I do not own Twilight. I do own a new and large collection of liquor bottles because my parents are coming for a visit.

Chapter 24

The notes continued all week. Some days there was only one. Other days it seemed like every five minutes there was a new one. After Tuesday the 'I see you' changed which was a relief for Bella because it was getting creepier and creepier. She had half expected an 'I see you while you're sleeping and your blood calls to me' kind of message. Perhaps her creepy sweet stalker saw her flinching when she read one. Or maybe his thesaurus broke.

On Wednesday there were quotes from books and movies regarding ardent first loves.

Thursday was a very long list of songs for Bella to listen to at her leisure, of course. Creepy sweet stalker was unerringly polite.

Friday she received the most notes yet. They were everywhere. They all described Bella. Her hair, her eyes, her smile, her blush and the small group of freckles on her neck. Nothing was mentioned from her shoulders down, a fact that made Bella feel more comfortable with her secret admirer. She would have lost it with the entire school population if someone had sent her a note about her breasts or her ass.

Most everyone was now friendly with Bella in the halls. Partly because of the giddiness that surrounds the winter break and partly because they had heard of the locker room incident. The boys were a little scared of her and the girls were wildly impressed. She refused to give any comment about what she had seen in the locker room after confirming with Mike that his friends had apologised. She just keep a Mona Lisa smile on her face and said nothing about the interaction.

Tyler almost got them kicked out of the library for cheering and applauding her after he heard about it. Edward looked a bit pissed off about the whole thing which just made Bella shrug. Edward could be pissed off if he wanted to, it made no difference to her. Tyler was proud of Bella for standing up to the swim team even if it was for Mike's benefit. He almost fell off his chair laughing when Bella told him about the phone call the night before. They got very little reading done, they just chatted together quietly or not so quietly sometimes.

Over the weeks leading up to the winter break, time seemed to speed up. Classes were useless. There was very little new material to cover and after the break there were two weeks of revision before exams. There were still notes but just one a day. Messages just to let Bella know that her secret admirer was still there and still interested in her. Bella had decided not to try to make a mystery out of it. It would do her no good to stay up late at night wondering who it could be. If this boy, and Bella hoped that it was a boy although the alternative was an intriguing idea, really wanted her, then let him come to her. She was in no mood to play Nancy Drew.

Bella had mailed off a package to Alice with gifts for her, her parents and Jasper. She had Charlie's presents hidden in the house and most of the Christmas treats made. Bella made three times as many goodies as usual so that she could give parcels to the Crowleys and the Cullens. She had a gift ready for Tyler to give to him on the last day of school. She even had a gift for Edward. He had been friendlier lately, hanging around in the library, and smiling at her everyday.

The last day of school greeted Bella with a thin layer of frost on the ground. It was just enough to make everything slippery. She grabbed her bags and left a little earlier than usual just in case the roads were bad. Charlie was working nights again and she left him with a kiss to the head and a reminder not to snoop. They had a date the next afternoon to buy a tree and decorate the house.

She arrived at school relatively unscathed, just an ache in her knuckles from her grip on the steering wheel and some extra tension in her shoulders. When she jumped out of the truck her legs slipped out from under her and she landed hard on her ass. She heard voices calling her name which meant that there were witnesses to her humiliation. Edward ran up to her first followed by Tyler. Tyler was grinning at her pratfall but Edward looked very concerned.

"Are you okay, pretty girl?" Edward asked as he held out a hand to help her up. She nodded and accepted his help. His free hand briefly wrapped around her waist as she gained her footing. As soon as she was stable he let go of her.

"Shit, Bella. Are you alright? The look on your face...?" Tyler was having a hard time not laughing at her.

"I'm fine, thank you." Bella turned and bent over to pick up her bags. When she turned back Tyler was still grinning but Edward had a pained look on his face.

"Thanks for the rescue." She said to Edward. He just nodded his head and turned to walk away. Maybe he's not in a friendly mood today, she thought to herself.

There was no note in her locker that morning. In fact there was no note at all that day. Bella felt slightly disappointed and relieved at the same time. She and Tyler exchanged gift at the beginning of their time in the library. Tyler loved the gold and red scarf Bella had found for him. Tyler was a little shy as he passed her the envelope that held her Christmas present.

"It's from me and my parents. For Christmas and to say thank you for being such a good friend. I know you're going to college soon and we thought maybe this could help." Bella had never seen Tyler blush before.

The envelope had several gift cards, one for a coffee shop, a bookstore, online music and a fast food restaurant. It was like a freshman starter pack. It was also for way too much money.

"Tyler, thank you, it's too much. Please thank your parents for me." Bella stood up, gave Tyler a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"It's not too much." Tyler said, his words muffled by his head on Bella's shoulder. There was a throat clearing behind them. As they broke apart they noticed that Edward had come back into the library and was standing watching the two of them.

"Oh, Edward, hey. I have a present for you." Bella was slightly embarrassed to be found hugging someone in the library.

Edward's face lit up.

"Really?"

"Really, really." Bella giggled to herself. Edward looked confused but happy. Tyler smacked Bella, gently, on the arm.

"You did not just quote Shrek, did you?" Tyler snorted with laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Here" She passed a small wrapped box to Edward.

He sat down and opened it carefully. Nestled inside the box was a set of four monogrammed handkerchiefs edged in dark green thread. Edward was surprised at the very elegant and grown-up gift.

"Thank you, Bella. They're lovely. They'll go perfectly with my new suit. Alice made me get one for the hospital gala my parents are forcing us to attend after Christmas."

He walked over to her and opened his arms but stood waiting. He didn't want to force her to hug him if she didn't want to. She gave him a quick hug but was shocked when Edward leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips, too.

"I, um, have something for you too but it's at home." Edward stammered.

"Don't worry about it. Thank you, though." Bella smiled at him. The bell rang. Bella and Tyler had to hurry off to class, but not before making plans to get together during the holidays for some fun. Edward hung back and let them chat on the way out.

Bella was happy that the day was over and that there was no school for two weeks. She parked her truck in it's usual spot and walked slowly towards the house. There on the stoop in front of the door was a large flowerpot. A large riot of purple Heather tumbled out of the top of the pot.

AN: Next post may be late, but only by a few days.