Well, I think I finally have an idea of where this story is going. x3 The only problem is that I'm stuck about halfway. I guess I'll worry about that when I get there.

Did I mention that reviews encourage me to update sooner? -nod nod- It's true. -hint hint wink wink-

Here goes nothing.

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"There you guys are," Alice groaned as Edward and I made our way down the stairs. In my own defense, we came the second she called. My immediately wasn't as fast as Alice's immediately. "We wanted to play a game or something. There's nothing to do around here during the day." The remark made me giggle. There was plenty to do, but I guess beaches weren't exactly designed for vampires. Edward and Alice both shot me a playful glare.

"Emmett and Jasper were just about to play a game of cards and I told them we'd join," the pixie-faced vampire explained. With that, the five of us were seated around the kitchen table and started shuffling cards around. They explained the name of some game I wasn't familiar with and then proceeded to instruct me on how to play it. The game was fun alright and easy to learn but when I was playing against the Cullens, it was impossibly hard. One of them always one within minutes of dealing, usually before I could even understand what was going on. I started to notice a pattern. I always lost, Edward almost always won.

"Play a card, Bella," Emmett encouraged me. I took a deep breath, stuck between the decision of a seven and a four. I was horrible at this game, just like every other game I'd ever played. The air grew thick with impatience. Finally, I leaned to my right and inched myself closer to Edward.

"Edward," I whispered, pretending that everyone else couldn't hear me. "What should I play?" Everyone fought to keep their laughs to themselves; the most I heard was a stifled chuckle. He leaned over and pointed to my best option and I immediately placed it on the table with a proud smile. Of course, two plays later and the game was over—Edward won again.

"Okay, that's it," Alice groaned as she snatched the cards from Edward's grasp. "You can't play anymore."

"What? Why not?" he whined, playfully trying to take his hand back.

"Because you're a cheater, that's why. No more cards for you," she shuffled the deck in her hands so fast that all I saw was a blur of white, black and red. "I know you've been reading thoughts."

"Alright, alright, no more mind-reading," he groaned and gave in. Alice didn't buy it.

"Bella, ask him to promise," she commanded.

"Why me?"

"Because he's not going to lie to you," Jasper explained for her. This only made us laugh harder.

"Alright, Edward. Promise you'll play fair," I turned to him with a scolding tone. He smiled, rolled his eyes to get the last of his sarcasm out and turned to me, ready to be serious again.

"I promise," he smiled and I instantly knew that he'd keep it. He had a wonderful record of keeping every promise he ever made. In return, I did the same. What else could be expected of two people who loved each other as much as Edward and I did?

The games continued.

Esme and Carlisle showed up after a while, attracted by our roaring laughter, no doubt. They watched us throw cards and smart remarks at each other, enjoying ourselves more than anyone would have thought possible.

"You should play with us," Alice offered as I turned to face the couple. "Jasper, Edward, Emmett and I could use some competition." More laughter erupted. That was all the convincing they needed before they were seated at the table and into the game as much as we were. Even with two more people added in, my chances of winning were nonexistent.

"I don't think I can play cards with you guys," I grumbled, clearly frustrated but still enjoying myself. "Or any game, for that matter. I just can't keep up."

"Oh come on, Bella. It's not like you to give up," Alice encouraged me with a gentle nudge. I just shook the comment off.

"I'll just watch. It's alright, I don't mind," was my answer. I turned down to my hand and lined my cards into a pile. Out of the very corners of my eyes I could have sworn I saw lips moving in conversation too soft for me to hear. I instantly looked up only to prove myself wrong; they were all perfectly still.

"One more game?" Alice offered that dazzling smile of hers. How could I possibly say no? I was pulled into another game of boggling strategy and ridiculous speed. To my own amazement, this one seemed to be going in my favor. I paid extra close attention, determined not to let my last effort to win slide out of my fingers. I threw my last card on to the table and the family smiled.

"Whoa! The human did it!" Alice shouted between laughs. Everyone else gave their congratulations at once, but one voice caught my attention.

"That's my Bella," Edward whispered in my ear before he kissed my cheek. Carlisle and Esme exchanged looks of amusement and success. After a few minutes of gloating in my own glory, I started to pick up on the situation.

"What ever happened to playing fair?" I asked with a whiny voice. "It's no fun when you let me win."

"I don't know what you're talking about," came Edward's response, but he was suspiciously quick to answer.

"You won, Bella. Don't go selling yourself short," Emmett added in his absolute best acting. I couldn't help smiling. This was why I absolutely loved the Cullens.

"Oh! Twilight!" Alice exclaimed. Her gaze was glued to the window. "Finally! Come on, Bella, let's go swimming." A cold hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me from my white kitchen chair.

"At the beach? Right now?" I asked as she guided me up the stairs. "But it's dark." Alice shot me a raised eyebrow and a look that asked if I was sane. She let go of my hand outside my door and gave me clear, strict orders to change and meet her outside.

"Everyone else is going, too, right?" I asked. Simultaneously, three other people replied. I had to admit, it felt a bit awkward. Each voice came from a different room and I had to think for a moment before I could pick out Edward's, Emmett's and Jasper's voices. With that, Alice vanished to her room, leaving me with a plan and not much of an option to initiate it. Shutting the door behind me, I walked inside and made my way to the dresser. I'd brought a bathing suit, of course, but it was going to take some courage to wear it. Alice would have something stunning, no doubt. Rosalie would be gorgeous, too, if she decided to join us. Standing next to such inhuman beauty, I always felt so…average. Being in a swimsuit beside them couldn't be good for my self esteem.

I spread the suit out on my bed, staring at it and trying to picture myself with nothing but that on at the beach. It didn't help that Alice had picked the suit for me.

"Oh! Try this one on next," she said as she pulled me across a rack of rather revealing swimsuits two weeks prior to our vacation. I'd been dragged on another shopping spree, nonetheless, once again playing the role of Barbie in the hands Alice with an arsenal of clothes at her disposal.

"A bathing suit?" I questioned.

"For the trip. It'll look great on you. Just try it," she pleaded and waved the hanger in front of me. She tried to reel me in with that smile of hers.

"Alice, if I'm going to wear a bathing suit that revealing, I should start charging," I retorted as I pushed her hand down. Alice giggled but didn't give in. A tight grasp on my hand and I was being forced over to the changing rooms. She gently pushed the suit into my hands and then motioned me into one of the stalls.

"Just try it on for now. It'll be gorgeous, I promise."

The rest of the story is pretty self-explanatory. I stared the bathing suit down before finally giving in. It fit the same it did that day; tight, revealing and representing everything that wasn't me.

"Bella?" Edward called from outside my door. "Are you decent? Can I come in?"

"If I said 'no'," I paused as I hid myself in a sarong "would it really stop you?" A heart-melting laugh came from outside my room. Mustering up the rest of my courage, I walked out the door and to Edward's side. I'd almost forgotten that he, too, would be dressed in attire for the beach. I had to fight not to gasp when I saw him. His chest was covered by a black rashguard—the kind that you always see surfers wear—that matched his trunks. Every toned muscle was accented through the thin fabric, outlining his nothing-short-of-perfect figure. The sight alone made me blush. Edward smiled at my reaction, took my hand in his and walked me to the back door.

"We're really going night swimming?" I asked. A part of me half-expected it all to be a joke.

"Look at it this way—no sunscreen," he replied.

"Isn't this dangerous?" I continued to question.

"I'll look out for you."

"Won't it be cold?"

"You're welcome to stay inside, if you want," he offered even though he knew my answer. We walked out the back doors and onto the enormous porch. It was my first time behind the house and I nearly froze when I realized what was out there. A small pool took up most of the deck, accompanied by a hot tub. Colored lights illuminated the water, occasionally switching colors. The water was crystal clear and so still that I could see my reflection. This brought a smile across my face.

"This is for later," Edward explained, reading my expressions instead of my thoughts. He pulled me down the deck the led to the shore. Excited shouts echoed from the beach; apparently, Edward and I were the lasts ones out. We were lucky enough to have a clear sky and moonlight to at least give me a little bit of sight. As we neared the ocean, I saw three chairs; two of which were stacked with towels and the last with someone sitting inside.

"You'd better hurry out there," Esme turned to us with a smile. "You'll miss out on all the fun." Edward turned to me. He was ready to jump into the ocean, but I, on the other hand, had to lose the last bit of clothing covering my bathing suit before I could go. I bit my lip in an attempt to fight my unsettling nerves and pulled the knot lose of the sarong.

"Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be embarrassed," Edward whispered to me. I blushed even more.

"Edward, the poor child is going to freeze to death out there," Esme said in a tone that told him to do something about it. He thought for a moment before he yanked off the rashguard in one swift motion.

"Arms up," he instructed. I immediately obeyed and held my hands above my head. With another fast movement, he pulled the black wetsuit shirt over my head. It was a bit too big, of course, but it was better than nothing. "There." This brought my attention to his exposed chest.

Edward was more the handsome, more than stunning and more than gorgeous. In the moonlight, his skin seemed to shine instead of sparkle as it did in the sun. Each and every curve of his body was defined and shaped to perfection. I had to constantly remind myself not to stare. He had to take my hand and start pulling me towards the water before I was out of my trance.

Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Carlisle were already swimming around when we got there. The two youngest men had themselves busy with a surfboard as they tried their luck at surfing. Of course, each of them performed like a professional. Alice floated on an inner tube as Rosalie and Carlisle swam about around them. Within in seconds, Edward and I joined them. Soon after that, we were all laughing as we were before with the exception of Rosalie who made an effort to avoid me. I had never enjoyed the beach so much.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" Edward asked nearly an hour after we'd gotten into the water. I had been enjoying myself so much that I hadn't paid attention to anything else until he asked.

"I'm alright," I answered, though my voice involuntarily shook the slightest bit. Edward heard it without delay.

"You lips are turning blue," he said as he swam closer to me. "Maybe we should head in."

"No, really, I'm fine," I assured him, trying my best to sound confident. He wasn't buying it.

"Alright, let's head in. I don't want you to get sick," he answered. I knew I couldn't protest; when it came to my well-being, what Edward said was final. Dripping wet, we made our way back to the house, waving goodnight to the rest of the family.

"They're staying out?" I asked, surprised they wanted to be out for so long.

"It's been years since we've been to a beach," explained Edward. "I think we all missed it more than we realized." Instead of leading me into the house, Edward pulled me to the Jacuzzi that caught my eye on the way out. Carefully holding my hands to make sure I didn't slip, he helped me in before hopping in himself. I sank in up to my chin, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Edward wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. I tried my luck and leaned into his chest, finding that spot in his arms that always fit me perfectly.

"Think you can put up with six more days of this?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. It was as though he was afraid of ruining this romantic moment.

"Put up with it?" I asked. "I was going to ask to live here forever." He chuckled and I could feel his chest rise and fall with the movement. Apart from the salt and chlorine smells that filled the air, I could still pick up his scent, that intoxicating scent that made me melt every time I crossed it. Bubbles from the tub shot out at the sides, massaging every part of me that was under water. It was nothing compared to Edward's cool touch along my arm, up my neck and through my hair.

"Bella, sweetheart, don't move. I'll be right back." Edward pulled himself out of the water and with graceful movements, hurried to the wall of the house. A small 'click' and the lights that lined the deck went out. Another 'click' and the lights in the pool dimmed. He vanished for no longer than a couple seconds and all the lights in the house were out. Just before he crawled back into the hot tub, he turned the buzz of the bubbling water down to a soft hum. Edward gently pulled me back into the same spot, holding me a bit tighter this time. He ran his hand along the side of my face before titling my head up and pulling my attention to the sky. I gasped.

A sky full of glistening stars looked down at us with not a single light to dim it. From the crowded, foggy city of Phoenix to the always-cloudy skies of Forks, I had never seen a night sky with so many stars. I never knew it was quite so beautiful. It seemed as though each and every star shone for us, sparking through the midnight blue of the atmosphere. Even the moon looked as though it shone just for us. I turned my gaze to the only man who was more stunning than the sky and smiled my thanks. He leaned forward slowly until our lips connected in one of the most passionate kisses we'd ever shared.

When I finally lay in bed that night, I thought of how the day had been nothing but firsts for me. My first trip with the Cullen family, my first time, and probably my last, win in a card game against them, my first time swimming in the dark and my first time seeing the night sky for all its worth. I was so excited that I could hardly sleep yet I was so exhausted that I didn't have the energy to do anything else. I turned to my side so I could face the window.

"Edward?" I whispered. I don't know if he was already in the room or if he came the second he heard me call. Either way, he answered immediately.

"Yes, Bella?" he whispered back.

"I'm not going to have to sleep by myself, am I?" I asked. Before I could even finish my sentence, I felt the bed depress as he crawled in next to me.

"Of course not." Cool arms laced around my middle and I felt a chilly breath at my neck. I was exactly where I wanted to be. "Sweet dreams."

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I know this chapter was slow. x3 but I had to get through at least a little of it before I brought in conflict. Besides, I want them to enjoy their vacation before the big, mean author comes in and ruins it. 3 There will be much more in the next chapter, I promise. Please try to stick with me that long?

Thanks for reading this far! Kthnxbai.