took in their surroundings for a moment before turning to face him. She had yet to let go of his hand that she'd taken hold of at the start of their tour, and he noticed how her thumb moved nervously over the back of his hand when she paused for another moment, staring at nothing particular. When she looked up she smiled at him this time before offering to explain.

"It's hard to put into words really." During another brief hesitation Edward felt Bella take her free hand and place it gently on their already joined ones. "There's beauty all around us that we can easily recognize, things you don't have to look at too hard to know that they are amazing. They attract your interest without even trying. But something like this house is just as beautiful in my eyes. There's something about it, just beneath the surface, that's been waiting for the right person to come along and set free. This place has a truly beautiful personality that's just waiting to be discovered."

Edward was speechless for a moment as Bella shyly diverted her eyes, having said more than she may have intended when she quietly added her last thought.
"Kind of like you."

It was as if the rest of the world fell away and all Edward could see was her, standing there looking so uncertain, feeling her hands tremble around his own. His brain scrambled for a way to ease her worry and clarify what he hoped she was actually trying to say. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin the moment but he hated that Bella seemed so nervous.

"So you're basically telling me that I don't instantly attract your interest." He playfully teased.
"Edward." She had chuckled immediately, surprised but pleased by his unexpected tactic.
"It's okay. You see me as a fixer upper. I suppose I can live with that." He continued to joke when he saw that her usual smile was back, and he could feel that her hands had become more stable around his.
"I'm suddenly not so sure just how beautiful that personality of yours really is." She teased back while pretending to irritably take her hands away, but Edward had refused to let her go, pulling her a step closer to him instead.
"Bella, if anyone is going to discover what's hiding beneath the surface, if they're going to see my true personality, I'd be honored if it was you." He confessed in all seriousness.

The inner voice that usually tried its best to irritate him felt the need to actually congratulate him in this instance. The look in Bella's eyes as she stared back at him said that she was already discovering something new. And that look said that she liked what she saw.

The moment was over before it could progress into anything more but that was fine with Edward. He'd been certain as he heard his sister's voice searching for them that he would be capable of revisiting the topic at a later time, and that Bella would be receptive to that conversation when the moment presented itself. For the time being however, it was enough. It was a step in the right direction.

Understandably, Edward didn't want to dwell on events that had already come and gone when there was the potential for so much more to happen today. With that in mind he finished up quickly and skipped down the stairs, eager to see who else was up and about this morning. And as luck would have it he found Alice sitting at the kitchen table. Within seconds Bella also arrived. She was carrying a bowl of mixed fruit over to the table, followed by his father who was in charge of the platter full of pancakes.

"Bella, you're hired." Carlisle teased as she set the bowl down and offered to go back for drinks.
"I got it." Edward offered instead, feeling sorry that his family felt it was okay to have their guest serve them. "What does everyone want?"

The unanimous response was coffee, which made Edward's life a little easier since he'd only have to grab some mugs and by the smell of it the pot that had already been brewed. Bella offered again to come along and help but Edward graciously pulled a chair from the table and indicated she should sit down and relax.

"For real, you come over offering to paint and now you're helping with breakfast. If you don't chill out my parents are going to start thinking I'm a terrible child." Edward overheard Alice teasing as he went off to retrieve the coffee.

"Is Emmett up?" His father asked as soon as he made it back and began serving everyone.
"Yep. Surprised he hasn't made it down already."

Carlisle began laying out the game plan for the day which included Emmett helping him get things started outside while Edward got the girls set up with everything they'd need in order to paint Alice's bedroom.

It was fortunate that of all weekends Bella could have offered to come and help it was the weekend that Alice would get to fix up her own room. It wasn't exactly the plan when she'd made the original offer, but things had worked out right and now Alice was not only excited to decorate her own space, but with Bella here she was pleased to have a friend to help make decisions. Edward was definitely happy to help because it meant he would get to spend some time this morning with Bella, but also because he was the one to find most of the supplies necessary for her room's renovation; and in doing so he'd also found himself a job, which he was quite pleased with.

The other day after he had left Bella at the bookstore he'd stumbled upon a hardware store just up the street. It was a great find, since not only did they have a large supply of discounted paint and a sale on some of other things he'd been looking for, but in the process he'd managed to aquire some part-time work without even trying. The store's manager had been impressed by his knowledge of building supplies and an ability to calculate discounts without having to ask for prices. Before he was able to make all of his purchases and say thank you he was being talked into coming back following week to fill out some paperwork so that he could start working on the first of next month.
Not only was the job something that Edward needed but thanks to the lucky offer he'd also been granted an employee discount on everything he bought that day. It meant that he was able to pick up some extra stuff so that Alice could personalize her room the way she wanted rather than putting it off in favor of more necessary repairs.

"Wait a second, when did you find a job?" Bella asked, surprised but pleased for him when Carlisle had asked Edward to go and pick up a few more things this afternoon, making reference to his new employer and how generous he was being.
"The other day." He shrugged.
"And you didn't say anything?" Bella wasn't upset, he could tell, but she probably appeared more surprised than she should have in front of everyone else, who might be wondering why he'd feel obligated to mention something like that to a friend of his sister.
"Figured I might mention it to you over coffee one day, but I wanted to wait on my first paycheck since it's my turn to buy." He gave her a little wink as he took a sip of the coffee he had in front of him.

His father and sister may have been sitting there with them, but he didn't care one bit if they wondered about his cryptic comment or recognized his flirting for what it was. If things went the way he was hoping they were just going to have to get use to it anyway.

"What's got you looking such a beautiful shade of red this morning?" Emmett showed up right on cue, drawing attention to the one thing he'd noticed that would usually be ignored by polite people. He didn't really need to ask the question since he'd overheard the last few bits of conversation as he was turning the corner, but it was in his nature to irritate Edward whenever the opportunity arose.
"I could sense that you were coming into the room and I wanted to see if I could impress you." Bella smirked in response, which was the absolute best reaction she could have around a person like Emmett. And fortunately even he could appreciate that.
"Well played." He admitted with a little bow as he took a seat and started piling pancakes onto his waiting plate.

The two of them had traded enough banter the day before that no one else sitting at the table this morning should have expected anything different. Even Carlisle had laughed along with everyone else listening to Bella outsmart Emmett most of the evening as he'd make embarrassing or inappropriate comments only to have her fire back with something even better.
Edward had tried to intervene initially not wanting Bella to get annoyed, but he had to admit her quick wit and sarcasm were some of the things he liked most about her. In the end he'd let it go in favor of enjoying the entertainment. And just like this morning he'd taken comfort in the fact that she'd always share a little smile with him whenever she knew that she'd won.

"Alright someone clean up all of this when you finish and be sure to keep it down until your mother wakes up." Carlisle decided moments later, while finishing his last bit of breakfast. He added for Emmett's sake that he needed him outside sooner rather than later and left Edward with instructions to join them once the girls were all set upstairs.

Once the four of them were alone it was Alice's turn to ask a few question.
"So, where exactly have you and Bella been sneaking off to for coffee?"
"No one's been sneaking off for coffee." Bella chuckled. "I ran into Edward the other day when he was out shopping and I was buying a drink so I insisted he have one too."
"They sell coffee at the hardware store?" Emmett's confused look was back.
"No. At the bookstore up the street from there." Edward rolled his eyes, wondering why his brother insisted on talking with his mouth full.
"Should have known. We send you out for paint and you have to stop off at the library on the way." Emmett continued making Alice roll her eyes this time.
"That's not the point."
" So what is the point?" Edward finally asked as he got to his feet taking his empty plate and offering to grab Bella's as well on his way to the sink.
"This. This is the point." She gestured at the position her brother and her friend were in. Since when did he offer to wait on people, and become so polite, and concerned about Emmett's behavior?
"I just want someone to admit there's something going on here."
"Ok, I admit it." Bella offered, which almost made Edward drop the stack of plates he was collecting. They hadn't really defined what was going on between them just yet, and to make matters worse he'd just spent his morning trying to convince Emmett that there wasn't anything to admit. "Alice, Edward and I are friends. I am so sorry but I've struggled with monogamy for years. I'm just not cut out to be a one friend kind of girl. Can you ever forgive me?"

Edward couldn't help himself. He laughed, and it was probably way too loud considering his mother was still trying to sleep in this morning.
"I am so buying you a coffee in a few weeks." He promised.
"Coffee hell, buy this girl a ring or I might try to steal her before you can."

Give it up, Emmett. She's mine. Edward confidently thought to himself as he turned away, still laughing at Bella's crazy explanation and the surprisingly amused expression on his sister's face.