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

Chapter 15: Our Time Now

Something was different.

I could sense it as soon as I opened my eyes. The air was charged with energy and the sun was shining brightly through the windows, almost blindingly so. I tried to sit up and get a better look at my room, but I couldn't move.

My body was being held in place by something.

I reached up awkwardly to push off this thing that was draped over my waist. Strange. It felt like someone's arm. Unconsciously, I began stroking it gently; it was just so irresistibly soft that I couldn't help it.

Suddenly, the person's breathing hitched and they shifted slightly, moving their arm off of me. Oddly, the loss of their arm from my waist was saddening. I had felt very safe, even though I couldn't really move. Despite this, I sat up and looked at the sleeping figure next to me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw who it was.

Edward.

Though it was clearly not the Edward I knew. This Edward was…alive. He still had on his turn-of-the-century clothes and his ghostly glow was gone, but if it was possible, he looked even more radiant than before. His cheeks were slightly flushed, brightening up his entire face. And the corners of his mouth were upturned slightly. I had the sudden urge to lightly trace his lips with my thumb.

When my fingers touched his lips, I inhaled sharply. They were so wonderfully silky and smooth. Letting my hand trail upwards, I brushed away the stray hair that was hanging in his face. I had been itching to touch his artfully tousled hair ever since I first met him. And it felt better than I could have ever imagined.

I had no idea what was going on, but I didn't care.

At that moment, his eyes fluttered open and I gasped in surprise, my hand still frozen over his forehead. He rolled onto his back and met my gaze with an expression of similar surprise. We stayed like this for several moments, not daring to move and never breaking eye contact.

He was the one who spoke first. "Bella?"

"Yes?" I was slightly embarrassed by the fact that my voice shook when I replied. I had nothing to be nervous about. This was only Edward, after all—just not the Edward I was used to seeing. I cleared my throat. "What's going on?"

Edward looked at me, a mixture of caution and disbelief crossing his face. "Something big is happening, Bella. I still can't believe that it's true…"

"What's true? What are you talking about?"

"I had a visitor last night," he said. "Someone I've wanted to see for decades."

"Who," I asked curiously.

He took a deep breath. "My mother."

My stomach dropped. "Oh my god. Are you serious? That's crazy! Here? In this room?"

"Whoa, hold on there," he said, laughing. "Yes, she was here in this room."

"How the hell did I miss this?"

He laughed again. "You were sleeping, love. It all happened rather quickly."

"I want to meet her," I mumbled.

"Well, hopefully one day, you will," Edward said, wrapping his arms around me. I sighed happily. "Is this ok, Bella," he asked.

"Mmm, Edward—it feels wonderful. You feel wonderful," I replied, tucking my head under his chin and closing my eyes. God, did he ever! "So, how did this happen?"

He began lightly running his hand up and down my arm, tracing patterns absentmindedly as he went. "Well, my mom just kind of appeared and said that she came to give me a gift."

"A gift?"

"One week as a human. To be with you," he said, sighing.

My eyes welled up with tears. "That's wonderful, Edward. I can't believe it! But why do you look disappointed?" I reached up to brush my fingers beneath his downcast eyes.

"It's only a week, Bella! It's not fair. Why give me this time only to take it away in seven days? I want to spend forever with you," he said, taking my hand and lightly kissing my knuckles.

I shivered in delight at his touch, but managed to stay focused on the issue at hand. "I want to spend forever with you, too. So much. I can only imagine how you must feel," I said sadly.

"But there's more," he began. "My mom said that I could stay human…"

"Yes! That's great!" I jumped off the bed and started dancing around the room.

"No, Bella," Edward said sternly. My mood was quickly deflated and I sat back down. "I can only stay human if I figure out how."

"What? She didn't give you some kind of riddle to piece together?"

He huffed loudly. "No. She just said that if I figured things out, I could stay human. If I didn't, well, at the end of the week…"

"No," I whispered. "You're right, this isn't fair. Not for you or for me." I took a deep breath and met his gaze. "But we can do this, Edward. We can solve it—together."

A small smile played across his lips. "Ok. And even if we can't…"

I covered his mouth with my hand. "We will," I said, determined.

He laughed. "Even so, Miss Bella—I hope you're prepared."

"Prepared for what?"

"Prepared to have the best week of your life." He stepped forward and cupped my cheek with his hand. "Why don't I give you a preview?"

"Well, I'm always up for a preview," I said, giggling excitedly.

"Good." He lowered his head and very gently pressed his lips to mine.

Ok, you know how I said that kissing him before was absolutely wonderful and that I was content with the way everything was? Who was I kidding? This was so much better!

I moaned at the feeling of his lips—so soft, so amazing. Suddenly, he moved his hand to the back of my neck and I felt his tongue graze my bottom lip.

Was I going to deny this guy anything? I think not.

I opened my mouth and gladly granted him access. I could feel him smiling as he slowly eased his tongue inside and deepened the kiss.

Oh. My. God. He was going to be the death of me.

I moaned again. The sensation of his tongue exploring my mouth was so overwhelming that I almost couldn't take it. But I knew that I wanted to explore him, too. Very carefully, I brought my tongue forward and into his mouth. He retreated a bit and let me have my turn. I took my time, running my tongue along every surface in his mouth possible. Never had I tasted anything so magnificent.

I had to pull away for air, and to my amusement, he groaned in disappointment. But I wasn't finished with him yet. I raised a trembling hand up to the top button of his shirt and began to unbutton it.

Unfortunately, he must not have had the same idea.

He grabbed my hand to stop me and shook his head. This time, I was the one to groan in disappointment.

Edward laughed. "Ah, Bella—not yet."

"Ugh, you're such a tease," I complained. "Way to lead a girl on."

"Love, you know that I want you, too. But there are certain steps to be taken beforehand," he explained.

"Like what?"

"Well, protection for starters. You don't think I left the Hale's house without taking some pointers away from the experience, did you?"

I chuckled. "I guess not. And I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right," he said, a cocky tone to his voice. But then, his expression softened. "Plus, I'd at least like to take you out on a date first."

I suppose I did see his point. And a night on the town with Edward was sure to be one I'd never forget.

"Alright," I said, kissing him softly. "So, we should probably go let Alice know about everything. You know she'll be interested."

Suddenly, the door banged open. I was so startled that I almost had a heart attack. Of course, standing in the doorway was Alice.

"Alice already knows everything, thank you very much," she said brightly. Striding forward, she gave Edward a big hug. "Edward, I'm so excited for this! Oh, it's going to be so great. And don't worry, I can help you guys figure out everything, because Edward, you're staying human. There's no question about it!"

"Alice, what the hell? How did you find out," I asked.

She grinned smugly. "I had this dream last night about you becoming human, Edward. And since my visions are never wrong, I camped outside your room, Bella—to see what might happen."

Pesky little pixie.

Edward raised his eyebrows. "So, this morning, you heard…"

"All of it, so there's no need to explain anything to me. But I definitely think your other friends should know about everything," she said, sounding a little too excited.

"Bullshit, Alice! You just want to see Jasper again," I accused.

She and Edward laughed. "Oh, Bella—despite what you may believe, I truly do think you should tell your friends," she responded. "And Jazzy, well…alright fine! I want to see him, too."

I looked at Edward. His shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. I choked back a laugh. "Jazzy?"

"What, you don't like it? I think it suits him." This just made us laugh even harder. "Hey, you two aren't the only ones who are allowed to be cute," she spat.

Edward, always the gentleman, tried to stop laughing and cleared his throat. "Yes, you're right, Alice. We're sorry."

"Yeah, Alice—sorry," I said, attempting to keep my hysterics under wraps.

"That's more like it! Now," she said, taking my hands, "We have to talk about what you guys are going to do this week."

"Oh, Alice—we can just figure out what we're going to do on our own," Edward said. But seeing the look on her face, he quickly corrected himself. "On the other hand, we could definitely use your input."

"Why of course you do! What would you do without me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, I simply wouldn't be able to function. You are my light in all the darkness," I proclaimed sarcastically, laughing. "Anyways, what'd you have in mind?"

"Well, you guys could check out the view from the top of the Sears Tower, or go see a play. And obviously, you'd finally get to meet Bella's dad, Edward, now that you're here to stay…"

"Um, Alice—as much as I'd like that, I don't think it's a good idea. We still don't know for sure what's going to happen," I interrupted.

Edward nodded in agreement. "Bella's right, Alice. Before we go introducing me to her father, we should at least be certain that I'm staying human."

"But I've seen it," she protested, tapping the side of her head. "I just know…"

"Alice, no," I said firmly. We can't take any chances."

"Fine," she huffed. "Well then, if Edward can't meet Charlie, he can't very well stay here. Charlie would find out for sure. I mean, I distracted him this morning so he wouldn't check on you, but I can't keep doing that."

"Distracted him," I asked.

"Yeah, just kept talking and talking. Then he shook his head and walked away."

I laughed. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"But really, Bella. I do think Edward needs to stay someplace else. Just to be safe," she explained.

I met Edward's gaze and we stared sadly at each other for a moment. "I don't want you to leave." I quickly looked at Alice. "I don't want him to leave."

"I know, but you said we can't take any chances."

She was right.

"I guess you're right, Alice." I turned to Edward and wrapped my arms around him. "But I'm not giving up nights! Edward, you can come here at night and sneak in my window. I'll leave it open. Just come at about 11:00—after Charlie goes to bed. I'm a pretty light sleeper, so when he wakes up in the morning, I'll get you up and then you can go. Now, we need to see about a ladder…"

He laughed. "No need. You're forgetting about the tree just outside the window. In my day, I was quite the tree climbing expert!"

I gulped. "Uh, ok. Be careful, though."

"No worries, love," he replied, giving me a sweet kiss.

Alice began jumping up and down and clapping. "I like this idea, you guys. And don't forget that you two can go out during the day. We can just tell Charlie that you've been hanging out with me, the Hales, or Emmett—which might be true sometimes if we do a group thing."

"Yeah, Edward—you could probably come back each day at lunch or something. That would be ok," I said. "Does all this sound good to you?"

"Of course," he replied. "I want to spend every minute I can with you, and I'll take whatever I can get. But I can understand the need to keep things on the down low. We've got to stay safe." He reached up and brushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

Alice and I chuckled. "The 'down low'," I asked. "You sound like Emmett."

"Speaking of which," Alice began, "I think it's time to get them over here. We've got to find you a place to stay, Edward."

"Yeah, Edward. Maybe Jazzy can help you out," I joked as I picked up the phone, sending all of us into fits of laughter.

****

I invited Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie over later that day to talk things over. Thankfully, they all seemed happy with Edward's change. Emmett smacked him on the back and voiced his enthusiasm about all the fun things he and I could do now.

I had to admit that I was looking forward to those things, too.

Jasper, of course, was very calm about it all. And Rosalie could always be counted on to add a bit of stubbornness to the mix. But she ended up making good on her promise to give the situation a chance.

I explained the central issue to them—that Edward only had a limited time as a human. And since we couldn't be certain whether or not he'd be able to stay human, we couldn't risk introducing him to Charlie. Luckily, they totally understood, and agreed that Edward probably shouldn't be staying at my house. Charlie would definitely notice that something was up.

"So, you guys—would anyone be willing to let Edward stay with you," I asked.

"He CAN'T stay at our house," Rosalie immediately said, earning her glares from all of us. "What? He truly can't. Our mom works out of our home, so she's there all the time."

Jasper looked defeated. "Fuck, I forgot about that." He patted Edward's shoulder. "Man, you know I'd help you if I could."

Edward nodded. "I know. Thanks Jasper."

Alice leaned her head against Jasper's chest. "That's my Jazzy," she said proudly.

I rolled my eyes. "Any other ideas?"

"Well, hey," Emmett said, "You can just stay with me! It's only me in my apartment—well, except for when Rose spends the night…"

"Emmett! Please," she cried.

He laughed. "But Edward, if you spend your nights with Bella, then there's no risk of you walkin' in on anything scandalous."

The way he said 'scandalous' made it sound like the scariest word ever, and we all laughed.

"Alright, Emmett—thanks. You've got a deal," Edward said, shaking his hand.

"No probs, bro. This is gonna be awesome!"

Just then, the phone rang and I excused myself to answer it. It was Charlie.

"Hey Bells!"

"Hey dad. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Hey, listen—I've got something to run by you."

"Sure."

"Well, I got a call from Billy Black. He invited me out to visit for a few days. And as it turns out, the Seattle Mariners are playing this week. So, he thought it'd be fun to take in a game, too," Charlie explained.

"So…"

"So, I'd be leaving tomorrow morning for a few days."

Oh my god. He could not have timed this more perfectly. If he went on this trip, it would mean that Edward could, indeed, stay with me for a little while!

"Um, dad—that's fine by me," I said, shaking with excitement. Suddenly, I felt two arms wrap around my waist from behind. Edward. I leaned back against his shoulder and sighed happily.

"You'll be ok on your own for a little while," Charlie asked.

"Of course, dad. I'll be just fine. And don't forget, Alice will be here, too. So I won't be completely alone." Just then, Edward began peppering my neck with feather-light kisses, making me giggle.

Unfortunately, Charlie must've heard me. "What's going on there, Bells?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry dad. TV." I quickly looked at Edward and motioned for him to stop. He just looked at me and laughed silently.

"It's alright. Anyways, I've got to get going. I just thought I'd give you a call and ask. I'll see you tonight, Bells," Charlie said.

"Bye, dad. See you later."

I hung up the phone and squealed, throwing myself into Edward's arms. He swung me around a few times, laughing. "What's got you so happy," he asked.

"Hold on," I replied, taking his hand and leading him back to where the group was. "I want to let everyone know at the same time."

When we walked into the living room, I got everyone's attention and signaled for them to be quiet. "You guys, I have some huge news!"

"You two had a quickie in the kitchen," Emmett guessed.

I rolled my eyes. "No, Emmett. Sorry to disappoint you. Actually, I just got off the phone with Charlie."

Everyone's mouths fell open. "Well, speak of the devil… What did he want," asked Alice.

"He's going out of town for three days," I shouted happily.

We all screamed and started jumping up and down. Childish? Yes, but who cares?

"That's awesome! When does he leave," Rosalie asked.

"Tomorrow morning. So for those three days, Edward can stay here. But tonight, since Charlie will be here, he should probably stay with Emmett. Then just come back later in the evening, like we talked about," I said, squeezing Edward's hand.

"Wait a minute," Alice said, motioning everyone towards her. I began walking over to her, but she stopped me. "Not you, Bella."

Confused, I hung back. What the hell was going on?

After a few moments, their little huddle broke apart, and everyone was smiling at me. Alice stepped forward. "Bella, I'm afraid we're going to have to borrow Edward for a little while."

"What? Why," I asked, frustrated.

"We've got a lot of planning to do," Alice said cryptically.

"Planning for what?"

"For tomorrow evening," Emmett added excitedly.

I sighed. "What's tomorrow evening?"

Edward walked over to me, took my hands, and kissed them. "Our first official date, love."

Woohoo…it's full steam ahead everyone. Next chapter, as you can probably guess, is the big one! It's their big date, and the much anticipated lemon! Hmm, I wonder what Alice and the gang are planning to surprise Bella with. LOL—I know, but I'm not going to tell you :-) But their date is going to be so magical, and then some!

So what did you all think of this chapter? I know that it's somewhat of a filler chapter, but it was necessary. I hope you all enjoyed it, nonetheless. I named the title of the chapter after that song by the Plain White T's. I love them {sigh}. And the title seemed appropriate.

Twilight is here folks! Well, for those of you lucky enough to go to the midnight show and see it on opening day, I hope you have an awesome time! Let me know about all the craziness :-)

Read and review please! I will try and update next Thursday.