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

Chapter 13: Thankful

After the initial drama that evening, everything went very smoothly. Edward seemed very comfortable interacting with the group—well, Emmett and Rosalie. Alice and Jasper were still upstairs, humping like gorillas. No doubt that Alice would fill me in on all the details tomorrow, whether I wanted to hear them or not.

When we finished 'Mean Girls', we decided that it was time for some Guitar Hero. I hadn't played it in a while, so I was very excited. I figured that Edward might want to play, too. He was, as I found out, able to use the piano. So why not this?

"What do you think, Edward," I asked.

"Um, I don't know," he said with uncertainty. "I'm not sure I can."

I sighed. "Edward, I know you can do it." I turned to face the others. "He can play the piano, you know," I said proudly.

"Dude, that's awesome," Emmett exclaimed. "So this should be a snap for you, though I'll probably beat your ass anyways."

Edward chuckled. "Ah, you underestimate my skill, Emmett." He abruptly became serious. "But really, I don't think I could play…at least not normally."

"What are you talking about," Rosalie asked.

"Well, I can't lift things." We all stared at him, dumbfounded. He chuckled humorlessly. "What, no twenty questions?"

I shook my head, confused. "But how can you play the piano?"

He snorted. "Bella, the last time I checked, I didn't have to lift anything in order to play a song."

Rosalie and Emmett laughed, a completely opposite reaction to the blush that was forming in my cheeks. "Sorry," I mumbled.

Suddenly, I felt his arms wind around my waist and pull me into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry, love. That was out of line. Will you please forgive me?" I sighed and nodded, eager to let his biting words go. "Thank you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss me softly.

Emmett, of course, could always be counted on to ruin the moment. He cleared his throat loudly. "Well, we know you can do that," he said, laughing. "But it wouldn't hurt to at least try this out."

"Yeah, c'mon Edward," Rosalie added. "Please try."

Edward looked at me, his eyebrow raised. I smiled widely. "Go ahead. You can do it." He still seemed slightly apprehensive. "Would it help if I put on a cheerleading outfit and shouted 'go Edward go'," I joked.

Everyone laughed, and Edward finally cracked a grin. "No need. I'll try."

Emmett ran over and picked up one of the guitars, then went to stand in front of Edward. "Ok Edward, do you see the way I'm holding this? I want you to mimic exactly what I'm doing. Now, hold out your hands."

Edward took a deep breath and nodded, prompting Emmett to carefully hand him the guitar. He waited a moment, then let go. Immediately, it crashed to the ground.

Edward looked down, a defeated expression on his face. "See, what did I tell you?"

"Wait a minute," I said, "Why don't I try?" Emmett and Rosalie both began to say something, but I held up my hand to quiet them. "Just let me talk to him."

"Bella," Rosalie began in a haughty tone, "What factor do you have that could possibly make a difference?" Mine, Edward's, and Emmett's heads snapped up and I glared at her.

"Rose…" Emmett cautioned.

"What," she huffed. "I'm trying, alright."

"No, it's ok," I broke in. "I'll tell you what factor works in my favor." I reached out, took Edward's hand, and squeezed it. "Love."

Emmett chuckled and gestured grandly. "Well then, Madame—proceed."

I smiled and picked up the guitar. "Ok, Edward—I need you to look at me." He fixed me with that hypnotizing gaze and I suddenly found it very hard to concentrate. But I had to try and shake that out of my mind. "Edward, I have faith in you. I think this is all in your head, honestly. Perhaps you've closed yourself off because of your past or because you're afraid of the unknown. But Edward, be confident. Believe in yourself…"

I was interrupted by Emmett humming 'Don't Stop Believing' (off-key, of course). "Shut up, Emmett," I growled.

He laughed, and I turned to Edward to continue. "I love you, Edward. I love you with all my heart. Please just try and let go of what's holding you back, concentrate, and go for it. Not only would I love to see you have fun with us, but…" I grinned and walked closer to Edward so I could whisper in his ear. "I also think you'd look totally sexy holding that guitar and playing."

He smiled, looking slightly surprised. "Sexy? Really?"

"Yep," I whispered, kissing his neck.

Edward looked down at me, his eyes sparkling with determination. Very slowly, I offered him the guitar in my hands, and without breaking eye contact with me, he grasped it.

"Are you ready," I asked.

"Hell yes," he said loudly, making Emmett and Rosalie laugh.

I smiled, counted to ten, and tentatively let go.

It didn't fall.

At this point, his face was screwed up in concentration. It looked as though he was giving every effort he had not to drop that guitar. Well, whatever he was doing, it was working.

Without thinking, I let out a shriek of excitement. His eyes snapped open and the guitar fell.

Rosalie snickered. "Nice, Bella."

"But man—good going, Edward," Emmett said, impressed. "You really had it there."

Edward flashed us his beautiful crooked smile. "I can't believe it," he said triumphantly. "I was never able to do anything like that before—at least, not in my current condition." He met my gaze again and cupped my cheek with his hand. "Thank you, Bella."

The two of us stood, lost in that moment for a bit. This, no matter how small, was a breakthrough. Big changes were on the way, I was sure of it.

"So," Emmett began, "Are we gonna play patty cake or play some Guitar Hero?"

Edward laughed. "Oh, I'm more than ready to play. I hope you're prepared to get your ass kicked, Emmett."

I think I liked this new, bolder Edward. It warmed my heart to see him growing more and more confident.

We explained the rules to Edward and he seemed to understand everything. Just to be on the safe side, however, I decided to demonstrate for him with Emmett.

"Alright, Bella—prepare to be schooled!"

"Emmett, this is just a demo. It doesn't count," I stated.

He snorted. "Says the person who's going to lose."

"Well then, I guess you really don't know who you're dealing with."

I had already picked out a song in my head—'When You Were Young,' by The Killers. I loved that song, and was really good at playing it. Before Emmett could protest, I started it up.

"Hey, no fair," he cried.

I cackled wickedly and continued on with my playing. He tried to keep up, but it was no use. I was the one who schooled him!

"Not cool, Bella," he fumed. "I want a rematch!"

Rosalie laughed. "Aw, Em—don't be such a poor sport. Just admit that you lost and get on with it."

"Never," Emmett shouted dramatically.

"No, no—it's alright." I picked up Emmett's guitar and gave it back to him. "I accept your rematch offer. I'd be happy to beat you again!"

Emmett smiled. "Oh, it's on!" A speculative look crossed his face. "Hey, how about we do a tournament? After Bella and I play, Rose—you and Edward can play. Then, the winners of those games will play each other."

I looked at Edward, who appeared very excited. "That sounds good," he said.

"Psh, you won't be so happy after you've been beaten to a pulp," Rosalie spat.

Edward laughed loudly. "Two words—you wish."

"Alright, alright," I broke in. "How about you two go first?"

Edward whipped his head around. "Are you sure, Bella?"

"Why Eddie? Afraid of being beaten by a girl," Rosalie snarled.

"Not at all Rosie. Bring it!"

Rosalie went over to Emmett and got the guitar from him. Edward came over to me and did the same, carefully handling it before taking the full weight. I stretched up on the tips of my toes to whisper in his ear. "I'm so proud of you," I said. "Now, you go show her who's boss!"

He chuckled softly. "Yes, ma'am," he replied, kissing the hollow beneath my right ear.

I sighed, contented, feeling very at peace…that is, until Rosalie began tapping her foot. "Remember, we'll continue this later," I reminded him.

He smiled crookedly, then went to join Rosalie in front of the TV. "Alright, Rosalie—you pick the song."

"Hmm…" She paced deliberately back and forth. "Something you don't know…oh wait, that won't be a problem anyways, now will it?"

Emmett chuckled. I just rolled my eyes. She just had to go there, didn't she?

"I know!" Rosalie grinned wickedly. "How about a little 'Iron Man'?"

Edward raised an eyebrow. "'Iron Man'?"

"Yes, it's by Black Sabbath. It's a total classic."

"Black Sabbath," Edward asked, sounding somewhat horrified. We all looked at him—I, concerned, and Rosalie and Emmett, amused. This seemed to snap him out of it. He cleared his throat. "No, no—it's no problem. The name, it's just, uh…different."

Rosalie snickered. "Ok, Edward—let's do this," she said. "3, 2, 1, GO!"

I couldn't watch. I really wanted to see Edward in action (looking sexy, of course), but I just couldn't. What if this ended badly for him? He had never played before, and here he was going up against an expert. I desperately wanted him to feel human—he practically was to me anyways. A loss would make him feel awful. I covered my eyes and just concentrated on the music. Minutes later, I heard an angry growl. Uh, oh. I tentatively raised my head, and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Emmett, for once, looked speechless. Edward was wearing a huge grin. Rosalie looked like she was going to hit something. Before I could ask what had happened, I heard the growl again. It was Rosalie.

"You," she shouted, pointing a shaking finger at Edward.

"C'mon, Rosalie—don't be such a poor sport. Just admit that you lost and get on with it," he replied, using her own words against her.

Her face turned bright red and she stalked out of the room.

Emmett laughed. "Edward, that was amazing, man! How did you do it? Rosalie is—well, was—unbeatable."

"He's just good at everything," I interrupted, walking towards Edward in a daze.

Emmett could probably guess that I wanted a moment alone with Edward. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hey, uh, I'm gonna go check on Rose. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he added, chuckling.

After he left, Edward let out a whoop, pretty much threw the guitar aside, and gathered me into his arms. "Alone at last! Although I think the proper sentiment should have been 'don't do anything I would do'."

I laughed. "Good point," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You amaze me, you know that?"

"Really? Why?"

"Look at how confident you've become. You seem so at peace with everything now."

He smiled widely. "I'm trying, Bella. I'm just doing what you suggested—being happy with what I do have. Now that you're in my life, that makes it a lot more worth living." Placing a finger under my chin, he leaned down and kissed me, joy radiating from every part of him. I love this man.

After a few moments, Edward pulled away from me, letting me breathe. But his lips never left my skin. Very softly, he kissed my eyelids and my cheeks. "I love you so much, Bella. I'm so grateful for everything you've given me."

My eyes welled up with tears. "Well, I'm equally grateful for everything you've given me." I was about to kiss him again when I heard a sniffle from the doorway. I turned to see Rosalie and Emmett—yes, Emmett—both crying. It was obvious that they were eavesdropping on us.

I couldn't help it—I began to laugh. "Emmett, what the hell?" Edward looked in the direction of my gaze and started to laugh, too.

"What," Emmett squeaked, his eyes bloodshot. "Real men cry, ok? This is totally normal."

Rosalie snorted, despite the tears running down her face. "Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that."

Emmett rubbed the tears out of his eyes and immediately looked mischievously at her. "Babe, are you questioning my manhood?"

For a second, I thought I actually saw a hint of nervousness in her eyes. "No, I would never," she said, her tone dripping with faux reverence.

"Hmm, perhaps you need a reminder of just how manly I am." Without warning, he picked up Rosalie caveman style and carried her upstairs. She shrieked and laughed the whole time.

I turned slowly to look at Edward. "Ok…well I guess there'll be no rematch with Emmett tonight. Looks like he's got more than enough to keep him busy."

Edward smiled. "So it seems." He put his arms around me again. "Well, now that we know for sure that it's just us, what would you like to do?"

"Hmm…what to do," I teased. "Such a dilemma." I scrunched up my face as though I was deep in thought. Aw, screw the games. "Wanna make out?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, laughing at my bluntness. Before I could get another word in, I found myself pressed up against him, his lips devouring mine hungrily. I was slowly running out of breath, but I didn't care. If this guy was the cause of my passing out, I'd do it over and over. God, I was such a masochist…

****

"Bella? Bella?" The voice seemed close, yet far away as well.

"Uhnn," I groaned.

"Oh, thank god," I heard the person mutter.

I groggily reached my hand up and felt around blindly for the source of that beautiful voice. Immediately, a gentle pressure surrounded my hand and a sense of safety filled me up. There was only one person it could be.

Edward.

"Edward, is that you?" And why am I lying on the floor?

"Yes, sweetheart. I was worried about you."

I tried to sit up. "What happened?"

He chuckled darkly. "Well, we were in the middle of very sensuously making out, and I'm fairly certain you forgot to breathe. All of a sudden, you fainted."

"Oh, geez." I shook my head and looked up into Edward's concerned eyes. "Please tell me that no one else knows about this. I'd never hear the end of it."

"Not to worry, love," he said, amusement crossing his face. "Everyone's, uh…still upstairs."

I smiled. "Figures. But hey, my fainting does prove one thing."

"And what's that?"

"You take my breath away," I said matter-of-factly.

He laughed loudly. "Well, it seems as though your fainting spell hasn't affected your sense of humor."

I joined in with his laughter. "So," I began, standing up carefully, "Would you be interested in picking up where we left off?" To show him what I meant, I ran my hand slowly up and down his chest.

"Ah, Bella," he sighed, gently removing my hand from his chest and holding it. "I would love to, but I'd hate to be responsible for making you pass out again." A small smirk flitted across his face, but was almost immediately replaced by his beautiful smile. "But really, love—you've had a very long and busy day. It's late. You should sleep."

I sighed dramatically. "Fine," I replied, stomping over to the family room couch. I laid down and covered myself with the blanket, even pulling it over my head so Edward couldn't see my face. Moments later, I felt the other end of the couch shift. He must've sat down.

"Oh, Edward," I said softly.

"What is it, love," he asked, a tentative sound to his voice.

I whipped the blanket off of my face. "I love you," I said, grinning hugely.

His expression of confusion and caution changed to one of happiness, and he returned the smile. "I love you, too, Bella. Sleep well…"

****

I awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon and eggs coming from the kitchen. Damn, did that smell good!

"Man, I'm hungry," I mumbled, yawning.

I heard a soft chuckle. "I figured you were. Your stomach was growling even before you woke up."

"Huh, what do you know," I replied, smiling. "Good morning, Edward."

"Good morning, beautiful." He walked over, kissed my forehead, and inhaled deeply. "God, you smell so good."

"I do?"

"Yeah. It's like this mixture of strawberries and freesia—very mouthwatering."

I sighed. "Mouthwatering, huh," I said, thinking about the breakfast cooking in the other room.

He laughed. "C'mon, let's get you some food."

"Ok, but do you want to wait here? Truthfully, I'd just rather have breakfast with you alone. I can grab myself a plate and be back in less than two minutes."

"Sure, Bella," he said excitedly. "Hurry back."

As I was walking into the kitchen, I rubbed my eyes and yawned. I was just so tired. Edward was right. Yesterday was a busy day for me.

"Well hey, baby. That was fast."

What?

I took my hands off of my face and my eyes bugged at the sight in front of me. Standing at the stove with his back to me, completely naked except for an apron, was Jasper. In that same moment, he turned around.

We both stared at each other for a moment in horror. Suddenly, he started screaming…and so did I. This was just plain creepy. And for the record, Jasper screams like a girl.

"Damn it, Bella—I thought you were Alice," he cried.

"Well, obviously I'm not! What the hell are you doing?"

He blushed, but before he could get a word out, both Edward and Alice came running into the kitchen. Alice, as it turned out, was dressed alike to Jasper. When Edward saw the two of them, he seemed to jump about a foot into the air. However, Alice had a very different reaction, and began to laugh.

I pretty much blew up. "How is this funny, Alice? I can't believe you! And you, too, Jasper. I mean, didn't you guys think that you'd get caught?"

"Well, you were asleep, Bella. And Edward, you were preoccupied with her. So no, we didn't," Jasper said. "Anyways, it was Alice's idea."

I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. "I should have known," I mumbled. "Alice, I did not come here expecting to see my friends' bare asses. That is not my idea of a sleepover!" Suddenly, the ridiculousness of the moment came crashing down on me and I started laughing.

The others looked at me like I was crazy. "Bella, what is it," Edward asked.

"Oh you guys, this is just so stupid," I choked out. "Cooking breakfast naked—there's something you don't see every day!"

"Well, we weren't fully naked. There were aprons involved. Remember that," Alice added.

"That doesn't matter, Alice!" I shook my head. "Now you guys go change into something decent…before I lose my sanity."

Everyone else joined in with my laughter. "Alright, Bella," said Jasper. But unfortunately, as they started to exit the kitchen, they bumped into Emmett and Rosalie.

Immediately, as I expected, Emmett began laughing. "Hot damn! Why didn't anyone tell me we were having an orgy?" He began taking off his t-shirt.

"NO," we all shouted, causing him to pause.

"What? No one wants to see my abs? I work hard to get them in such awesome shape. That hurts, you guys," Emmett joked.

Rosalie laughed. "Don't worry, hun. You'll have plenty more opportunities to take off your shirt. Besides, this doesn't look like an orgy to me," she said, eyeing Alice and Jasper knowingly.

Jasper blushed, while Alice looked just plain smug. "We just decided to spice up our morning a bit," said Alice.

Rosalie had an expression of both amusement and revulsion on her face. "Huh, I guess so."

"Wait a minute," Emmett said, bolting out of the kitchen. We all stared at each other, confused. But not a moment later, he was back, holding a cell phone. He flipped it open and started snapping pictures. "Ok guys, strike a pose. C'mon—work it, WORK IT!" Of course, Alice ate up the attention, giving the camera various dramatic glances. Japer tried to run out of the room, but Emmett grabbed him and pushed him back towards Alice. "Not so fast, bud. You're not leaving 'till I get a shot of you!"

Jasper shook his head adamantly, making Rosalie snicker. "Jasper, you should probably do what Emmett tells you. You'll never get out of here, otherwise!"

He let out a long sigh, put his arms around Alice, and smiled for the camera. If this wasn't a very awkward situation, that pose would have been incredibly sweet.

Emmett chuckled and snapped his phone shut. "Great job, guys! And I know just what to do with these. Do you know if America's Next Top Model is taking submissions for next season?"

Jasper frowned. "Dude, that show's for women only."

"Exactly," Emmett replied.

That was all it took for Jasper to charge at him. Of course, Emmett was faster, and a game of chase ensued. The four of us that were left in the kitchen burst out laughing. What a strange morning it had been…

****

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Hale's house. But when early evening rolled around, Edward, Alice, and I left. I still couldn't believe everything that had occurred overnight. What ever happened to just having a normal sleepover? Of course, I knew that we'd be seeing even more of Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett—what with Alice's new connections. I was so happy for her. But most of all, I was happy for Edward. He'd come such a long way, growing into a more self-assured individual. Obviously, since the secret was out, he must feel a lot freer. I know I would.

"So, Bella," Alice said when we arrived back at my house, "It was quite a night, huh?" Oh boy, I knew where she was going with this.

"Um, yeah—it sure was."

She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. "No, I refuse to listen to the recap of your sexcapades. I heard enough last night, anyways."

"Well, we just couldn't contain ourselves," said Alice, a smug grin spreading across her face.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. But just then, a thought popped into my head. "I am curious though: did you guys end up taking a liking to either of the…"

She laughed. "Oh yeah, both were great! But if I had to choose…I'd have to go with the flavored ones. After last night, I know I'll never think about midnight buffets the same way again."

Ugh, neither would I.

HAHA—'midnight buffets'. I crack myself up! What did you guys think of the chapter? All I've gotta say is GO EDWARD! He was rockin' that Guitar Hero.

Ok, so I'm kind of anal, but I feel like I have to explain myself. I was thinking about how Edward can't lift things, but when he plays the piano, he has to take that cover off. I figure he just kind of pushes if up and then flicks it down when he's done. LOL. I'm such a nit-pick, but I felt like I needed to discuss that…in case anyone noticed that.

So…Twilight Soundtrack—thoughts? I have to say, I love Rob's song. It's beautiful, soulful, and calming…but I can't for the life of me understand what he's singing. I mean, I understand most of it, but there's just some lines that I can't pick up on. Has anyone figured it out, yet? If so, will you share your theories with me? As Rob would say, "I'd rather hear your theories." LOL…that was too good to resist.

So, I will hopefully update next Thursday. And I have great news. The next chapter is in EDWARD'S POINT OF VIEW! You know what that means: big changes are on the horizon! It's time to get excited…

Read and review please :-)