As I was flouncing my way down the huge staircase in the Cullens house, I could still hear Edward's musical laugh. I'll admit it, I swooned a little. I still couldn't believe my luck. He loved me! I smiled, and was still smiling when I ran head-on into Esme when I reached the bottom of the stairs. I bounced off her solid frame, and was mid-fall when her strong arms pulled me upright. "I'm so sorry, Bella!" Esme's heart-shaped face was worried. "Are you alright?"
My Edward induced smile was still on full force. "Yes, Esme, I'm fine. Stop worrying!" I hugged her, and we turned and walked toward the living room. As we were walking, Edward's laugh ceased abruptly. Esme and I turned toward the staircase. Edward and Alice were at the bottom. Edward had an icy look on his face, and Alice was trying to stifle a laugh. My smile got bigger, if that was possible. I met his eyes, and I could see they weren't icy at all. They were burning.
"What's wrong, Edward?" I teased him, walking up and putting my hands on his chest.
"There's fan fiction out there, about us getting….intimate," He said this through his teeth. His arms were now crossed over his chest. He leaned closer to me "I don't really feel comfortable with that. I don't know how it got there, or how this Stephenie Meyer woman knew our story. Why are you okay with it?" He looked worried.
"Intimate? What kind of person says 'intimate' anymore? You are in need of a serious slang update, my brother." Emmett's booming voice called out.
"Oh, god." Edward muttered. "This is the last thing I need right now."
"What do you mean?" Emmett's face looked hurt. Alice buzzed up to his side, and whispered in his ear. Edward looked daggers at her, as Emmett's eyes widened, a disbelieving grin spreading across his face. I guess this was the point where Alice told him about the steamy fictions, because he burst into peels of laughter. At one point, he was on the floor. If Emmett could have turned red, he would have been the shade of a tomato. By this time, Alice had flitted around the room, and whispered to everyone about the fan fiction. Emmett, Esme, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice were in fits of laughter, the likes of none I had never seen before. Rosalie was on her knees on the floor, Jasper was propped up against a post, Emmett was still on the floor, and Esme had drifted over toward the piano, leaning on it, shaking with laughter. Edward had disappeared. Although I found it mildly funny in the beginning, I couldn't understand why the idea of Edward and I…..being together….was so funny. I started up the stairs, unnoticed by the laughing family. I tiptoed down the hallway, to Alice's room. I had the distinct feeling that Edward would be there. I peeked around the door. Edward was indeed sitting at the computer, his back to me.
"Are you going to come in, or what? I have something to show you." Edward no longer sounded mad. In fact, he sounded quite happy. I groaned, and walked toward him and the computer. I'd had enough of people showing me things for one day. I stood behind him, leaning over his shoulder to see the moniter. His hands ran up and down my arms, raising goose bumps. I read what he had pulled up, and I began to smile
"Think it'll take the smug looks off their faces? He had an evil grin stretched across his own face.
I looked down at him, surprised. An evil grin stretched across my face too. "Oh, I think so. This is good, this is very good, Edward." All of a sudden, I had an idea. "I have a plan."
"I love it when you plot." He turned in the computer chair, and his hands found my waist. He pulled me on his lap. We sat like that for awhile, then he tucked his hand under my chin, and lifted my face toward his. He kissed me deeply, his hands exploring my back. I ran my hands under his shirt, along his chest. He pushed me away gently. "What's the plan?" I leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
Later, after we had perfected the plan, we came down the stairs holding hands. We made our way into the living room, where everyone was sprawled out on the couches, the TV blaring. Edward and I sat on the loveseat closest to the dining room. Emmett and Rosalie threw glances at us, and Alice and Jasper had their heads bent together, whispering about something. Esme had left to visit Carlisle at the hospital during his break, no doubt filling him in on Alice's discovery.
Edward and I looked at each other, and I winked at him. The signal. Edward turned to me, and said in a conversational tone "Read anything good lately, Bella?"
I feigned interest. "Yes, Edward, as a matter of fact I have."
Edward stifled a smile. "Care to share? I mean, it's understandable if you don't want to, but I'm rather interested." Alice and Rosalie were staring at us, looks of confusion on their exquisite faces. Emmett had his eyes trained on the football game on TV, and Jasper was stroking Alice's hand, and gazing deeply into her distracted eyes.
"Why, of course! I would love to share with you, Edward!" I whipped out a hefty stack of printed sheets bound by staples. I flipped through the numerous stories, until I came to the perfect one. I pulled it out of the pile, and read the title to myself. I almost lost it then and there. "I've been reading a lot of short stories lately. They're very interesting. This one's called 'Emmett and Rosalie Go On Vacation', and it's pretty steamy, shall I read you part of it?"
Edward suppressed a smile. "Oh please, do. This sounds promising." Emmett's head snapped away from the TV, and Rosalie looked livid.
"Well, maybe we'll save that for another time. Oh, here's another one. It's called 'Jasper's Special Talents', and like the first one, it's pretty hot and heavy." Jasper looked like he'd been hit in the stomach, and Alice had her head down, supremely embarrassed.
Edward pressed his lips together. "Any other stories you would like to share? I'm finding your reading material quite boring." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw four mouths drop open simultaneously. I felt waves of indignation wash over me; Jasper must be mad. But my own mirth overrode his emotions, and I looked at Edward, struggling hard to control his laughter. I clapped a hand over my mouth, and could control it no longer. The look of rage on their faces was priceless. I threw my head back, and let loose. Edward did also. I looked over at them, sitting together on a sofa.
All of a sudden, Edward's strong arms were under me, and he was running toward the staircase. As he was climbing the staircase, I could hear Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett coming after us. Uh-oh.