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Thankyou to the wonderful people who favoured and reviewed. Reviews are like hugs! Literally lit up my world. I'm writing this on Wednesday, because I'm feeling nice. It will hopefully be up by Friday, but I'll suck if it's up on Saturday, sorry. So, Chapter 4. And yes, Edward and Bella are gradually progressing. It's a train ride, guys. You've got to board it, you've got to put down luggage, you've got to sit down, you've got to wait, and then the train starts. It's a progression. Oh, and to clear up some confusion, Edward is no longer Emmett's cousin. I thought it would make more sense if they were adoptive brothers. Alice is Edward's adoptive (totally not related) sister, but they were adopted by Carlisle and Esme but Emmett was too and is not related to any of them. Okay, that's confusing, but I hoped I cleared it up. Hopefully this is exciting and the next few will be giggle-able.

'No fucking way!' Emmett roared, slamming his fist down on the dining table.

'You know, it might be fun,' I squeaked from my spot on the couch, playing with my burgundy knitted jacket as an episode of Friends played. The one where Phoebe traves to meet her real dad and is so nervous. How appropriate.

'Fun? Are you serious? I've haven't been home since I was sixteen, Bella. I hadn't seen Edward since I was eighteen, and now the little twerp has gone and told the family and now I need to see them. You have no idea what it was like, growing up there, Bella! I built up so much distance from Esme and Carlisle. I was the adopted brother, Alice and Edward are the two perfects. And I'm going to have to face them tonight at dinner. Fuck.' He flopped down next to me on the couch. Taking chance of this rare opportunity of him and me alone, without Rose, I put my head on his knee. He played with my hair.

'Look, maybe you can reconcile. Maybe time was what was needed. And I thought Alice and Edward were adopted too.'

'Maybe. They are, but they are related. I was always the odd one out.' he echoed, and thrust his hands into his dark hair.

'Will you come with me? I really don't want to go without you. For moral support. Don't worry, nothing will go down.'

Come? With him? No way. His family sounds horrible, and it would be none of my business to intrude into their home.

'What about Rose?' I whispered, as he brushed my hair back from my face.

'Don't tell her, she wouldn't understand, but I think I need my best friend for this kind of stuff. And she's gone to Milan for some fashion show. She's modelling.'

'That's new. When did she start modelling?'

Rosalie was hauntingly beautiful. She's the kind of person who would make an athlete feel insignificant, a supermodel insecure. She had the cascading gold locks that most women would die for, a figure of an hourglass, and the face that would put an angel to same. Her baby blue eyes complimented the golden features of her face. It was no doubt that she was snatched up by some company. And Milan! Of all places.

'She was interviewed a few weeks ago. She told me, but didn't think she would get in.' so unlike Rosalie, usually she needs some medication to calm her bigheadedness. 'It's this fancy Swimsuit Illustrated magazine.'

'Oh, okay. Yeah, okay, I'll go with you. It won't be too bad. Moral buddies?' I asked, sat up and held my fist out towards him for him to bump. Sort of a nerdy ritual of ours since College.

'Sure. Moral buddies.'

His fist lightly thudded as it connected with mine.

Emmett pulled his Jeep out from the curb, not daring to drive up the driveway. I didn't hesitate to dig my fingers into my palm as the engine roared to life. Just as we were leaving Seattle borders to go down to Forks, my fingers started to shake. About half-an hour outside of Forks, the question that had been bothering me needed to come out.

'Emmett- Emmett, are you sure this is a good idea? Meeting your family? You haven't seen them in a really long time.'

'Are you kidding me? You convinced me to go.'

'I know, but,' I played with the strap on my seatbelt. 'I already have one dysfunctional family with awkward dinners. I don't want to see that happen to you. Or be a part of it.'

'Bella, it won't. And if this goes okay, we won't have to hear from them again.' He shrugged his shoulders in an I-couldn't-give-a-shit way, but I could tell he was shoving as much Emmett Cullen bravado into his words.

'Okay,' I let it drop, and decided to change the subject. 'So when's Rose going to spill the beans?' I asked, playing with a fiddle on the heating control on the dash. Emmett slammed his foot on the brake.

'What?!'

'About when she's planning on moving in with us…' I clarified for him, and the panicked look disappeared from his face, and the car started moving again.

'Don't say stuff like that, Bella. Okay?' He looked angered, and I assumed it wasn't directed at me, just at his family and the nerves.

'God Emmett, take a Midol. You seriously have to chill.'

'Sorry,' he murmured as he turned the radio down.

'Look, a few weeks ago, Rose and I started to…try.' The cab had started to cool, so I fixed the dial to heat to take the edge off.

What?

'You know I don't speak in James Bond, Emmett. Try for what?'

'Try for a baby.'

'WHAT?!' I snapped my head around to face him, staring intently at the road, avoiding my eyes. 'Look, Bella, Rose and I have been together for five years. Since the start of freshman year. She's wanting to move in, make commitments, and stuff like that. We won't get married yet, but she wants to move in. But I'm so worried, Bella. You've seen her. She's so beautiful. I'm worried some Ryan Gosling character is going to snatch her up, so I put a proposal to her, to try for a baby. If we get pregnant, we marry.'

'Is that really how you want to do things, Emmett? In that order?!'

'I just love her, B. It doesn't matter what order things go in. And we'd get married before she'd show, so people won't talk. Only the family would know.'

I snorted. Considering Rose's pain-in-the-ass obsessive disorder (PITAOD), three months wouldn't be long enough for her to plan a wedding and make everything perfect. But Emmett and the Wicked Witch? Shudder.

'A likely scenario. But Em, why'd you just flip out on me? What are you hiding from me?'

He sighed, and in most horror films, my eyes became wider with anticipation, expecting him to say he was a serial killer and was on his way to take me to his lair. That would be awesome.

'We went to the doctor to make sure everything is okay. When I say, a few weeks ago we started, I mean about two and a half months ago. We're not expecting to get pregnant right away, but she's not even late. So Monday, we went to the doctor. We had the tests, and Rose gave him her number to call. She didn't want me giving mine to him, something about the doctor being gay. But now, she won't talk to me or answer my calls. I'm really worried. She flips out whenever I talk about the doctor.'

My handbag was on the seat, so before Emmett could react, I smacked him over the head with it. He didn't look away from the road, but he cried out.

'Bella, I'm driving. Don't hit me. What did you even hit me for?'

'Oh Emmett, you fool. She's as scared as you are. She's probably worried something about her is wrong! And when you pester her about it, you come off as clingy and worried. So naturally she's freaking out! Just give her space, and everything will be okay.

'You're right. Everything's probably fine. Thanks, B.'

'Don't mention it. Seriously. Ever.' I said, thinking about Rose fat with a baby. It made me smile. You're Mama Jokes will be the hot topic when she does fall fat with child.

'Hey Emmett, can I be best man/woman?'

A flash of white headlights startled me, turning my head to the left side of the cab. The car had jeered off the road, and was heading towards my side of the car.

The sound of metal tearing and Emmett's gasp was heard, and then the shattering of glass and the metal frame of the car.

Someone's creaming echoed all around the woods before the earth became silent again.

It took me a second before I blanked out to realise it was mine.

Pain.

Too much pain.

So much pain.

It was all around me, consummating every thought, every breath, every fluttering of my eyelid. Everything was silent, and seemingly filled with pain.

'Swan, the passenger. Impacted. Stable, but vitals dropping. Losing blood. Needs emergency treatment. Few minutes before comatose. Driver? Unknown. Borders of Forks. Pulling up to hospital now. Need a stretcher waiting. Over.'

I could hear it. But I didn't understand it. I couldn't remember my own name. I couldn't force my eyelids to move. I couldn't even locate them.

I felt whatever I was riding on stop, and then I was jerked out from underneath something. I wanted to tell everyone to relax and just stop, but everything went black again.

'Isabella.' Stop it.

'Isabella.' Stop touching me.

'Isabelle.' That's not my name.

'Isabelle.' They call me hell, that's not my name.

'Belle.' That's not my name.

'Belie.' What sort of name is that? Stop touching my face.

'Bella.' Bingo! Stop touching my forehead.

'Bella. Can you hear me?' Well obviously. Quit poking me.

'Can. You. Hear. Me.' Yes. Go. Away.

'She's not responding.' Of course I'm not. Leave me alone.

'I don't know if she can hear.' Look buddy, if you don't stop holding my hand right now…

'We can't force her to wake up. She has to do it when she's ready. I'm sorry.' Why is this random person apologizing for me? Did someone escape from the loony-bin?

'BELLA?' I could recognise the voice. I could recognise it anywhere.

'Bella, I'm so sorry. Please wake up!' I am awake, idiots.

'Bella, think of me! Wake up for me!' Emmett sounded distraught, like he was crying. I located my eye-lids on my body, and tried to open them. I managed to find one, and opened it.

There were three people directly looking down at me. A bandaged Emmett, a concerned Rose and a startled handsome blonde man with a stethoscope around his neck. I must be in a hospital. It wasn't weird waking up in one, I had spent a lot of time here in my childhood. Upon seeing my one open eyelid, they all jerked back and then started to yell. 'She's awake! She's awake! Stable her. Now!'

Then a flurry of more people entered the room, and I fell asleep, just to spite them. How I hated hospitals.

When I woke up again, it was for real. There was no one poking me, thank god, and I managed to get both eyes open enough to see the roof of the hospital room. Light was flooded into the room, and I looked around silently, not needing to say anything. I could remember the car and the drive, but nothing after that. I could feel a pain on my right side, and I could see a button on the bedside table, probably for pain medication. I lifted an arm to press it, but someone beat me to it.

'No, you don't.'

I followed the toned arm up slowly, finally landing on the face of Edward Cullen. He was smiling down at me, looking like an Adonis. I was glad I couldn't say anything, I think I would have screamed. My face scrunched up into confusion, and he pressed the button on the bedside table, and settled back into the navy blue seat to the side of me.

'What are you doing here?'

I managed to say, though my voice was thick with sleep.

'What do you mean, what am I doing here? I'm the reason you're in here. Or I can be here as a work representative offering comfort. Whichever works.'

'Can you not confuse me just yet? Can you just tell me what happened, please?'

'You're in a hospital and you're still bossing me around.'

'I'm still you're boss.' I yawned, and he winked.

Winking, of all things? This man must be whacked out. He cleared his throat, and then started to tell me what had happened.

'I was at my parent's house, waiting for Emmett to arrive. I assumed you could come with him, so I told Esme he was bringing a girl. You know Esme, right?' I nodded. 'Anyway, you guys were late and Esme was getting worried. Then we got a call saying there had been an accident and we were in Emmett's phonebook, so they contacted us. We rushed over here, and he was fine, but you were comatose. Everyone was all worried and up in arms, until you allegedly winked at Carlisle. They stabled you, and you fell asleep.'

'I was in a car accident? That would explain the pain.'

'Where are you hurting?'

'My right side, my head and my stomach.'

'You have a few bruised and cracked ribs, a hit head and you were internally bleeding. They managed to fix it without performing surgery.'

'How?'

'I don't know. I think you just stopped bleeding.'

'What's Carlisle look like?'

He launched into a very detailed description of his looks, but it was all blurry in my head.

'Blond doctor?'

'Yeah, I think that's a pretty accurate description.' He laughed. I had never seen him like this. In my head he was Edward Cullen, colleague, pain, asshole, cocky annoyance. But he was being genuinely nice. He probably felt bad for Emmett. Family was probably a weakness. Since he was probably only talking to me because he felt bad or was bored, I started to say something. Unfortunately, he did too.

'You can leave if you want,'

'I don't know how to apologise,'

'What?' He asked.

'What?' I asked. 'Why do you need to apologise?'

'Bella, I could have killed you. You could be dead right now, in the ground, and it would be my fault. It's bad enough you're injured.' It was the first time he had ever called me by Bella and not Miss Swan. It was an irrelevant fact, but it jumped from his mouth into my brain.

'You didn't do this to me!' I protested, wincing as the muscles in my torso clenched as I moved my arms in a waving motion. There was no cuts on my shoulder, so I was glad my tattoo wouldn't be ruined.

'I might as well have.' He dug his hands into his tousled hair, elbows on the bed. His voice was soft, quiet, gentle. 'I wanted to see you, for you to come see my family. And I missed Emmett. I wanted to see him, see him make peace with the family. I asked you guys to come. And if the car had been speeding five miles faster, or hit you at a different angle, you both could be dead. There wouldn't be a beautiful, alive, healing girl right here. There would be a dead girl in the ground. So I'm sorry.'

Although his words made me flinch, I was still screaming at myself. He called me beautiful. He called me beautiful.

'Bella, say something right now.' There it was again. The B-word.

'You said the B-word.'

'What?'

'Nothing, look, I accept, even though you didn't do anything wrong. Cullen, you're handsome, smart and despite all the asshole-player part of your personality, I would never believe in a million years you would ever try to hurt your brother.'

He was looking at me intently, raising an eyebrow and cocking his head to one side. I felt a need to distract him.

'So, I'm feeling really good, when can I go back to Seattle?'

'Tomorrow, if you're lucky.' Carlisle, the blonde doctor, entered into the room. Emmett's adoptive dad.

'You seem pretty good, so this afternoon, so tomorrow seems doable. What do you think Edward?' He said handing Edward the chart that had my vitals on it. Knowing that it would have my weight on the chart, and being insecure about my 110 pounds, I felt myself flush. He gazed at it, and handed it back to Carlisle.

'Definitely doable.' Edward smirked, but I couldn't understand what about. Oh God, it might have my last bowel movement time on it. Can they even tell that?

'Thanks, Dr Cullen,' I muttered politely as he glanced over my chart.

'Carlisle, please.'

'Sure thing.' I was so never calling him Carlisle to his face.

'How's Emmett?' I asked just as Carlisle was leaving the room.

'He's fine. Esme is smothering him with food she cooked. She'll probably be around here soon, too. She really wants to meet you. Just say yes to any food she serves you. Not worth the arguments.' He waved and nodded to Edward as he left the door, shutting it behind him. He seemed really nice.

I nestled down into my bed, stretching and feeling myself sink into the pillows as I rested my hands behind my head.

'What we're you smirking about before, Cullen. My injuries are not an amusing matter,' I teased, nudging him with my foot. I was glad he was here, keeping me company and distracting me from the annoying beep of my heart-rate monitor. And now I was listening to it.

Beep. Beep.

'You're full of questions, aren't you Boss?'

'That's the job. When you get promoted you'll love being a dominator too. Always on top.' His mouth dropped open.

'What?'

'Nothing.'

'When will the next promotion be?' He asked, playing with the blanket on my bed. His hand gazing across my thigh, obviously unintentionally, disregarding the point, I was frozen.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

'In about six months. Victoria and James will choose who gets the next promotion. Because of the pairs for the Olympic reports, I think both people, boss and newbie, will get it.'

'How bad do you want that promotion?' He asked idly.

'I've been talking about it to anyone who would listen. What do you think?' I laughed.

He laughed with me. We were both enjoying the casual conversation, the light laughter after such a traumatic, for me and emotional, for both people, experience.

'I think you would do anything for that job. So would I.' He murmured, looking out the window, deep in thought.

'Oh, Cullen, I forgot to tell you. We lucked out at the picking of the sports. We got to cover the Baseball league.'

His body visibly filched. Stupid idiot, I thought to myself. He was an Olympic level baseballer. Shit.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

'That should be great,' he said, looking at the door. I felt stupid, I had made him feel uncomfortable. I really wanted to go see Emmett, and I imagined him longing to check on his adoptive brother.

'Thanks for being here with me. It's nicer than being alone with a nurse who is paid. I'll add fifty cents to your pay,' I joked. I really had no influence over his pay, but I thought saying that might spoil the atmosphere.

'Bella, I'll be here when you need me. That's how it works.' He put a hand on the side of my face.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep

I had no idea what was going on. I didn't know if I liked it. He was being weird. I didn't know if he liked me or was joking around. Stop over analysing everything, Bella. Live in the moment. You suffered a near death experience. Who knows how long you have left? A voice inside my mind consulted me.

Shut up, I shouted at my mind. I focused on Edward's green-gold blend, and then I did totally something I never did.

I kissed him. Pressing my closed lips softly to his closed ones, I waited for him to pull away, thinking how embarrassing and stupid I was. He hadn't even moved towards me, only put his hand on my face, and here I was, sexually harassing him. He was startled a bit, but got over it. He kissed me back, softly, but not pushing for more. Was player Edward not taking advantage of a girl throwing herself at him? He held my hand, and it was so soft, sweet, and genuine. Our first kiss.

So much verbal diarrhoea, but I felt good. I hadn't been kissed by Edward that I ever knew of. I hadn't been kissed since that random night at the work function, but I assumed that was from some seedy guy who was drunk.

Work function.

'Stop.'

I pulled away, and he looked disappointed. 'What's wrong?' He asked, looking at my side that I told him was hurting.

'We can't do this. Work. I can't date a colleague. It's wrong.'

'Do you always obey the rules?'

'It's the office rules. I can't disobey them.'

'Sometimes it's healthy to test the limits. You don't always have to do everything by the rules. Don't you want to see what it feels like to test them?'

'Not when my job's on the line, Cullen. Don't you get it? You could get fired too.'

'I've done it before.'

'You've kissed someone from work before? Already?'

'I think so. It was just at the work function though. Can't remember who, but definitely kissed her. A good kiss, too.'

'What if it was a guy?'

'Are you asking me if I'm gay?' Surprise dripped from his tone.

I blushed, holding in my laughter. 'Do you need me to prove that I'm straight to you?'

'We can't, Cullen. It's not okay! This isn't some romantic comedy. Life isn't like that.'

'I don't want a romantic comedy, I just want to have some fun.'

'You sound like a teenager.'

'You sound like a worrier.'

I narrowed my eyes at him, sinking deeper into my pillows.

'Convince me.' I closed my eyes. 'Convince me that you want this, we won't get caught and everything will be okay if we do this. Promise me.'

His lips came down on mine, hard. Demanding and promising. Wanting. Challenging me to back down.

I had just made a deal with the devil.

But it would be so worth it.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Be—

Flat lined.