Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a review. They put a big smile on my face.

This is a fluffy chapter to keep us happy before things become angsty.

Special thanks to my beta, Jensy/pbswimmer. You complete me.

Also, special thanks to mspacman1 and Twilightfan104 for pimping out my story. You two rock and I appreciate your support. :)

I'm already working on the next update and hope to have it up before Friday.

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Bella led me through the forest, our hands entwined. "Come on Edward, We're almost there." I smiled and pulled her hand up to my mouth, placing a kiss on each of her fingers. "I'm coming, Beautiful." We walked until we were no longer under the cover of trees, and as the mist parted, we both stopped short, taking in the magnificent view. Before us was a beautiful meadow, filled with lush green grass and wildflowers. This private haven seemed so out of place amongst the giant hardwoods of the Pacific Northwest. It was absolutely breathtaking.

We walked until we were in the middle of this secret meadow and Bella spread out a blanket she seemed to pull from nowhere. "Come and lie with me, Edward." I complied and found myself lying on my side facing Bella. The sun felt warm on my skin and birds were chirping in the distance. I smoothed my hand along Bella's delicate collarbone and gently inched my way up to her face. She was so soft and I could feel a tingle of electricity whenever my hand made contact with her skin. She had her hand in my hair, gently massaging my scalp. Her touch felt amazing, causing me to close my eyes and let out a soft moan.

I opened my eyes and drew my face closer to Bella's. I could feel her warm breath on my face as I closed the distance, bringing our lips together in a soft kiss. We continued kissing and I took her bottom lip between my own, graciously feeling her open her mouth to me. I began to deepen the kiss but was suddenly overtaken by a bright light glaring down from the sky. I put my hands in front of my face to shield myself from the blinding light. What was happening?

I woke up completely disoriented. I hated that Meyer's method of waking inmates every morning was to turn on the glaring overhead lights. Since there were no windows in my room, it went from pitch dark to camera-flash bright in less than a second, and the experience was painful. I was especially annoyed by the lights this morning, because I was interrupted from a very pleasant dream involving Bella. I was kissing her. I moaned bitterly, realizing that I had never kissed Bella and probably never would. I would give almost anything to have the chance to sit on a blanket in a field of grass with her.

I could feel the tightness of my briefs as my morning arousal strained against the waistband, and I silently willed my erection to go away. I'm not typically one for masturbation. My dad had threatened me with bodily harm if he ever caught me touching myself as a child, and I've never really been able to move past that threat. But I've never dreamt of a girl quite as amazing as Bella Swan, either.

I was due in the shower room in the next ten minutes and walking in with an erection would be a death sentence, so I filled my head with the most unappealing thoughts I could muster. Even juvenile detention centers had their share of sexual predators.

I quickly straightened my room, showered at the speed of light, and made it to breakfast. I saw Jasper already in the cafeteria, and I sat my tray down at his table.

"What's up, Masen?"

"Another day in paradise, Hale. How about you?"

"It's Wednesday, and my sister is coming to visit. My mom always sends some home-cooked food with her, so I can't wait."

Jasper loved to eat and apparently his mother's culinary skills exceeded those of anyone the Food Network had to offer. I pictured him stuffing his face in the visitation room, since he wasn't allowed to bring anything homemade back in to Gen Pop with him.

"So," he mumbled, his mouth full of food, "Is your girl coming to see you today?"

He swallowed and smirked at me before swigging his orange juice.

I had opened up to Jasper about Bella a few weeks ago. It just felt right to share everything with another person. I started from the beginning and told him about Biology class and my major crush on Bella. I told him that she was the girl I saved in Port Angeles and that she had been coming to visit me the past month.

Jasper thought it was hilarious that I was smitten with Chief Swan's daughter. He was terrified of the good Chief and told me I better not break her heart or Charlie would break my balls. "You didn't see his eyes when he held that knife to my throat, man. And I wasn't trying to get in his daughter's pants." I explained that I was hardly trying to get into her pants, but Jasper didn't believe me and made it a point to bring up Bella almost every day thereafter.

Bella had visited me three times, and each visit was a bright spot in my dreary prison existence. Each visit left me thrumming with happiness for a good twenty-four hours. Sadly, she had to skip last week when she flew to Jacksonville to visit her mother. She did, however, write me every day she was gone, making her absence slightly more tolerable, but now I was dying to see her.

I was especially excited because today would be our first visit in the real visitation room. We would no longer be thwarted by that horrible glass barrier between us, permitting only phantom touches through the glass. I was almost giddy at the idea of being able actually to touch her, yet I was also terrified of being so close to her. I hoped I wouldn't somehow do something stupid to scare her away.

"Yeah, Bella's coming today, and I'm no longer considered 'dangerous', so we'll be in the normal room."

"Ah. Your first real visit, eh? And it's been two weeks? I hope you'll be able to control yourself." He snickered.

"Jasper, I'm entirely confident that I'll be okay. Jumping her in front of twenty juvenile delinquents is hardly romantic."

"Well, I never claimed to be romantic. If Alice were to ever visit me, I'd make a complete fool of myself."

Jasper had been pining for some girl named Alice for years. They had shared a classroom table in the fourth grade and he said spent the entire year trying to get her attention. Of course, nine year-old boys think that pulling a girl's chair out from under her, throwing wads of paper at her, or stealing her favorite pencil was the way to a girl's heart. After a full year of dealing with Jasper's immature antics, Alice officially hated his guts.

Things only got worse when Alice became his twin sister Rose's best friend. They were inseparable. Jasper had spent the last several years enduring Alice being at his house, completely ignoring his existence. He had longed to tell Alice his feelings, but figured Rose would kill him, and he was also afraid Alice would just laugh at him.

We talked a little more and then Jasper headed to class. I went to the Education office to pick up my textbooks for my college classes, eagerly preparing for my first day of online education tomorrow. Officer Cullen had hinted around that if I kept my grades up and stayed out of trouble, they might allow me to leave the facility to attend classes at the community college or even as a transfer student to the University of Washington. I figured as long as I was trapped here, I may as well take advantage of the free educational opportunity. I had always dreamed of becoming a physician and hoped that still might be a possibility.

I picked up my textbooks and a folder containing the information I would need to set up my online account with the community college. Mr. Jennings, Meyer's Education Director, went over the rules and expectations for inmates taking college courses. He was really emphasizing the whole "being able to work towards a degree is a privilege, and can be taken away if rules are violated". His warnings were rather unnecessary; I had no intention of doing anything that would get me in trouble. So far I was demerit free and I wanted to stay that way so I would be able to visit Bella.

There was still an hour before visiting hours started, so I decided to familiarize myself with the computer lab. There were six computer stations and I was relieved that there were partitions between each one; the privacy would help keep me focused once classes began. I had never taken a class online before and I hoped that the lack of a traditional classroom setting would not make the learning process more difficult. After many months of being locked up, it felt strange sitting in front of a computer screen—something I formerly did every day of my life. It was a weird reminder of my life before captivity.

I followed the directions from the college to set up my account, feeling pleasantly surprised to discover that I would have an email account. Mr. Jennings never mentioned that personal emails were prohibited, and I totally planned to use this oversight to my advantage. Emailing Bella would certainly be a welcome distraction. She would be starting school soon as well, and I figured she wouldn't have the time to visit quite as much.

I got everything set up relatively quickly and figured out how to access my different classes. I would have several lectures to watch each week and I would use a program called "Blackboard" to interact with the other students in each of my classes. In particular, my English class required a substantial amount of peer review. I was embarrassed at the thought that I may have to divulge that I was an inmate to my fellow classmates, but I tried to look at the bright side of things. At least I would have day to day interaction with people who weren't criminals. I guess I thought I would be isolated from others when taking an online class, but that wouldn't be the case. I printed out the syllabus for each of my three classes and headed over to my cell.

Damn, I still had some time left before Bella arrived, and I was full of angst. Today there would be no barriers between us; an important step for our relationship. We would be sharing a table and we could touch each other, as long as we obeyed the rule that our hands had to be above the table at all times. They didn't allow any inappropriate touching, and I was mortified at the thought that people would actually try any below-the-table action. Teenage boys were such barbarians. If I were ever given the pleasure of touching Bella below the waist, it wouldn't be in a room filled with a bunch of criminals.

My hands were sweaty and I kept nervously running them through my hair. Now that we would be up close and personal, would I seem different? Would she continue to see me as the nice boy she had met in Biology, or would she see me as a monster? Deep inside I felt like a monster, and I was terrified that she would see me that way too. I had always worried if she would be afraid of me after watching me lose my shit in Port Angeles.

I really had gone off the deep end when I had seen those guys holding her down, ripping off her blouse and roughly unbuttoning her jeans. I could still hear two distinct sounds from that night in my dreams: Bella screaming, "Please, no!" and the snap of bone as I broke the neck of each of those bastards one by one. She said she didn't remember what happened that night, but she was at the trial and she must have heard the prosecutors highlight the fact that I continued slamming the ringleader's head into the pavement long after he was dead.

I shook my head, trying to clear the ugly images of that night from my thoughts. She couldn't think I was a monster, right? She wouldn't be writing me and visiting me if she did. She certainly wouldn't blush and try to touch my hand through plexiglass if she didn't like me.

Argh. I hated how insecure I was when it came to Bella. I'm sure if I had any experience with girls, it would be different. I've never had a girlfriend or anything remotely close to one. I have kissed one girl, but it was far from romantic and I remember being totally grossed out as she shoved her tongue down my throat. I'm sure that wouldn't be the case with Bella. She was different. I tried to be positive that Bella felt the same way I felt about her.

I peered out the door of my cell to the clock on the far wall. Only two minutes had passed since I last looked, and I felt like I would combust if I was forced to wait any longer. Luckily she was always here right at the start of visiting hours. I decided to brush my teeth and put on fresh deodorant. She would actually be close enough to notice things like my scent, and I didn't want to scare her away with bad breath. I checked my reflection in the mirror and tried taming my insubordinate mane of hair. I made sure my prison jumpsuit was as wrinkle-free as possible and checked for spots or stains. God, I was turning into such a girl. I was so busy appraising my appearance that I didn't hear Officer Cullen walk into my cell.

"Primping for the ladies, Masen?" He was laughing at me.

I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. "Well, my designer clothes are at the dry cleaners. This jumpsuit just seems so . . . last year. Do you think she'll notice?"

He continued laughing and rolled his eyes. "I don't think the cute brunette in the waiting room is gonna mind, Masen. Let's go."

He led me down the hallway and stopped in front of the door to the visitation room.

"Masen, is your visitor Chief Swan's daughter?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"No sir, but I hope one day she will be."

"Masen, I doubt very seriously that her dad knows she has been coming here to visit you. I'll be keeping my eyes on things and if you ever do anything to try to hurt her, I will contact Chief Swan immediately."

Damn. I never considered the fact that her dad wouldn't want her to come and see me. He had come to jail to visit me once, and interrogated me more hostilely than the actual detectives investigating my crime. I could tell he didn't like me and for some reason I felt like he doubted my story that the reason for my violence was to protect Bella. If he found out she's been spending time with me, he would freak, effectively ending happy Edward and Bella time. I would need to be more careful with sending letters and such. Email was starting to sound like such a good idea.

"You know Chief Swan?" I asked.

"I've known him for years. He's actually the one who got me into law enforcement. I'm working on my degree in Criminal Justice in addition to working here."

"So, you're from Forks?"

"Yeah Kid, I'm from Forks. Why do you think I take such good care of you? You're a hometown boy. And I also know that you saved Bella that night; that's the only reason I haven't called Chief Swan already. Don't make me regret trusting you, Edward."

He had never called me by my first name before and I vowed never to lose Officer Cullen's trust. He was watching out for me, and in a place like this, that was nothing short of a miracle.

"Now get in there and talk to your girl."

He pushed me through the door and told me I had an hour.

I noticed there were several inmates already sitting with their visitors. I looked around for Bella and when I found her sitting alone a table on the left side of the room, I smiled brightly.

She was looking in my direction and when our eyes met, she instantly grinned and began blushing. I walked quickly over to the table and she stood up to greet me. Internally I was debating how I should greet her. Should I hug her or just shake her hand? Bella decided for me and before I had a chance to say anything, she moved towards me and enveloped me in her arms, her head pressing into my chest. I closed my eyes and brought my long arms around her small frame and wrapped them around her. It had been years since someone had shown me this level of physical affection, and I basked in the raw beauty of it. I leaned my head down and placed my nose in her hair, breathing in the essence of Bella: freesia and strawberries. We still hadn't spoken and I could have stayed in this position forever, had the officer monitoring the visitation room not approached us.

"Alright, Masen, that's enough. Take your seats, please."

I reluctantly released Bella and gazed into her eyes. She was wearing the biggest smile I had ever seen and I couldn't help but grin back at her. I motioned to her chair and I took the seat next to her. Our chairs were about a foot apart, and I could feel an almost magnetic pull towards her. I wanted to scoot my chair closer, but decided not to push things on the first visit. Our arms were both resting on the table and it seemed our hands were miles apart. I slowly slid my right hand a little closer to hers.

I asked her about her trip to Jacksonville and she filled me in on all the activities she did with her mom and her step-dad. Apparently he played minor league baseball, so they went to a few of his games and spent some time at the beach. She said it was nice to see her mom, but the visit just solidified her decision to keep living in Forks. She said her mom was the happiest she'd ever seen her and she would have just gotten in the way if she had stayed there. I figured her mom must be a selfish idiot not to want her amazing daughter around all the time.

While we were talking I slowly slid my hand towards hers. I couldn't tell for sure, but I swear she was doing the same thing. Only a few inches separated her hand from mine. I longed to reach out and take it, but something held me back.

We talked about the upcoming school year. I was excited about starting classes, but she wasn't exactly thrilled about another year at Forks High. She said it would be like starting over again, since she finished the last school year from home, nursing her injuries from the attack.

"You were the only friend I made last year and now you are locked up here. It's going to totally suck to go back there."

"Bella, what about your friend Jacob you told me about? Won't you see him at school?"

She had told me about how Jake had been such a good friend to her after the incident and that his support had probably prevented her from becoming clinically depressed. I'll admit I felt a little jealous in regards to him, but I tried to remember that if she was interested in him, she certainly wouldn't be sitting here with me.

"No, Jacob's a Quileute. He goes to school on the reservation."

Oh, so he was the long-haired kid who came with her to my trial.

I was sad that Bella was dreading school. Without looking, I moved my hand towards hers and nearly jumped when I felt my fingers make contact with her warm skin. Touching her was like Fourth of July fireworks. It was amazing. She had stopped talking and was blushing at me. I hoped she felt the sparks too.

"Um, is this okay?" I motioned to my hand on top of hers.

"It's more than okay, Edward."

And with that she turned and opened her hand, entwining her fingers with mine. I know it may sound cheesy, but I had never held a girl's hand before and having her hand in mine was one of the most amazing things I had experienced. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, and I silently tried to calm myself. I didn't think she was ready to know just how much she affected me.

We spent several minutes not speaking, just glancing back and forth between our hands and our faces. I couldn't stop smiling and neither could she.

We were disrupted from our romantic reverie when I heard a familiar voice holler at us from the next table.

"Hey Masen!"

I looked over to see Jasper sitting with his sister Rose, who was busily unpacking a dozen containers of food onto the table. She looked at me and then at Bella, scowling at us both.

"You must be Bella. Hi, I'm Jasper. Tell your dad I'm real sorry about the car thing."

He then whispered much too loudly. "Dude, you never told me how hot she was!"

I wanted to strangle him, but that would require me taking my hand away from Bella's and I wasn't willing to break our physical connection.

"Edward, this is my sister Rosalie. Rosalie, this is Edward. He's from Forks too. And that's his girlfriend Bella."

Rosalie was still scowling at us and mumbled something I couldn't understand.

Once again I wanted to kill Jasper. Now Bella was going to think I told him that she was my girlfriend. If she ran away screaming, I couldn't blame her.

Luckily, Jasper was distracted by the tantalizing aromas of Mama Hale's home cooking and quickly forgot about us.

Bella squeezed my hand and smiled playfully. "Girlfriend, huh?"

She was blushing and I figured my cheeks were equally as red.

"About that. I'm orry Bella, Jasper's a little crazy."

"I thought it sounded kinda nice, actually." She was blushing even more now and looked down at our hands.

"Yeah, it did have a nice ring to it, didn't it?"

We continued blushing and giggling like a couple of seventh graders. It was a little embarrassing, but I figured I had as much experience as most seventh graders when it came to girls, so this was to be expected.

All too soon a guard approached us and announced that our hour was up. We both got out of our chairs and Bella gave me another amazing hug. She promised to visit soon and I quickly gave her my new email address. I watched her walk out and then followed the guard back to my cell. As I was walking, I kept asking myself, "Does this mean Bella's my girlfriend?"

Back in my cell I pulled out the logic puzzle book Bella had brought that first day and began working through a puzzle. She had written a note in the book about how this would keep my mind sharp for those college classes I would soon be taking. The only thing my mind knew for sure at this moment was that I was completely in love with Isabella Swan.

Thanks for reading. Reviews are love.

My fanfic rec of the day. Hydraulic Level 5. It's on my favorites list. A very original and well written story.