I showed Edward everything about my home town that I could think of. Everything from where I used to dance (quite terribly) as a kid, to my school hangout spots, and the hospital I frequented most. We couldn't exactly walk into my school, with the massive chain link fences and security, but I did point out what I could. He even said that the people inside were showing him brief views of what it was like.

He seemed absolutely entranced by even the ordinary things I was showing him. Edward took the most delight in my old home however, the collection of pictures my mother had, my eclectic room stacked to the brim with books, even our half-finished house renovations. There was a lot of room in the house where stuff used to be, but my mother informed me that Phil had been signed with a team down in Jacksonville, and they had rented a house down there. Phil had in fact, driven a load of things down there already. I tried to remember what was missing, and often succeeded, but sometimes things just seemed missing and I couldn't pin it down. My mother kept apologizing for the weather, and exclaiming her general dismay that Edward needed some sun.

"I didn't think anyone could be paler than you Bella." She said, signing fluently as she spoke. Her signing had always been better than Charlie's but wasn't anywhere close to the level that the Cullen's were at. "I'm so sorry the weather isn't cooperating."

"It's okay mom." I said, "Edward's enjoying the warmth, if not the sunshine."

"It is a pleasant -" he explained to my mom. I missed his descriptive word, but I knew he'd be sweet talking. He seemed to enjoy my mother's thoughts. I wasn't sure if he noticed, but he'd often smile suddenly around her. I had asked him about it, but all he had said about it was that mostly that her thoughts reminded him of a mix of Esme and Alice. Renee and him were talking back and forth about something, and I was watching Phil in the kitchen. He wasn't an Esme or Alice level chef, but certainly comparable to my skills. I was glad he'd taken over in the kitchen, as my mom had some certainly original ideas when it came to food.

Edward's profile appeared in my sightline and I blinked quickly before focusing on him.

What are you thinking? He signed.

"I was thinking that it's a shame you haven't had a chance to explore the mountains." I thought up. I did not want to insult my mother's cooking within earshot. "Perhaps a night time adventure to keep you occupied?" I whispered.

I have plenty to keep me occupied at night.

"You know how dirty that sounds right?" I chuckled.

I meant exploring your house, even catching clips of your mother's dreams. She's so different to you, and yet somehow quite similar. Segments of her thoughts and dreams I can almost imagine you thinking them. She has a very scattered, and childlike innocence and yet a very wise view of the world.

He suddenly looked over at the kitchen, and I followed his gaze. Renee was summoning us for dinner. In the morning, Edward always made sure that he was up first, scrolling through his phone with a fake empty bowl of cereal beside him. I imagined him literally sprinkling a few cornflakes and a splash of milk into a bowl, just in time for my mother to find him. With lunch, we had made sure we were away from home, and Edward would usually buy something 'splitable' like a large batch of fries. Edward had been doing remarkably well avoiding food so far, but my mother's insistence that we all sit down for dinner was defeating him. He'd casually escape to the bathroom later, and I felt terrible about him having to regurgitate the food later. He tried to assure me privately that this was something that his entire family had all had to do it at some point.

Our last night in Phoenix, Edward woke me in the middle of the night. His phone flashlight illuminated his hands as he signed.

Can I kidnap you? You talked about exploring the mountains.

"I also talked about being dirty, but this is the option you choose?" I yawned, quietly. Edward shook his head at me.

Dress warmly. There's snow up there.

He disappeared again. I fumbled around my room in the dark, and got dressed in my Forks gear. I carried my shoes out, and tried to be conscious of any noise I might make. Edward gently pried oped the sliding glass door, and held out his arms to me.

"Oh. Right." I muttered.

You don't have to come… he started to sign.

"No it's fine." I whispered. I stepped quickly into his grasp before I could change my mind. I held onto him with all my strength, and he started running. I breathed calmly into his shirt while I tried to pretend we weren't whizzing through the streets of Phoenix. There was a moment in which the wind seemed to dramatically change temperature, and smell, and I knew that we had escaped the confines of the city. Suddenly Edward came to a dramatic stop. I opened my eyes and looked around. We were, I would estimate, about three quarters of the way up a mountain. He helped ease me down.

"You were right about the greenery. I think I've spent so much time in Forks recently that I had forgotten how barren things could be." He said to me. He took a moment to stoop, where he reached down to a tiny cactus and stroked the spines. Under his stony touch the prickles looked almost soft. I shivered slightly in the night air.

"Have you enjoyed Phoenix?" I asked.

"Absolutely. You're more comfortable here than in Forks."

"Not more comfortable." I corrected. "I think that it's just a little more familiar here." I looked back at the sparkling vastness of the night city. "I will admit that I don't think I've seen the city from this height before."

"It has a very different beauty to Forks. Although both locations pale in comparison to yourself of course."

That I pretended to ignore. The blackness behind me was terrifying. There was no light to see any sort of landscape features and there were probably cacti and scorpions all around me.

"Anything to eat around here?" I asked him.

"Besides yourself?" he retorted, chuckling.

"Again, anyone listening would assume that's a totally different joke." I stared at the little I could see of him in the night, a white ghost, standing beside me. He was unmoving, and quiet.

"Edward? I'm just joking." I stepped towards him. Something wasn't right. He looked rigid, tense. "Edward?"

Suddenly he was right beside me, hand across my mouth to hush me. Edward pressed himself so tightly up against me that I would have stumbled, were it not for the grip he had me in. I held my breath. What exactly had him so wired? There was no one here, out in the pitch blackness of the night. No one that I could see. Edward flicked out his phone in a microsecond, turning on the flashlight, and throwing it casually forward in front of us. The light landed upwards, and I could make out the weak outlines of a large cactus, some boulders, and a person.