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

Chapter 12: Explanations, Emotions…and Handcuffs?

The three of us stared at each other for an unfathomable amount of time. If someone asked me to describe what I was feeling at the moment, I couldn't sum it up. Thousands of emotions were floating through my head: fear, shock, disappointment, uncertainty… I could go on forever. I was incredibly frightened of what might happen if I spoke, but I knew that I had to explain myself.

"Rose," I said cautiously, "Rose, it's alright." But she didn't look alright. She looked as though she was on the verge of either screaming or passing out.

I tried again. "Rose, please don't be afraid. He's not dangerous at all."

For some reason, this broke her out of her funk. "He," she said incredulously. "That is not a 'he' Bella! That is, well, I'd say more like an 'it'."

I inhaled sharply in anger, glancing at Edward to gauge his reaction. He looked absolutely crushed. When a person hurts my feelings, that's bad enough. But when they hurt the feelings of someone I love, they're crossing the line. I put my arms around Edward and gave him what I hoped was a comforting smile. He wouldn't even look at me.

I turned to face Rosalie and tried to be as calm as possible. "Rose, c'mon. At least let me explain before you pass any judgments."

Suddenly, I heard someone approaching. "Rose, Babe—is everything ok," Emmett called. "I thought I heard a noise." Oh god, I was hoping to introduce Edward to everyone separately, but it looked like that just wasn't going to happen.

Emmett stopped in front of the door and glanced at Edward quickly. "Hey man, how's it going?" He turned back to Rosalie, then suddenly did a double take, nearly breaking his neck in the process. "What the…"

I swallowed hard. "Ok, Emmett—just let me explain. This is Edward." I looked at Edward. He was staring at me, a look of uncertainty on his face. I smiled nervously and nodded. To my relief, his eyes brightened a bit. "Now, he's not exactly what some people may be accustomed to. But I don't care. I love him and I want to be with him. And I'd like you guys to respect my decision."

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "So what is he exactly? No offense, dude," he said, nodding at Edward.

"Well, he's a ghost."

Surprisingly, Emmett began laughing. "So that explains the clothing choice, man. Alright, I get it now." At this, Edward looked slightly hurt. Emmett seemed to realize that his words may have had the wrong effect. "Oh, sorry Edward. I guess I'm not used to the whole vest and trouser combo. It ain't my thing. But hey, it's cool. It works for you."

Thankfully, Edward smiled widely. "Well, unfortunately, it's the only outfit I'm stuck with. I can't exactly change it. But I would if I could. I know I must look pretty out-of-place."

I cupped Edward's cheek with my hand and looked up at him. "Well I think you look great. Though I am pretty biased."

Emmett chuckled. "So you guys are official, then?"

"Yep, most definitely," I said confidently.

"Hold on a minute," Rosalie interrupted. "Emmett, you're actually ok with this? It doesn't creep you out?"

Emmett put his arms around her. "Babe, you're forgetting that I'm in training to become a police officer. I've seen much weirder. Besides, if Bella likes him, then he's ok in my book." Rosalie rolled her eyes and looked away. "Rose, c'mon. She's your friend." She still looked slightly doubtful. "Hey Babe, don't make me start singing!"

I looked at Edward and he seemed just as puzzled as me. "Um, Emmett, what are you talking about?"

Rosalie broke in. "Ugh, he has the worst singing voice ever."

"Hey, no I don't," Emmett said defensively.

"Anyways, he'll start singing when he thinks he's not getting his way, and I end up giving in because…"

"Because you love me?"

"No, because your singing sucks and I want you to shut up," she retorted.

Emmett laughed. "Hmm, I think 'I Want It That Way' might be a nice choice for today."

"Emmett, don't you dare!" But there was no stopping him. He wriggled out of Rosalie's grasp, marched forward dramatically, then suddenly turned around and struck a pose.

You are my fire

The one desire…

Oh my god—Rosalie was not exaggerating. He was probably one of the worst singers I've ever heard. He was severely tone deaf and way too loud. So not only did we get to hear him butcher the song, but I'm sure the whole world did as well. I put my hands over my ears and looked at Edward. He was laughing hysterically.

"Damn it, Emmett—shut up now," cried Rosalie.

He stopped. "Will you be nice, then?"

She glanced at Edward and hesitated. That was all it took for Emmett to start again, only this time, he sang using a high-pitched girly voice.

Tell me why

Ain't nothin' but a heartache

Tell me why

Ain't nothin' but a mistake

Tell me why

I never wanna hear you say

I want it that way

"Shit, what is that? It sounds like a bear choking." Oh no—Jasper! He rounded the corner, holding Alice's hand. I kind of figured (and hoped) that they'd be too engrossed in their make out session to notice Emmett's singing—therefore, not have to deal with the Edward situation. Then again, who couldn't hear Emmett?

Rosalie snorted. "Pretty close—it was Emmett singing."

"Huh. So what were you being stubborn about this time," Jasper asked knowingly.

Rosalie opened her mouth to speak but Emmett cut her off. "Oh, Bella's new boyfriend," he said, smirking at me. Oh fuck…

Jasper turned to look at me questioningly. Then slowly, he shifted his gaze to Edward. He squinted his eyes and tilted his head from side to side, as though he was trying to make sense of what he was seeing. I looked at Alice, who appeared to be excited but curious about how Jasper would react.

"Um, Jasper—are you ok," I asked.

He snapped his head back to me. "Yeah, Bella, I'm fine. And you are," he asked, directing his attention to Edward.

Edward looked like he'd burst with both happiness and shock. "Uh, Edward Masen. It's a pleasure to meet you Jasper."

Jasper held out his hand—I just about died. Did he know what he was getting himself into? "Yeah, man—you too." Edward hesitantly grasped Jasper's hand and shook it quickly. Oddly enough, Jasper didn't seem phased by Edward's handshake.

I was floored. How Jasper could just walk up and be ok with this was beyond me.

Alice began laughing gleefully. "See, I told you everything would be alright, Bella."

Everyone looked at me. Uh, oh. "Wait a minute, Alice knew about Edward? How come you told her first and not us," Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, Bella. I'm hurt," Emmett said, pretending to dab his eyes with a tissue.

"Well, I've known Alice forever. And she is staying with me. She'd probably find out anyway even if I didn't tell her," I said with a chuckle. "And I was going to tell you guys eventually, but I just didn't know what might happen. I mean, this isn't the most conventional of situations."

Jasper laughed. "I understand, Bella. So Edward, you're some kind of spirit I assume?"

Edward looked shocked again. "Uh, yeah. You assume correctly. How'd you know?"

"I'm not really sure," Jasper said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I think I've always just had a knack for reading people—figuring them out."

I chuckled under my breath. He and Alice were a perfect match—his readings and her visions. What a wacky pair. But you had to admit, they were cute together. "So what kind of vibes do you get from him, Jasper," Alice asked curiously. I couldn't deny—I was curious, too.

Jasper stared at Edward, who seemed slightly apprehensive. I reached out, linked my arm through Edward's, and gave him a reassuring smile. His answering smile lit up his entire face.

"Well, to start with the obvious, Edward loves Bella dearly," Jasper said, smiling at the two of us. "I've got to give you props for that, man. Bella's a great person."

Edward looked at me adoringly. "It's easy to love Bella. She's everything I could have ever hoped for." I blushed of course.

Jasper continued. "I also get a sense that you're scared—scared of not being accepted."

"Well, sure. It's not every day you all meet someone like me," Edward said.

Alice went up to Edward and gave him a hug. "But that's silly, Edward. You have nothing to worry about. We all think you're awesome."

Emmett chuckled. "With one glaring exception," he said, looking at Rosalie.

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't like him," she spat.

"Then what would you say?"

She sighed and looked at all of us before finally focusing on Edward. "Look Edward, I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. You seem like a really nice…person, and I'm glad you and Bella found each other. But you have to admit, this is kind of weird. I never thought I'd personally know a ghost. And when I first saw you, I was shocked and scared. But after seeing how…great you appear to be, I'm…I'm going to…" From the sound of it, Rosalie wasn't the smoothest at apologies.

"You're going to what," Emmett encouraged.

"I'm going to give you a chance, Edward. Will you accept my apology?"

Edward had a blank look on his face. "I don't know, Rosalie."

Rosalie's eyes widened. This seemed to crack Edward's façade, because he began laughing. "Of course I accept your apology, and I appreciate what you said."

She exhaled and smiled. "Thank you so much."

We all stood around in a circle, smiling until Emmett broke the silence. "Well, why don't we all go and finish the movie? You know how Rachel doesn't like to be kept waiting!"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "You can finish the movie." He turned towards Alice and smiled. "I'm going to be a bit tied up," he said with a wink. It seemed like Alice was having a bad influence on him.

Alice looked up at him and smiled coyly. "Hmm, I think we can arrange that. Rope or handcuffs?"

He laughed nervously. "Um, Alice—I don't have any rope or handcuffs." I could not believe what I was hearing. Neither could Rosalie. She looked extremely embarrassed. Emmett looked like he was going to laugh, and Edward looked just plain confused.

"Rope and handcuffs—what for," Edward asked.

Emmett laughed loudly. "Edward, man—if you have any experience in that department, I think you could probably guess."

"What department?"

"Oh man," Emmett said, rolling his eyes, "I'll take that as a no." He walked up to Edward and patted him on the back. His eyes widened slightly at the sensation, but he quickly recovered. "There are so many tips I could give you that, if performed correctly, would ensure a very solid physical relationship."

I gasped and glanced at Edward, and from the looks of it, he finally understood what Emmett was alluding to. "Emmett, we, um, can't. I'd like to and so would he, but it's impossible considering the circumstances."

Emmett's face fell. "Damn, seriously? That sucks. I'm curious though, is there anything you guys can do?"

I blushed. "Well, just kissing," I said softly.

"Oh, I didn't catch that—what," Emmett teased.

Edward marched towards me, a look of determination in his eyes. "This." Before I could register what had happened, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in for a deep kiss. Despite the fact that Emmett whistled and clapped during Edward's impromptu show of affection, I didn't care. Just one touch from Edward was enough to put me on sensory overload.

When Edward pulled away from me, I whimpered at the loss of him. He chuckled and whispered, "We can continue this later, love." I certainly hoped so.

He raised his head slightly to address the others. "We're just enjoying what we can do. Besides, sex isn't everything."

"Oh I know, but it's definitely something—and a pretty awesome something I'd say." Emmett looked at Rosalie and winked.

Her face turned red. "Emmett," she hissed, "We are not discussing this now. It's private!" Suddenly, she got a mischievous look on her face. "But I wouldn't mind discussing it later."

Emmett smiled. "I think we could do that."

I shook my head. "Geez, what is it about the Hale house that makes people horny?"

Everyone laughed. It was then that I realized that Alice and Jasper had disappeared. "Hey, where did Alice and Jasper go?"

"Oh, Thing 1 and Thing 2 went upstairs while Emmett was talking to Edward," said Rosalie. Ah, that explained things. I was too engrossed in the conversation to even notice. "I'll give you one guess as to what they're up to."

Hmm, it's a good thing Alice came prepared. I was in the middle of wondering whether Jasper ended up being a glow-in-the-dark or a flavored kind of guy when Emmett interrupted my train of thought.

"Hey, I just remembered—Rose, we do have handcuffs. They're in your room, right?"

"Emmett, shut up," she cried.

My mouth popped open and as much as I tried, I couldn't stop a giggle from escaping.

"Bella, it is SO not funny! And Emmett, why would you bring that up?"

"Babe, I only thought Alice and Jasper might want to use them. I always know that a little zebra print can be counted on to spice things up," Emmett explained.

This time, I laughed out loud, and Edward and Emmett joined me. Rosalie looked livid, but before she could say anything, a loud boom came from upstairs. "Oh god, Jasper," I heard Alice cry out.

The four of us stood frozen, staring at the ceiling—completely aware of what was going on up there.

"Ok, I'm glad those two are together now, but this is really awkward," Rosalie said. "I mean, they have to know how loud they are."

Emmett chuckled. "Well, it seems as though they're doing just fine without those handcuffs. And anyways Rose, we both know that they've got nothing on us."

Rosalie blushed again. "Alright, let's just try to ignore them. Why don't we all go order some pizza?"

"Sounds good, Babe. I'm starving," Emmett said, putting his arm around her.

"Em, you just ate like two bags of popcorn."

"Hey, I'm always hungry—you know that. Besides, I need my strength for later. I've gotta make my girl happy," he said slyly, leading her into the kitchen.

I was left standing with Edward. He looked at me, noticeably calmer now that it was just the two of us. I closed the miniscule distance between us, putting my arms around his neck and giving him a hug. "Are you ok," I asked.

He smiled. "Yes, just a bit overwhelmed. It's been a pretty eventful evening—what with Emmett's dirty jokes, Rosalie's attitude, and the adventures of Alice and Jasper."

I laughed. "Yeah, it has been one jam-packed night. So I'm curious, what do you think of everyone?"

"Oh, they're all wonderful, even Rosalie," he added with a chuckle. "You definitely got lucky."

"Yeah, I guess so," I said, hugging him tighter to myself. My head was swimming with everything that had happened. I was silent for a few seconds, still taking it all in.

Edward put a finder under my chin and I soon found myself getting lost in the depths of his green eyes. "Are you ok, Bella?"

"Oh yeah, just still a little shaken up. Things may not have gone as well as they did. Then what would have happened?" I sighed. "You were right, we are very lucky."

"Indeed we are," he replied, running his hand lightly along my arm and leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake. "Huh, it appears as though I'm having quite an effect on you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Cocky, are we?"

He laughed loudly. "Maybe Emmett's behavior is rubbing off on me."

"God, I hope not!"

Edward smiled crookedly and a devious glint came into his eyes. "Come here," he whispered, leaning towards me. He didn't have to ask twice. I nodded eagerly and met him halfway. For as many times as we kissed, I could never get used to the wonderful feeling of it, nor did I want to. Every time with him was like the first time.

His mouth lingered on mine for a few moments before he slowly pulled away. "I love you, Bella, but as much as I'd like to continue this, we should probably get back to Emmett and Rosalie. We don't want them to think that we pulled an Alice and Jasper on them and disappeared."

I laughed. "You're probably right." I stretched up on the tips of my toes to whisper in his ear. "But as soon as everyone goes to sleep…"

"I'm all yours," he said, finishing my thought. He leaned in to give me a quick kiss then took my hand. "Let's go."

We found Emmett and Rosalie finishing the movie while they waited for the pizza. Of course, Emmett had resumed doing his imitations.

"Made out with a hot dog? Oh my god, that was one time!" He doubled over, laughing.

Rosalie rolled her eyes then looked up at us. "Hey guys, don't mind Emmett."

"What, I thought you liked hot dogs. Especially those, uh...foot-longs." Ugh, leave it to Emmett to make an everyday food sound dirty.

"Geez, Emmett, would it kill you to cut the innuendos for just a little while," Rosalie asked.

"C'mon Rose, you know you like it. And hey, it's like my trademark. Being dirty is kind of my thang."

She laughed. "Your thang? Well, I guess I can't argue with that."

Emmett smiled and put his arm around her. Then he looked at Edward and me. "So you crazy kids, care to join us?"

"Yeah," we said together, causing us to laugh. He and I sat down on the couch, still holding hands. It was then that I realized that with the exception of Charlie, it was all out in the open. Edward and I had nothing to hide from our friends anymore. It was such a relief. And judging from the big smile Edward gave me, I could tell that he felt the exact same way.

Hola everyone! I hope you all liked this chapter, though I've got to say, I was having a bit of writer's block. I knew what I wanted to say, but I'm not sure if it came out right. Hopefully it did, though. Hey, how'd you like that bit with Emmett's singing. At the last minute, I thought it'd be a funny thing to add. I could totally picture Emmett just bursting into song and singing something random. And yes, I was (and still sort of am) a Backstreet Boys fan :-) Oh, and when Emmett makes reference to "Rachel", that's Rachel McAdams from Mean Girls...just in case anyone was confused.

So oh my god, only 5 more days till the Twilight soundtrack comes out! I'm so excited. And I'm also excited that Rob got the New Hollywood Award on Monday! He deserves it—he works so hard and is so great at what he does. And he looked amazing in that suit of his! {drools} Haha. Oh…and guess what I heard? Apparently, Rob wants to cut that beautiful hair of his! WTF! LOL, sorry—random, but c'mon. If he wants to keep his fans happy, he'll leave it. We all love that crazy awesome hair of his, am I right? But I suppose if he has to cut it, it should only be like an inch off, tops. Ok, enough about Rob's hair :-) Read and review please. I'll hopefully be able to update next Thursday.