BPOV

I knew I was being silly, but I couldn't stop my heart from trying to pound out of my chest. Edward's face looked grim, and I worried that he was about to break up with me so he could go to Europe unhindered by a girlfriend.

"What is it?" I asked, my heart in my throat.

"Well, the tour went really well and Lex told us that we'll be going on another tour as soon as Volturi is released..." he began nervously.

I felt the sudden relief wash over me. Of course he was worried about telling me about the Europe tour! I wanted to slap myself for being such an oblivious idiot. My old self esteem issues were making a guest appearance, and I wanted to tell them to shut the hell up.

"Bella, are you listening?" Edward's concerned voice broke through my distracted thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. Edward, I have to tell you that Alice already broke the news you guys are going to Europe," I said, eying him to gauge his reaction.

He looked confused and a little bit upset, but he finally said, "Well, I wish she'd left it to me to tell you but I guess that doesn't matter now. Aren't you upset?"

I looked down at my hands twisted together in my lap, and I let go so I could reach over and take his hand in mine. "Am I upset? No...not really. I mean, yes, I am disappointed you're going to Europe for a long time and I won't get more time here with you, but this is your dream. I'm just trying to focus on that part of it. You deserve this, you all do. I want you to know how happy I am for you, Edward," I said earnestly.

"I want you to come with me." Edward's face was serious, his golden eyes looking pained.

I gasped, my eyes wide on his as he looked back at me. "Are you serious?" I said.

"Absolutely. I told myself I wouldn't ask you to leave your life here for this tour, but apparently I can't help myself. I need you to be with me, Bella. I need you by my side. I just don't think I could handle being away from you for months again, especially so far away," he said quietly.

"Oh, Edward," I said, tears building in my eyes.

"You don't have to, Bella. I promise I would understand. You've only been back for a few months and school is going really well, and I'm sure Charlie really loves having you at home too," he said.

"Charlie has his own life now, and school is great but it's not enough to keep me away from you, Edward. Besides, I can take classes online. I don't want to be separated from you, either," I replied, the excitement building in my heart.

Edward's face broke into a huge, beautiful smile full of relief and joy. I couldn't help but reach over and brush my fingertips across his lips, smiling in return. "When do we leave?" I asked.

EPOV

I was driving home after dropping Bella off back at Charlie's house. I was practically bursting at the seams with the excitement and relief pouring through me. Bella was going to come to Europe with me, and I was suddenly looking forward to this tour a lot more.

I made a mental list of all the things we'd need to get for Bella before we left, including a passport and a laptop that she could use for homework while she was in Europe. My hands gripped the steering wheel as I thought of the places we could visit together. My family had been to Europe multiple times before, but I knew this would be Bella's first time. I wanted her to see everything and experience all the beauty and history there.

I turned my iPOD on, attaching it to the car so the music could pour through the speakers. I smiled at the music, imagining Bella and I together.

"if only they could see, if only they had been here
they would understand, how someone could have chosen
to go the length I've gone, to spend just one day riding
holding on to you, I never thought it would be this clear..."

I thought back to earlier tonight, when Charlie came home. What followed turned into an extremely awkward conversation, on both our parts. I wasn't sure if Charlie trusted me anymore now than he did when I was just some half-naked guy in his house with his daughter, but I certainly hoped he would learn to before I stole Bella away for the tour.

The door slammed shut, and I turned in shock. Bella's dad, Charlie, stood in the doorway looking just as confused and shocked as I'm sure I did. Here I was, standing in his kitchen with nothing but my pants on, and they weren't even buttoned up completely.

My hands jerked away from the microwave when it beeped to signal it was done warming up the dinner Bella had cooked. The sound broke the frozen moment, and Charlie's face turned into a mask of embarrassment and anger. I watched in fascinated horror as the blood climbed his neck and up his face until his entire head was beet red.

"Who the hell are you?" he said, his voice sounding rough.

"Uh, I'm Edward. Edward Cullen. We haven't met, but I'm kind of dating Bella..." I said nervously. Meeting the dad while I had obviously just been in a less-than-pure situation with his daughter wasn't pretty.

"What is 'kind of dating'?" he asked furiously.

"Well, what I meant to say was, I'm her, uh, boyfriend," I clarified.

"Well why haven't I met you? And what the hell are you doing in my house half-naked?" he growled.

"I'm... I'm..." I stuttered, so completely unsure of how to answer that question.

"I'm waiting!" he barked.

"I'm going to marry your daughter, sir," I blurted. SHIT! Did I really just say that out loud? I wanted to kick myself for being such a fucking idiot.

"EXCUSE ME?!?!" he yelled now. "BELLA!"

I stepped toward him, my hands outstretched as I begged him to listen. "Wait, it's not like that. I haven't asked her yet or anything, and she probably wouldn't even say yes at this point anyway, but I have every intention of marrying her... shit," I babbled.

"Well, are you or aren't you going to marry my daughter?" he demanded.

"I want to. I love her with all my heart, sir," I said now, choking on my nerves.

Charlie's blood had receded slightly, and he was looking slightly pale now. I could see him eying me with a mixture of consideration and disgust on his face. "And what makes you think you'll be good enough for my little girl?" he asked.

"Uh,um... well, I don't know. Honestly, sir, I don't think I'm good enough for her but she seems to think I am, so as long as she wants me then I'll be here," I answered honestly.

He nodded, and I released my pent-up breath. Apparently I'd said the right thing to diffuse the situation, which was a good thing because I could hear Bella trying to throw herself down the stairs. I looked at Charlie with a pleading expression on my face and whispered, "Please don't say anything about this... I haven't told her I want to marry her yet."

Charlie nodded again reluctantly, and I turned back to wait for Bella to reach the bottom of the steps.

I shook my head out of the memory and focused on driving. I can't believe I'd told Charlie of my intentions before I'd even told Bella, but I guess that's what I did. I had no idea what I would tell Bella if she asked me about it, but I hoped Charlie would keep my secret for me.

I reached my house and went inside, hoping to avoid Alice for the moment. I needed to think and plan and plot my strategy. Naturally, Charlie would be waiting and watching, just waiting for me to propose to Bella. I wasn't sure how much time I would have until he came knocking my door down, so I figured I should probably figure my shit out soon.

BPOV

After Edward dropped me off, I ran inside and upstairs to my bedroom so I could squeal and bounce around like a fangirl. I was too excited to relax, so I decided to go online and research all the places I wanted to see while I was in Europe. If I knew Edward, he would want to take me to as many places as possible while we were there.

I requested information on getting my passport and looked at the course catalog for my school so I could plan my schedule completely online for the next quarter. I had so much fun choosing my classes that I lost track of time. My phone rang, breaking me out of my reverie and reminding me that I should have called Alice to tell her I was coming to Europe with her.

"Hey!" I said happily.

"Hey, yourself. Did Edward tell you about Europe? Are you coming with us? What's the news?" Alice asked, barely pausing to breathe.

"Yes, I'm going with you guys. I can't wait!" I said breathlessly.

"Yay! I knew he'd get you to come! I'm so excited, Bella! We'll have so much fun, and think of all the shopping!" she squealed.

I was looking forward to this too much to actually groan at the idea of Alice dragging me around to shop, so I let her fantasy pass in peace. I didn't want to rain on her parade, after all.

We talked for a few more minutes about all the things we wanted to do when we got there. Alice got off the phone when she heard Edward come home, saying she was going to pump him for information. I just laughed and let her go, eager to get back to planning my class schedule.

I woke up the next morning, feeling refreshed and relieved. Edward was home, school was almost over, and I would be going to Europe soon. Life was definitely looking up.

I showered and dressed quickly, eager to begin the day so I could see Edward as soon as possible. I skipped down the stairs, careful not to have a repeat of last night's tumble. When I reached the bottom, I sauntered into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl for cereal.

Charlie was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper, already dressed in his uniform. I went and sat down next to him, giving him a big smile and waiting for him to speak. I wasn't prepared, however, for the concerned scowl that crossed his features when he finally looked up at me.

"Bella, I want to talk to you about this Edward guy," he said.

Great, I thought. All I needed to ruin my good mood was a big lecture from Charlie.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, everyone. I'm just trying to get through finals week so I can really finish these stories with a bang. I just didn't want to leave you all hanging. Jeez, that didn't sound cocky at all. "Hey guys, I know how much you hang on my every word, so let me just throw you a bone out of pity so you can find something in your lives worth living for!" I'm an asshat. Okay, really though, I didn't want to be rude and leave the story hanging forever, so I figured I'd give it at least a small update. Sigh. I hope you liked how it's going. The music for each chapter is up on my profile, so please check it for the information on the song in this chapter. Thanks for reading you guys, your reviews mean so much to me! Seriously. -HIE