Pay attention to this chap…it has a few not-so-subtle hints of what might go down in le future. And I apologize that it was late a few days. I've been SO busy. I'll have the next one up probably by noon tomorrow?

Oh and you people rock at reviewing. Lots.

Don't own.

Ch. 9: Wake Up Call

I didn't go home Wednesday night. I spent the night at my office, going painstakingly over my article and perfecting it.

I finished pretty late, and was thinking about going home, but fell asleep before I could. So I woke Thursday morning to Edward opening the office.

At least, I wish I did.

I really woke to Edward poking me.

I think he only poked me just to see my reaction, instead of saying something.

"Go away." I mumbled, swatting at him.

"Bella, wake up."

"No."

"Bella…wake up."

Wait, was that Edward's voice? Ugh, now I'm dreaming about him.

This had to be the most boring dream ever. You'd think if I were dreaming about a hot guy, something interesting would happen, instead of just a voice telling me to wake up…

"What time is it?"

"Five."

It slowly dawned on me that it wasn't a dream, that Edward was standing there trying to get me up.

And it was five am. And I was at the office.

Talk about bringing back bad memories.

Wait.

I wasn't dreaming.

Edward was standing right there, waking me up.

I snapped my eyes open, and looked up too see Edward standing there, with a coffee in his hand, looking pretty grumpy. He looked paler than yesterday, no doubt from being sick. His eyes were tired, and he looked like he was really struggling with this cold.

He was probably feverish.

"Why am I in the office at five am!" I moaned, collapsing my head back down onto the desk.

"Naturally, you fell asleep here, overworking yourself as usual." His voice was bored, and cynical. "Go home, Bella. I have your article."

"But the meeting with the new printer guy is today." I yawned, sitting up. "I'm up. I'm awake."

"Go home." He said seriously, crouching to look me in the eye. "Take the day off."

"I'm fine, really—"

Why was I protesting taking a day off? Why was I protesting time off?

"I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Swan." He said, standing and leaving my office.

Oh. That's right. That's why I was protesting taking time off. It was that much more time I wouldn't see Edward.

I'm pathetic, I know, but since I'd come to this conclusion, I decided that just because I had to fight it didn't mean that I couldn't enjoy every second I was in his company…even if we were constantly at eachother's throats.

Though since our argument yesterday, and that sort-of moment in my office, we were able to keep civil for the rest of the day. I hoped it would last.

His smile was much more dazzling than his scowl.

Yeah, I'm pathetic.

I obeyed, though. I was tired, and had an awful backache from sleeping slumped over my desk all night. The couch I'd had in there before was moved to my mother's house.

I took a hot shower, noting my mother was out and the shop was closed for an hour, and decided to go to bed anyway. I was so tired…

As soon as I reached my bed, I collapsed.

Maybe Edward was right about this. I needed it…

Then, just as I was starting to doze off, my cell phone rang.

Ugh. Are you kidding me? I just lay down!

"Yes?" I answered, sighing.

"Swan, you need to get here now." Edward's voice said over the line. It was stiff, as if strained.

"Why? You said I could have the day off…" I mumbled, trying to wake up.

Jerk. Woke me up…

Jerk.

"There are a few men here from the insurance agency who require your presence."

"What? Which agency?"

"DuBois and Louis."

Crap.

I owed them a LOT of money. But Edward said he spoke to the businesses…

Crap. They were the insurers of the building, and the paper. I'd completely forgotten about them.

"Oh no." I groaned, starting to get some work clothes on. "How long are they going to be there? Can't I just avoid them? They're awful."

"How much." Edward's voice sighed over the line, he clearing his throat. He was probably dead tired and feeling like crap, and I was the one who went home?

"What?"

"How much do you owe them? I'll write a check."

I sighed, before answering.

It was a giant amount of money, that I'd been putting off paying. It was money neither I nor the newspaper had.

It was money that Edward Cullen had, but I felt awful for making him pay for my poor business management.

Maybe I was just tired, and that's why I had a guilty conscience. He was rich, he could buy the whole building if he wanted.

"Good God, Bella!" Edward's voice exclaimed, in surprise and exasperation. "Do you ever pay your bills?"

"Anything else? You kind of woke me up." I mumbled, ignoring this comment.

"I think they want to meet with you, still. Get here when you can."

Then he hung up, naturally too cool for saying goodbye.

Wait. Did he say 'get here when you can'?

I smirked, as I put my shoes on and got my coat. He wanted me to be late, he wanted to make the assholes wait.

Well, in that case, I could take all the time I wanted. I could get some coffee, read the paper, go up the stairs instead of the elevator…

So I did.

I was standing at the newspaper stand when I saw something I wasn't expecting.

The East Side Herald had reached downtown? It was generally only distributed in the neighborhood…

And Edward printed my article on the front page.

"I didn't want to be on the front page…bastard…" I mumbled to myself, as a well-to-do looking gentleman picked up the paper. I was still muttering to myself, and he had to have been listening, because he stopped me as I turned to leave.

"Excuse me…Miss…You're Isabella Swan?" he said, startling me out of my mutterings.

"Um…yes…" I said, confused. Who was this guy?

"And you wrote this article?"

"Guilty." I said, forcing a smile. Play nice, Bella…he could be someone you owe money to in the future…

"And you wrote the article about the tax cuts for meals on wheels?"

"Yes…"

"Why are you writing for the Herald? This piece is exquisite." He said, smacking the front page with his hand for embellishment. "Hi, I'm Michael Mackenzie, editor of the Downtown Daily."

I shook his hand with wide eyes. I couldn't think. The editor of the Downtown Daily was praising my work!

"Bella Swan." I heard myself murmur, in a dazed fashion. "Nice to meet you."

"Well, Miss Swan." He chuckled at my reaction. "I like your work, it's witty, and full of…something I can't quite put my finger on, but it's intriguing."

"Passion?" I said with an inner smirk as I recovered from my dazed status.

"Excuse me? Oh…yes, that's just it! Passion. Something you rarely see these days, unfortunately…how would you like to come work for me?"

"I…wow…um, Mr. Mackenzie, thank you, that's very generous, but I think I'd prefer staying at my paper for now." I said without thinking.

Wait, why was I passing up a job offer with one of the most prestigious newspapers in town? What was wrong with me?

I'll tell you what's wrong with me.

Mr. Mackenzie went through journalists like people change their socks. He had a reputation in the journalistic world for hiring young talent and canning them all in the same week.

That, and the fact that if I wasn't there to counter Edward's explosive anger at people like Clemons and my other workers, they'd be ripped to shreds.

And…something else. I really liked the Herald, despite it's awful ratings, awful office and awful staff. It was just…quaint.

I never thought I'd hear myself think that I liked the dumpy little newspaper, especially next to an offer like the Downtown Daily.

"Ah. Well, I'll be keeping a lookout for your future work, but if you ever get sick of it in that little paper of yours, my doors will be open." He flashed me a diabolical looking grin and handed me his business card, before leaving with the copy of the Herald under his arm.

Woah.

Just woah.

That was…definitely out of the ordinary.

I shook my head and went to the office, hurrying now because I'd wasted too much time.

Once more, as I entered the lobby I saw the insurance representatives leaving, and ducked behind a potted plant to avoid them.

Thank God Mackenzie had stopped me. I did not want to deal with those two money mongers.

Stepping into the newspaper only a few minutes later, Edward was walking back to my office—we basically shared it—from the printing room and looked agitated but more weary.

"About time you showed up." He said, stopping upon seeing me.

"I…I was held up." I said, wondering if he'd be angry today. He looked too tired to do much yelling. "Look! I have Mr. Mackenzie's business card, from the Downtown Daily. He stopped me at the newspaper stand and offered me a job there!"

"So this is your two weeks notice?" Edward said, going into my office as I continued to talk, following him.

"What? No." I said, taking off my coat. "I turned him down."

"Really?" Edward looked skeptical, and looked up from the papers he was perusing.

"Well…yeah. He wants me to call him if I change my mind, but…"

"Why on earth would you stay here?"

"I…I like it here." I said, confused. Was he trying to get rid of me?

"Suit yourself." He sighed, shrugging. He was…uncharacteristically laid back today. It was kind of unnerving. He rubbed his forehead, closing his dull green eyes for about a minute before opening them again.

"Are you alright?" I blurted out, unable to contain my curiosity at his new attitude change. "You look awful."

He looked worn out, and somewhat ill, but he did have that cold and he was getting paler every day because of it. I missed his radiant peach skin, the glitter in his eye…now he was dull and drawn.

"I'll be fine." He said, tossing me a sarcastic and get-off-my-case smile. "A little under the weather."

"Why don't you go home." I said seriously, leaning over the desk to look him directly in the eye.

Truth be told, I liked the asshole Edward better than the tired, complacent Edward. I liked the fight, the fire. This was a burnt out candlestick, instead of a raging open flame.

"I think I might." He said, sighing. He stood, and put his jacket on. "Are you staying for the rest of the day?"

"Yeah, sure." I said, trying to be accommodating. He looked awful, he needed rest, and cold medicine…I wanted to baby him, I wanted to take care of him.

No, no Bella, you don't. He's a big boy, he can take care of his cold himself.

But he looked so helpless, so lost. I felt really bad, because the only reason he was sick was because he gave me his coat in the snow.

"By the way, I liked your article." He said, as he put on his gloves.

"I noticed. You put it on the front page." I wrinkled my nose. I'd worked hard on it, and probably deserved it, but didn't think it was breaking news.

Wait. Hold up. Did he just compliment me?

Holy crap. I think he did. Edward Cullen complimented my writing.

"The meeting was pushed until tomorrow. I wanted you there for it."

"Edward, you said I could go home! I'm not blowing it off or anything—"

"I didn't say you were, Bella." He yawned. "And Esme wants to know if you're coming tomorrow night."

"I guess." I sighed, taking his vacated seat at my desk. "What are we seeing? A Broadway show?"

"She changed her mind. Now we're seeing the premier night of the New York Ballet's Giselle. At the Opera House."

"Right." I sighed. I was never going to fit in at a freaking ballet. "Well, see you tomorrow then."

He left, and I immediately went to Alice.

"Alice, what do people wear to ballets?" I asked, sitting down in the chair next to her desk as she was looking through her week's shots.

"Um…" she said, surprised by my question. She looked as if she knew something I didn't. Which, with this family, she probably did. It figured, I was left out. "What show?"

"Giselle. Opening night, tomorrow…you know, with the Cullens?" I said, my eyes widening.

Why didn't she know this?

She should, she was going…wasn't she?

"Right, right. Sorry, I thought it was Wednesday today." she smiled, but I had a feeling she was lying.

Something was up, something all of them were in on.

And it was bothersome.

Why had Esme invited me anyway? Something was definitely up…

"Will you help me? I don't think I have anything to wear…" I said, and found myself continuing. "I want to look nice, I want to look presentable…Alice, I don't compare to the rest of you!"

I don't know why, but I was nervous about this.

And I was anxious.

I wanted to gain approval, desperately. If the only way of doing that was by dressing up then I could do that.

I…I don't know, but maybe I wanted to tick Rosalie off. Something about her bothered me immensely…oh wait, it was the fact that she hated me for no reason whatsoever.

"Calm down, Bella, it's me. I have you covered." She gave me a sly grin. "Come home with me after work, I'll give you something to wear."

"Oh, Alice, you are a saint!" I exclaimed, once more throwing my arms around her neck.

Good. Now that was taken care of…

Now…how could I handle Rosalie? How could I get her to like me?

A cookie to anyone who figures out what's up! And I know this chap was short and delayed a few days…I'm sorry. But the next chap is going to be absolutely fantastic to make up for it, I promise!