Thursday
POV: Bella

"Just once more?" I pleaded. "I need to practice a little more."

Alice laughed. "Bella, you'll do fine. We've been practising for four days now, and you've really gotten the hang of it."

"What if I mess up?"

"Bella, this is a private dance between you and my brother, not the school talent show. A little messing up is fine, but I know you won't mess up. Just relax. I don't need to be Jasper to know that you're being paranoid."

I had to admit, she was right. I was quite nervous now that our dancing practices were coming to an end. Edward would be returning early tomorrow morning, and I would most likely see him before and then throughout school. There was no more time to practice.

While I had missed Edward terribly this whole week, I was rather hoping he would extend his stay, just a little bit more. We'd talked on the phone several times a day, but I had a feeling he knew something was up. The more I would be in his presence tomorrow the more likely I was to slip up with something.

"We'd better get going, Bella." Alice called, grabbing the car keys and nodding towards the Cullens' garage.

I was at the Cullens' house again, as I had been for the past few days. It hadn't been hard to convince Charlie to grant me permission for carpooling with Alice to her house. He'd been delighted to hear the Edward was out of town, and with some persuasion from Alice and many reassurances from Esme, he'd agreed to let me spend my entire afternoons here. Plus, he hated it whenever I was alone at home.

Well, not that I was ever truly alone, but Charlie didn't need to know that…

"What about the remaining practice?" I asked pleadingly.

Alice sighed in exasperation.

It was touching that she had so much faith in my dancing skills. It was also rather terrifying that she had so much faith in my dancing skills; I had that many more expectations to live up to.

"Bella, trust me. You'll do fine. But if it makes you feel better, we'll return quickly and do a recap."

I sighed in relief. "Thanks. Now let's hit the road."

Alice and I were driving to the meadow, where I believed having my special dance with Edward would be the most suitable; it was reclusive, secluded and significant to both of us.

I felt rather edgy as Alice drove on the familiar road to the meadow. As ridiculous as it sounded, I felt like I was cheating on Edward somehow by going back to his meadow without him. Ever since my very first visit here, several weeks ago, Edward hadn't brought me back. That had been the most glorious day; when we had confessed our love to each other, when I'd seen him reveal his true, vampire beauty in the sunlight, when we'd shared our very first kiss…

The disaster of James, Laurent and Victoria in the clearing was now a blur in my mind. I tried to block out as much of that terrible night as I could and part of the evidence of that "accident", my broken leg, had been – finally – removed.

There was, however, a much bigger, permanent horror embedded onto my skin remained. I lowered my gaze to my crescent-shaped scar that James had left as a reminder of himself.

The trail leading to the meadow came into view and I allowed myself a smile. This was why we were here. This meadow had far better memories with Edward than the ones I was remembering now.

And I was resolute in creating more memories with him.

"So, how exactly do you know about this place, Alice?" The thought had just occurred to me as she hadn't asked for directions or taking any wrong turns. "I thought this place was private to Edward."

Alice laughed, the visible skin on her face sparkling similarly to Edward's. "I've seen Edward's decision to come here so often that I feel like I've been here myself even though this is my first time. Silly, I thought you would've known by now. No secrets in the Cullen family, remember?"

"Except for some," I smiled in anticipation of tomorrow. "So, um, just so you know, this might take a while for me to hike."

Alice crouched in front of me. "Hop on, you goof."

"But… " I stared at her. Despite her supernatural strength, she was still so tiny!

"No 'buts', Bella. Get on."

I climbed uncertainly onto her back and a second later, we were running. Or rather, she was running.

By the time we reached, I felt faint, just like the last time I'd ridden on a vampire's back.

"You'll be fine," Alice said unconcernedly as she raced across the meadow. I took a few moments to admire it again; its beauty paled in comparison to Edward's, but I knew that tomorrow night, it would look even more beautiful. "I looked into the future before we left to see if I needed to bring a first-aid kit."

"Ha-ha."

I recovered quickly, happy that she wasn't hovering over me like Edward would have done. It was endearing, the way he took care of me, but sometimes he could never fully enjoy himself in the moment because of his unnecessary worries.

Kind of like the way I was sure to act tomorrow as well…

But I was determined to follow Alice's advice and try not to let my insecurities get in the way. Despite my lack of grace, self-esteem and confidence, I was willing to put those uncertainties aside to focus on what would be most important first.

"What do we do?" I asked her.

"This isn't going to take long," she explained, setting the wireless boom box between some wildflowers so that it was partially hidden. If I hadn't seen her do it, I wouldn't have even noticed it.

"Remind me again why the setup has to be today and now tomorrow after school? And what if it rains overnight? Won't all this be destroyed?"

"Meteorologist at your service, ma'am," she reminded me. "And Edward is going to be with you the entire day tomorrow. We need to do this now so that I can get your approval on certain issues."

"I'm sure it'll be perfect, Alice," I replied honestly. She smiled back. "But won't he be suspicious when I have to get ready? It won't be such a surprise if he figures out where we're going."

"Leave it to me, Bella; I've got it all sorted out. Now, more importantly… " She held out three picnic blankets which I knew would be useful to only myself. "… which color picnic blanket do you prefer and which side of the meadow should it be on?"

Groaning, I smacked my forehead.

"This is so wonderful, Bella," Esme clapped her hands in delight. From her expression, I knew that, if capable, she would have been crying. "It's possibly the most romantic gift you can give Edward."

All the details for tomorrow's plan had already been carefully laid out, and I was still a mixture of nervousness, anticipation and excitement.

Alice and I were back to the Cullens' house. Alice had disappeared to make a phone call and mark her siblings' progress on their return and share a quick word with Jasper. Meanwhile, Esme and I had been slowly revolving on their living room floor.

Esme had known from the start about the birthday surprise which was why she'd allowed Edward to skip several days of school. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper had already graduated – for the billionth time – which was why she hadn't fussed over them. Esme had been just as supportive as Alice when it came to helping me. Unsurprisingly, she was graceful and light on her feet, and I had been enjoying taking turns with both of them.

I blushed deeply, smiling my gratitude. "It's just that he's given me so much – you all have given me so much. I can't think of a way to repay him."

Esme drew me into a careful hug. Despite our emotional closeness that had progressed over the past few weeks, she was still rather hesitant about my reactions to vampire qualities such as the speed or coldness.

"There's nothing to repay, dear. You two are meant for each other. Edward will be so pleased. He hasn't celebrated a proper birthday since, I'm assuming, his human years."

"Edward often says that I bring out the human in him."

"You do," Esme affirmed. "In many ways, I don't even see him as a vampire. There have been… difficult times, of course." Esme's face twisted into sadness and I couldn't understand why, but she hurried on before I could ask. "But even before you, he's always been so gentle and kind, and meeting you has just amplified that."

"Just because you're a vampire, it doesn't mean you have to be ruthless and uncontrollable," I said fiercely, looking into Esme's golden orbs… so unlike the scarlet I had seen in James', Laurent's and Victoria's. "You all are an ideal example of that."

Esme squeezed me tighter. "We're all so lucky to have you in our lives. And don't worry about the future; Edward will come around soon enough and everything will work out somehow."

I allowed myself a tiny smile. She hadn't said the exact words I'd been looking for, but I knew that this was her way of saying that she would accept me regardless of the consequences or Edward's decisions. Esme's support meant a lot to me. She was Edward's mother and had always been understanding of the complications that Edward and I faced constantly in our relationship. If anybody could help me convince Edward that changing me was for the better, for all of us, it was her.

"What's going on here?"

Esme didn't appear startled, but I jumped when I heard Carlisle's voice from behind me.

He was still dressed in his work clothes and his eyebrows were drawn into confusion as took in the state of his living room.

I bit my lip to hide my worry; I wasn't sure how much Carlisle knew of the plan, and how much to reveal. Just because I was immune to Edward's telepathy didn't mean that others weren't. Edward was, no doubt, already suspicious of my behavior for the past few days, and Esme and Alice were already in on the surprise. They would have to be extra careful in blocking their thought. If only there was some way I could extend my mysterious mental barrier out to them as well…

"Hi, Carlisle," I waved awkwardly. "Esme and Alice were just teaching me some dance steps."

"What for?" he inquired politely.

"Um… Just because."

"I don't think that's a very good idea," Carlisle began, sounding uncertain. "Your cast was only recently removed. Perhaps you should allow your leg to rest a bit before it gets too stressed."

"It's fine, Carlisle," Alice assured him, bouncing down the stairs. "It's not any intense dancing anyway. Just slow dancing. Waltzing."

"I wanted to dance," I interjected quickly as Carlisle's eyebrows rose in surprise. "My leg doesn't hurt anymore."

"When you say, you wanted to dance… " Carlisle said slowly. "Does that translate to, 'Alice tricked me into agreeing -'".

"No!" Alice insisted, offended. "That is so mean, Carlisle. She suggested the idea on her own."

Carlisle was bewildered. "I was under the impression that you had a passionate hatred towards dancing."

I flushed embarrassedly. "I did. But I guess it's not so bad with some practice."

"Any special reason?"

"Edward's birthday!" Alice squealed excitedly.

Carlisle's expression went from curious to surprised and joyful. "That's very sweet of you, Bella. I hadn't realized we were making an event of it… " He trailed off, sounding guilty.

"We're not," I assured him. "It's just my little gift to him - my way of showing him how much he means to me."

"I know that you are gift enough to him," Carlisle smiled knowingly as my face turned red. "But I'm certain that he will appreciate the gesture."

"Thank you," I whispered shyly.

"That's a great idea, Carlisle!" Alice exclaimed suddenly.

I glanced at her in confusion.

"Carlisle was thinking of asking you to dance as a test to see how much you've learned from me so far," she explained giddily. "You better make me proud, Bella… but no pressure."

"Alice," Carlisle chided before holding out a hand to me. "May I?"

I took a deep breath. I hadn't danced with a boy so far, and this was the closest practice I'd get to dancing with Edward.

"Actually," I replied, smiling a little. "I'm supposed to initiate."

I took his cool hand and started to lead as Alice turned up the music.

Carlisle easily fell into step with me, needing no instructions or clues. After having gathered my nerves, I peeked at his face. He was grinning widely.

"I'm impressed, Bella. You're a natural at this. It's hard to believe that you're first-timer."

"I have very supportive teachers," I nodded graciously at Esme and Alice who beamed back. "And the initiative."

Carlisle chuckled at my expression as we continued to twirl. Beside us, Alice had grabbed Esme's hands, and soon, they too were spinning. "Despite what you claim, I believe that you sincerely enjoy dancing."

"Well," I pouted. "I guess I could enjoy it more if I wasn't so clumsy. It makes me feel… unbalanced. Unbalanced on my feet and unbalanced next to Edward."

Carlisle pursed his lips, instantly picking up on the insecurity in my voice. "It's silly to worry about those superficial things, Bella. Edward loves you as a whole, and those little human traits make them all the more charming to him."

I let the silence hang in the air as I thought deeply. Human traits… I was hoping these traits would cease to exist in the near future.

What was the point in waiting? I wanted Edward, period. And there was only one idea I could possibly come up with that would ensure my forever with him. He was worried about human experiences that I would miss out out on. I needed to convince him, more insistently that I'd been doing, that those were all trivial to me.

Carlisle seemed to sense the direction of my thoughts.

"I know you were quite upset about Edward tricking you into prom last month," he said lightly. "I hope you don't still hold it against him. I know you both had a wonderful time."

I flushed. 'Quite upset' was an understatement, I thought, as I recalled the crying fit I'd thrown.

I waved it off. "I forgave him the second we got there."

Carlisle eyed me, amused. "You're not one to hold grudges, I see."

"Not against Edward, no," I sighed. "But that's his fault. He cheats. But I'll get my payback tomorrow anyway. He'll see how it feels to be in the dark about plans that revolve around him."

Carlisle chuckled. "I promise I'll keep him in the dark with my thoughts. It's not often someone gets to surprise Edward."