Disclaimer: As always, I do not own this world nor these characters, nor do I profit.

Note: Part two, a day late (Apologies.)... enjoy :)

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The drive flew by, and not just because we were practically flying due to Edward's need for speed.

We took turns drilling each other with questions, as if we were determined to know every last little bit about the other. Well, we were.

Favorite cartoon show? "Darkwing Duck," he had said without hesitation.

City you'd most like to visit? "London," I had answered.

His favorite animal (hunting excluded)? "Still the mountain lion," he had admitted.

Favorite superhero? "You," I had said automatically. Then the words registered, and I flushed.

Edward had looked at me oddly. "I'm not a superhero, Bella," he said seriously.

"You are to me," I had mumbled, still embarrassed.

"No, Bella. I'm a bad guy, the villain, the monster –"

"No, Edward," I had interrupted, suddenly finding inspiration and my stride. "You've saved my life countless times. But not just from the danger I attract, either. You've saved my life from the doldrums it would have been. You've saved me from having no one to love, ever. You saved my life."

His eyes burned at me, as if he was trying to discern what my mind was thinking. No, not as if. He was. But, of course, he couldn't.

"But—"

"No," I cut him off firmly. "You're my hero. More than that. My everything. My heart beats only for you."

As soon as I'd said it, I realized the true irony behind that last sentence. Because yes, my heart surely did beat for him now, but as soon as I could change, as soon as I could convince him or anyone of his family members to bite me, my heart would be stilled for him as well.

He was staring away from me now, actually watching the road for a change.

"You're my everything, too," he had murmured silkily. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say he sounded…oddly half-broken, and half-contemplative. "You're all I've ever wanted."

I smiled slowly, again marveling at how we were destined, fated to be together. At how deeply I loved him. (He always said he loved me more than I loved him, which I found to be completely absurd, because my love for him was unfathomable. And how could he love me?)

But he did.

"So, favorite era of time to live in?" I said, trying to backpedal from the seriousness we'd fallen into.

Liquid eyes narrowed at me. "Obviously right now, here with you, silly Bella."

I giggled. "Just checking."

"Waste of a question, if you ask me," he teased, flashing me pearly whites. "But if you could live in any era, what would you have picked?"

"Ooh, that's tough," I scrunched up my face in thought. "I would have liked to see Chicago in your day, Edward. With you."

He smiled faintly. "You probably wouldn't have liked it. Too dressy for you."

I arched a brow. "Alice is starting to change my perspective on fashion."

His full, boisterous laugh echoed in the car. "I'd say don't tell her, but she already knows," he grinned. "Your future is encouraging her. You're like this giant doll she can dress up."

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "I knew it! There's no stopping her now, is there?"

"I'd put my money on Alice when she says you're going to love dressing up."

I shook my head, still buried in my hands.

Long, icy fingers gently pried my hands away, finding their way under my chin and forcing my rueful gaze to his charmed one.

"Believe me when I say I've seen what she sees," Edward spoke. "And you look breathtaking."

I ducked my chin to press my lips to his palm, unable to resist the impulse. If he'd let me, my lips wouldn't leave the perfect planes of his body until I'd tasted every inch. One day.

One day, when I was like him. Then he wouldn't need to be such a perfectly controlled gentleman. We would be able to let our fiery passion consume each other.

I couldn't wait. Soon. It would hopefully be soon.

His hand pulled away from me, nimbly toying with the radio, and suddenly a classic Edward song thundered in the speakers. I recognized the tune instantly, and we both sang, rocking out to our hearts' content.

Edward had a perfect singing voice. I hadn't been surprised to learn that, although when I first heard him sing, softly, only to me, I had gone weak-kneed. He was musical, I'd known that when he composed my lullaby, and how that honeyed velvet voice could sing!

The clock on Edward's dash betrayed that we had spent nearly two hours in the car. Nearly two hours at the speed he drives meant we could be anywhere. I really hadn't been paying attention to our bearings at all.

Our seemingly incessant questions paused for a comfortable lapse of conversation.

I admired his profile for a long moment, unable to stop my eyes from tracking along his chiseled features, down the straight slope of his nose, over those cold marble lips, and back up again. He had become happier, more carefree and playful, than I'd seen in a long while. Perhaps ever.

The thought warmed me. Although I'd take him anyway I could get him, I much preferred almost-giddy Edward to brooding, crabby Edward.

"So, not that I don't think that sweater is the most marvelous piece of clothing you could wear," he began suddenly. "You look lovely, you really do. But I have something else for you."

He reached into the back seat, produced a box that he pressed into my hands.

"What's this?" I questioned.

"Alice picked it out for you. Put it on. You're a little… underdressed," he said carefully.

"Underdressed for what?" I was instantly suspicious, and my fingers dove through a layer of fine tissue. I found a silky, floaty black straps…of a slinky black dress.

"You'll see," Edward's crushed velvet voice said, evasive as always.

I pulled the dress out, held it at arm's length for an attempt to give it a disapproving once-over. But I couldn't. Even just clutched in my fingers, it looked lovely. Alice had great taste. And that's when he set another box in my lap.

Shoes.

I peeked under the lid.

"Edward, no," I said firmly. "Absolutely not."

He rolled his eyes. "Are you going to wear your sneakers with the dress, then?"

"Maybe."

"Don't."

"Why not?"

"Because you'll look ridiculous."

"But, Edward, heels?" I complained. "Is your goal for the evening to land me in the ER? That's real romantic. You know me, always a sucker for IV drips and pain meds."

He shot me a relieved look. "Now there's the Bella I've been missing," he proclaimed with exaggerated relief. "Brilliantly witty, sharply sarcastic, protesting niceties and everything."

He paused. "Humor me?"

I harrumphed. But I wasn't all that annoyed, really. I mean, I hated when he bought me things…he shouldn't be wasting money (even if it was endless) on me. Though, if anything, my curiosity was really starting to burn now. Why the dress?

"Besides," he continued, "If nothing else, you'll get to see me in a tuxedo again."

I licked my lips at the mere thought of his sculpted body in that midnight tuxedo he wore to prom. "That's good motivation. I think I'll wear the dress."

He chose that moment to dazzle me with one of his wide, crooked grins. "Excellent. I knew you'd see it my way."

I seized the opportunity to question our destination. "Will you tell me where we're going now?"

Edward made a big show of struggling with deliberation and finally acquiescing. He heaved a sigh. "Oh, all right. I suppose you've waited long enough to know."

"Really?" I squealed.

"No." He laughed.

I pouted my lower lip, and I noted with satisfaction the minute tensing of his brawny frame.

"You really shouldn't do that when I'm driving, Bella," he warned, and the look in those tawny butterscotch eyes made my heart flutter.

" 'I have perfect concentration,'" I quoted back at him in my best Edward-impression. " 'I won't turn us into a Volvo pretzel.' 'This is how I always drive.'"

He shook his head ruefully, and then suddenly we were decelerating, and then he pulled over into a little pull-off on the roadside. A thrill raced up my spine. What was he doing? My glorious Edward turned to face me, reaching out to caress my jawline with the faintest of cool touches.

"I hope you don't mind," he murmured softly. "But you'll have to change in the car. I don't think you'll want to change in the restaurant."

"We're still going out to eat?" I snapped out of the daze his touch had put me in.

"Of course," he said, sounding affronted. "You still need to eat."

His long arms stretched back into the back seat, producing an armful of neatly pressed dark clothing. "I'm going to go change. I'll be back. Make it quick. I don't want to be late for our reservation."

"You made a reservation?" I asked, impressed. "Well, I'm sure your driving will make up for any lost time right now."

"Naturally." He leaned in slowly, turning as he did so to lightly touch his lips to the top of my cheekbone. I wanted to reach out and twine my fingers into his thick bronze hair, but I fought the urge.

Then he was out the door, disappearing into thick pines.

It only took a few minutes to awkwardly shrug out of my sweater and jeans and pull the fine black dress over my head. Alice, as always, had impeccable taste and a perfect eye for my size. As best as I could tell, the dress was fantastically flattering. It was a sleeveless number, with wide straps and a V-neck. It gathered at the sides of the waist for an ultimate hourglass figure, and would probably flow to just at my knees.

The shoes weren't that high, but they'd still probably give me trouble. At least I could brace myself against Edward and use him to help me keep my wobbly knees and ankles upright.

I peered at my reflection in the little mirror on the sun visor. Renee's pearls were a good choice. I tussled my hair, fluffed it a tad and smiled.

Simple, and yet shockingly elegant. I slipped Edward's jacket back on, understanding now why he said I'd need it.

He returned several long heartbeats later. I knew he would have ventured far enough away to not see anything – it would be too dangerous, he would assume – and then have to guess how long it would take me to change. His Volvo wasn't the easiest thing to get dressed in.

He looked me up and down with an approving, appreciative look.

I blushed. "How do I look?"

"Good enough to eat," he said honestly. I tried not to shiver. The thought of Edward nipping along my throat had my pulse racing…but kissing me was a strictly lips-and-tongue-only affair. And even then, he was extremely cautious.

I reached over casually to run my hand down his arm, loving the strong feel of his muscles under the tuxedo jacket beneath my fingers. When my fingers finished their slow foray down the muscled expanse, finishing at the wrist of his jacket cuffs, he seized my hand, turned it palm up, and brought it to his face. Edward nuzzled the tender, blue-veined inside of my wrist, inhaling as he did so. His eyes slid shut for a moment, and I could not take my eyes off him.

He touched a kiss to the spot, eyes shifting to meet mine.

The temperature in his Volvo seemed to have kicked up at least 20 degrees.

And then he dropped my wrist and started the car again, and we were off.

"I'll have to give Alice grief over her part in the obvious conspiracy to get me into heels," I declared.

Edward raised an eyebrow. "She said you'd say that. She also said you'd forgive her before the night was over, and possibly even thank her."

"Yeah?"

"Mmmhmm."

"We'll see," I responded.

"That we will," he agreed.

My thoughts flickered to his tiny, dark-haired sister. Fashionable clothing should consider itself lucky that it didn't bleed, because Alice would be powerless against its pull. She already was. And her attempts to inspire in me a longing for high fashion were unsuccessful…but I was starting to warm to these new gifts. Even if Edward instructed her to buy me something. I mean, she had incredible taste.

Well, she should. She had my size down, and always foresaw what would make me happy and look fabulous.

"Did Alice say anything else about this evening that I should be aware of?"

"Nope," Edward grinned. "Just that we're going to have a perfectly grand time this evening."

I still had no idea where we were headed. I'm guessing Edward didn't clear it with Charlie, either, so it must either be somewhere Charlie would never have approved of, or… simply that he didn't feel the need to ask.

I figured he knew Charlie would never have let us go if he knew where Edward was taking us.

Which only marginally narrowed down the options. California, maybe? Charlie had no idea how fast Edward drove. Otherwise, he'd never let me drive with my boyfriend, safe driver or not.

I let myself be distracted again by the tuxedo-clad vampire sitting next to me. It was probably a good thing he rarely wore the sharp, black suit. It accentuated his perfectly fit form, and he looked good in black. He rarely wore black. In fact, the first time I had ever seen him in black was for prom.

But this tuxedo…the urge to jump him stirred my blood. He was beyond just smoldering and sexy. More like, purely seductive. From the top of his constantly disarrayed bronze hair to this toes, he exuded appeal. Even his scent was mouthwatering.

I sighed happily, earning myself a quizzical gaze from Edward. He beamed at me.

It wasn't long before he slowed again to a more-reasonable speed, and that's when I caught a road sign.

"Vancouver?" I gasped. "You took me to Canada?"

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Next post will be Tuesday night.