Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They all belong to the amazingly talented Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 6: Clair de Lune

Rosalie dropped me off back home around 8:00. I could barely make it through the door thanks to all the shopping bags I had in my arms. After we left Tiffany's, we went from store to store, buying—in my opinion—unnecessary things. According to Rosalie, however, all of these new clothes, shoes, and accessories were very important items. But that sure wouldn't stop me from wearing my old clothes.

"Hey dad, I'm home," I called.

"Oh hey, Bells! Did you have a nice time?"

"It was great, except that Jasper got sick at Navy Pier," I said sadly, remembering. "Too many Dippin' Dots."

Charlie looked confused. "Dippin' Dots?"

I snorted. "Yeah. That, plus a shitload of hot dogs, chips, and fries equals puke."

He chuckled. "Oh man, poor kid."

"I know. He didn't feel well enough to continue, so Rose and I dropped him off at home and did some power shopping," I said, glancing hatefully at my pile of bags.

"What, you didn't like shopping," Charlie teased.

"Her idea, not mine."

"Ah. So when are you seeing Jasper again?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know, dad. He said he'd let me know when he was free."

Charlie must've misinterpreted my eye roll as annoyance towards Jasper. "Geez, it's not very nice that he left you hanging like that. Want me to talk to him?"

"Dad, no way! He'll call me when he can. And from now on, there will be no more interfering on your part. He and I are just friends, and that's it," I said.

"Alright, alright," he said, holding up his hands as if surrendering. "I was only trying to help."

I laughed. "I know, dad. Anyways, I'm pretty beat, so I think I'm just going to hit the sack."

"Ok, Bells. Have a good night."

I got up to my room (somewhat awkwardly, due to my shopping bags) and flipped on the light. I had to giggle—Charlie could be so clueless about guys sometimes. But I knew he was just trying to look out for me. As I began changing into my pajamas, I started thinking about what an eventful day it had been—Jasper getting sick, Rose's big news, the shopping (ugh) on the Magnificent Mile, cleaning the first floor, the intoxicating scent that had blanketed the house, the disappearance of my blouse…

My blouse! Curiously, I sniffed it, and smiled. The scent was still there. And as I got into bed and closed my eyes, I was still smiling.

I rolled over with a groan. It was 2 A.M. again, just like yesterday morning. What the hell? But then, I heard it—the piano. I listened carefully. It wasn't the same song as yesterday morning. It was…no way! Tears began to well up in my eyes as I listened to my favorite song—"Clair de Lune." I knew what I had said before, about not bothering this spirit—letting it come to me—but I didn't care at this point. I mean, it was "Clair de Lune" for God's sake! I got up quickly and darted through the door towards the stairs. This time, I made sure that I didn't hit the banister.

I crept downstairs as quickly and quietly as possible, took a deep breath, and looked around the corner. I expected to see the piano keys moving by themselves again, but what I did see was much more shocking. A young man around my age sat at the piano. As funny as it sounded, I was not shocked to see someone there. What had shocked me was how incredibly beautiful he was. Even though he was seated, he looked like he was quite tall. His hair was an unusual bronze color. Though I could tell he had tried to neaten it up, his hair still had a level of untidiness to it. But it worked for him. His face was perfectly angled with a strong jaw line. And he was wearing a light brown vest and trousers, complete with a white button down shirt. I noticed that the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. In fact, the only noticeable difference between him and a human was that his body was surrounded by a faint glow.

"Wow," I said quietly. Immediately, I mentally kicked myself for speaking aloud. So much for staying inconspicuous.

He abruptly stopped playing and turned sideways to look at me. His face was guarded.

I was instantly apologetic. "I'm so sorry if I frightened you. I'll just go now," I said, turning back towards the stairs.

"No, no. Don't go," he said, standing up. "I was worried that I frightened you."

Oh God, even his voice was beautiful. "You didn't frighten me, really," I said, relieved that he hadn't run away. "You're perfect," I blurted out. Stupid Bella.

He chuckled and walked closer to me. "Well, now that we know we haven't frightened each other, I'd like to introduce myself to you."

I looked up at him in surprise and was immediately lost in his intense gaze. His eyes were a bright green, and seemed to smolder even in the darkness of the early morning.

"My name is Edward Masen. I'm very pleased to meet you, Bella," he said gracefully.

"Oh, I, um." I cleared my throat and started again. "How did you know my name?"

"Well," he paused, looking a little embarrassed. How adorable. "And don't be frightened when I tell you this, but I've kind of been watching you."

I felt a surge of heat go through my body. "I'm not scared, Edward. I'm actually kind of flattered."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said, melting my heart with a beautiful crooked smile. "The last thing I'd want to do is scare you."

"Is that why I haven't seen you yet?"

His smile grew bigger. "Good job, Bella. You passed with flying colors," he teased.

He's witty too? Oh man.

"Wow, and here I was not wanting to bother or frighten you," I said in surprise.

"How could you ever frighten me, Bella? You're not the ghost, here, remember," he added with a chuckle.

"Well, when you were playing yesterday…I don't know…I just got the feeling that you wanted to be alone. And I thought that's why you wouldn't show yourself. I also figured you definitely wouldn't show yourself after the whole me interrupting you thing—I thought I startled you. And then I was embarrassed because I was such a klutz. I mean, first I hit my knee on the banister. Then I…"

"Bella, Bella—stop," he said, looking concerned. Then almost immediately, he started to laugh. "Have you ever considered a career in auctioneering? Because you'd be rich by now."

I began to turn away, blushing furiously, but he was instantly in front of me again. "Bella, I was joking. I'm so sorry if I hurt your feelings," he said sincerely. "It seems as though we misinterpreted each other's actions. You believed that you'd frightened me or made me mad, and that's why you thought I hadn't shown myself to you?"

"Yes."

"You also believed that I wanted to be alone, right?"

"Right."

"Well, that's kind of true. I like playing the piano by myself. It's a nice time to reflect," he explained. "But then, when you came downstairs and reacted the way you did, I thought that I had scared you. It's not everyday you see a piano playing itself," he added, smiling. "That's why I haven't appeared to you sooner. I felt bad for supposedly scaring you, so I decided to back off a little and make myself known in a less threatening way."

I smiled, remembering the scent in my room and on my blouse. "I hardly think playing the piano or giving off a scent qualifies as something threatening."

He laughed. "Well, I'm happy you feel that way."

I paused, unsure of how to proceed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Bella."

"Why did you decide to appear to me now?"

He thought about it for a moment, and then spoke. "I think because you dealt so well with yesterday's happenings during the day," he said with a slight smirk. "And since I thought you'd been frightened by me earlier, I took your happier attitude as a good omen…which leads us to now."

While he'd been talking, I had been staring up at him, dazzled by his charm, his kindness, and of course, his earth shattering good looks. I felt like a preteen, completely infatuated with a first crush.

"Um, Bella?" The edge to his voice broke me out of my trance.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sorry."

He chuckled. "You have nothing to be sorry about. You're tired. I should be the one to apologize. I did, after all, wake you up with my playing."

This statement made me remember a question I'd been meaning to ask. "Edward, about that—why 'Clair de Lune'"?

"It was one of the first pieces I ever learned," he answered matter-of-factly. "That, and…well, it's your favorite isn't it?"

He was playing this for me? My eyes flickered up to meet his. He was dazzling me again with his gaze.

"Yes," I said softly. "Yes it is."

"Mine, too," he replied, his green eyes smoldering.

"How did you…" I began. Then I remembered that I had played my classical CD yesterday. "Oh! You were…"

"Watching? Yes. What can I say? You fascinate me, Bella Swan," he said intensely.

Wow.

We continued to gaze at each other in silence for another moment, then he cleared his throat. "Well, I'm keeping you from your sleep. I may not need rest, but you sure do."

"Oh, um, right."

He dazzled me with another crooked smile as we made our way to the foot of the stairs. "I should like to talk to you again, Bella. Will you be free tomorrow? Or should I say later today?"

I nodded helplessly. "I'll be free every day until school starts in a month."

"Until later then," he said.

"Yes," I whispered, my eyes never leaving his face as I backed up the stairs.

"Oh, and Bella—pleasant dreams." He smiled once more before turning and disappearing into thin air.

I slowly made my way back upstairs and collapsed into bed in a daze. My head was spinning. We had just met, and already, I was infatuated with him. I could not get Edward out of my head, nor did I want him out of my head. But he was a ghost! Who had feelings for a ghost?! The answer was clear and simple, and there was no way to deny it: I did.

Yay! Edward's here, Edward's here!! I loved writing this chapter. I know the whole falling for a ghost thing might sound weird, but if I was Bella, I'd probably fall for him, too. Who wouldn't? He's gorgeous, and romantic, and lots more! Now that he's in the picture, he'll be in it for good. I find myself writing more and more for each chapter—it's so much fun now that Edward's in the story! Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, Edward is not a transparent ghost. He doesn't look shadowy or anything—he looks like a real person…just with a glow. Edward's very special, what can I say? But I don't need to tell you Edward lovers that! And I've added a link on my profile to some background/historical info on "Clair de Lune" in case anyone's interested…because I'm just a history nut like that! Anyways, I'll update on Thursday. Read and review :-)