Author's Note: Sorry I'm so slow! There's just so much stuff going on. Thanks for all the amazing reviews. Enjoy!
The first thing I saw when I woke up was blinding light, and Alice's petite frame standing near the window. I squinted against the early morning sun, and pulled the bedspread over my head. Of course, it was immediately yanked off. I lost my cool for a second, and in my haste to scramble off the bed to get Alice, I got tangled in the sheets. Right before my face hit the floor, Alice's stone arms were around me.
"Bella, you have to be careful. Anger gets you nowhere." Alice's smooth voice wasn't as soothing as she'd intended, and I burst into laughter. She lost her cool façade. "What?" She sounded annoyed.
"You of all people should not be talking to me about keeping my temper in check. Remember the vase?" I was referring to an incident a couple weeks ago where Alice broke a vase with her bare hands, because Emmett said it was ugly. She was trying to make a case for the vase, and ended up breaking it. Alice's face went from understanding to volatile in a split second.
"You know, Bella, I thought we made a deal. That is not to be mentioned again. What vase?" She pulled me upright, and started fidgeting with my hair. I batted her hand away, last night suddenly flooding back into memory.
"Alice, has Charlie called?" Alice kept fidgeting, and answered me as I opened my mouth to ask again. Alice had the tendency to block out whatever I was saying.
"Yes, he called, and then he showed up. He's downstairs. I told him you were sleeping in my room." Alice was perfectly calm. I, on the other hand, was freaking out. Charlie was downstairs. And I was in Edward's room!
I felt my eyes get bigger, my heart start racing, and my hands start shaking. In less than ten seconds, Edward was in the room, shoving Alice out of the way.
"It's fine. He just wanted to tell you that he was going deep sea fishing with Billy today. He won't be back until tomorrow. He's just waiting for you to come down and tell him goodbye." Edward wrapped his arm around me. I sighed, and relaxed my head into his chest. I dodged that bullet.
I ducked into the bathroom, to make myself seem semi-presentable. Alice opened the door, laid some clothes on the counter, and left. I put them on in a rush, and went downstairs. Charlie was sitting in the living room with Carlisle and Esme. All three of them got to their feet when I entered. Charlie came over, and wrapped me in a bear hug.
"Edward's told you, right?" He said into my ear. I nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon, so if there's anything you need, um, call Jacob. Okay?"
I nodded, and realized that he couldn't see me. "Yeah, okay. Have fun, Dad. Call me when you get back." My arms found their way around him, and as we held each other, I felt tears well up in my eyes. How much longer would I be able to do this? Would I be able to hug him after I'd changed, or would I want to kill him? I almost shuddered at the thought.
Charlie pulled back, just as I pulled myself together. Edward had seen my face though, and I knew I would face a lot of questions later. I sighed in exasperation, which Charlie mistook for impatience.
"Well, I think I'll get going. See you in a few days, Bells. Take care." He turned to leave, and I grabbed him in another hug. He was pleasantly surprised.
"Have fun, Dad. I mean it." I pulled away, and he walked out of the door happy. Edward and Alice looked at me strangely. "What?" I was confused.
"What was that all about?" Edward was quicker than Alice. I blushed, and turned away from him. Well, I didn't really turn away from him so much as I attempted. He turned with me, his eyes still intent on my face. I sighed, knowing that I wouldn't be able to dodge him forever.
"I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do that without wanting to kill him." I almost whispered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice slink out of the living room, and as I looked around, I noticed the rest was vacant too. I felt bad: I was always chasing everyone away.
Edward wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my face in his chest. "You don't have to do this, you know. Everyone will be content with you being a human. I don't want you to feel pressure."
I pulled my face away from his chest, and laughed without humor. "I don't want to be an old woman, Edward. I don't want to die, knowing that you can't! I know everyone would accept me as a human, but that wouldn't curb their urge to kill me, would it? I know my very presence in this house makes Jasper uncomfortable." I trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Edward sighed loudly.
"I want you to have a normal life. You know I don't want you to become like me. Jasper will grow tolerant over time. His discomfort is a temporary situation." Edward stroked my cheek, and I felt like laughing. Edward sensed this. "What?"
"This is so beside the point I was trying to make. It's not a big deal. I'm still sure about this, and you of all people should know that. It was just some pre-change anxiety." I laughed lightly in an attempt to lighten the mood. It failed miserably.
Edward didn't crack a smile. "Any anxiety is bad. I don't want you to go into this not being sure. It's pretty permanent." I laid my finger gently over his lips.
"I'm sure, really I am. Can we do something else besides argue now? Please?" I needed a day to do nothing.
Edward nodded. "Yes, I'm up for something different as well. But just know that this argument isn't over. I'll be questioning your decision until the day you get changed." As he finished his speech Alice rocketed into the living room.
"Are you guys finally finished talking? I'm ready to do something." Alice crossed her arms impatiently. Jasper slinked into the room, placing his hand on Alice's shoulder. Edward glanced at me quickly, and the look in his eyes spelled impatience.
"I don't know, what did you have in mind?" He sounded tired of this outing already. I felt the same way; I really just wanted to be alone with him.
Alice unfolded her arms. "Well, I was thinking a movie in Port Angeles. Then, maybe we could run up to Seattle to the mall? I need a new pair of jeans." She looked at me. "And Bella needs some things too."
Edward sighed. It was about as mellow as the day was going to get. He locked eyes with me, and I nodded ever so slightly. He rolled his eyes, and turned toward Alice. "That sounds relatively okay. Do Jasper and I have to shopping with you?"
Alice rolled her eyes, and I wasn't sure if she was imitating Edward, or if she was serious. "Of course not. But if you want to, that's a different story."
Edward scoffed. I took that as a no. Alice smiled, and poked him in the arm. "Are you sure you don't want to? We might be able to find something for you too." She looked at me, her face turning from playful to scary in a split second. I was supposed to play along.
"Uh, yeah. Don't you want new clothes?" I asked lamely. Edward smiled, obviously trying to suppress a laugh at my lack of enthusiasm. Alice rolled her eyes again, and pulled Jasper toward the door.
"We'll figure it out when we get there." She called back, as if she didn't know already. Edward took my hand.
"We'll do something together later, just the two of us." He whispered into my ear. The sound of his voice, and the cool air caressing my neck made me shiver. He sounded excited about that.
"Which car are we taking, Alice?" He sounded thoroughly impatient.
"Emmett's Jeep!" She called back.
"Does he know we're taking it?" I asked. She shook her head.
"No, but he won't mind." She was already at the garage.
I looked at Edward, who shook his head. "Today is going to be a long day, isn't it?" I asked. Edward smiled.
"Yes, it is." Then he bent down to kiss me.