A/N: Thank you to my beta, Adrena. She rocks:) And also thank you to the lovely ladies maniacalmuse and manyafandom for reading this chapter and giving me feedback.

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'Nuff said. On to the show!

EPOV

I walked back through the front door and shot a warning look at Alice. "I know you have an opinion about Bella, but I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to yourself in the future, okay?"

Alice scrunched up her face and flushed bright red. "I didn't realize you wanted us to be best friends, Edward," she shot back.

Rose looked back and forth between us. "What's going on?" she asked warily.

Alice grumbled and crossed her arms. Her normally pretty face wore a petulant expression. "We all know how much trouble she's been, but apparently, Edward still likes her."

I ground my teeth in my frustration. I knew Alice was only trying to protect me, but she wasn't even giving Bella a freaking chance.

Comprehension dawned on Rosalie's face. "I see. Do you like her, Edward?"

I thought about this. I mean, obviously I liked Bella, or else I wouldn't have enjoyed making out with her so much, but did I like like her? "Yeah, I think I do," I admitted quietly. I saw Alice's eyes widen and I crossed my own arms across my chest and stood in a defensive stance. "I don't see why that's such a problem, Ali. All the stuff that happened before is water under the bridge now."

Jasper stepped up and stood beside Alice. "You know it's because Ali cares about you, Tony. It's not like Bella made the best first impression, you know?"

Rose sighed and looked at Alice. "We all care about Edward, you guys, and that's exactly why we need to be supportive of his decisions. If he likes Bella, then we need to make an effort to welcome her and get to know her."

Alice's face turned a bit sour. "She's going to try and change him, you know. What if things get serious and he stops going to church because she doesn't like it? What if..."

Rose put a hand up to stop her. "Ali, that's ridiculous. Do you really think that Edward's faith is weak enough that he'd be led away from it so easily?"

"The Bible says that we should find partners who are equally yoked in their faith, Rose. Bella won't help Edward along the righteous path."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Emmett stepped forward and frowned. "Ali, you know I love you, but I think you're confusing the 'righteous path' with the 'self-righteous path.' Tony's a big boy, and if he wants to be with Bella, that's his choice. Recall that I wasn't a Christian when I met Rosie, but she inspired me. Maybe Edward's righteous path is to help Bella start along her own path, did you ever consider that?"

I'd had enough. "Hey, guys, I'm in the room, remember? Just listen to me: Bella's not trying to change me anymore than I'd try to change her. I'm not with her to win another Christian for the team, okay? Alice, I appreciate your concern, and I love you dearly for sticking up for me, but Bella and I are friends now and I think you should at least make the effort to get to know her. That being said, I'd like your support, but I don't need it. She's sweet and funny and really intelligent, and I like her a lot. I didn't plan on liking her, but I do."

Jasper's hand came up to cup Alice's shoulder and he looked down at her. "I think he's right, baby. I know it'd be ideal for Edward to date someone who's like him, but that's just not the way things are. How long have we all been worried about him? It looks like he's finally found someone who makes him happy, and I'd hate for any of us to ruin that for him."

Rosalie reached for Emmett's hand, and he smiled sweetly at her. "Sometimes people come into our lives for a reason, Ali. I think Bella is here for a reason; God sent her into Edward's life for a purpose, and I think we just need to sit back and see what He has planned for them. Who knows what could happen?" At her last words, she beamed up at Emmett and the message was clear: she hoped I'd find the same happiness with Bella that she'd found with Emmett.

Well, I doubted it at this point, but I couldn't argue with everything else that Rose had said. I already felt that Bella was in my life for a reason, and I had to trust that God knew better than I did what that reason was. I'd have to just operate on that faith and hope for the best.

Ali's shoulders drooped and she looked up at me sorrowfully. "I just want you to be happy, you know? You've been sad for so long, and I'd hate to see you get crushed by this new girl."

I sighed and tried to push back my frustration. Her chin trembled and I saw the water filling her eyes, so I relented and walked over to her with my arms open. She fell against me and embraced me tightly, burying her face in my shirt and sniffling. "It'll be okay. I'm not in any danger of getting 'crushed' by Bella. I'm sorry that you've been worried about me, but I promise you, there's nothing to worry about. I'm fine, okay?"

She looked up at me and I smiled brightly, trying to reassure her. She stepped back and Jasper gathered her against him, trying to soothe her even further. Rose asked Emmett to help her with dinner in the kitchen, and everyone relaxed as the table filled up with delicious homemade food.

Once we were all seated, I looked around the table and realized something that blew my mind away: these people, more than my bitter, angry father, were my family now.

The saying may be "blood is thicker than water," but water is strong; it has the power to cleanse, to heal, and to replenish. If my friends were water, then I was the thirsty man who'd been lost in the desert for the past three years.

Now that I'd found them, my thirst for affection and healing could finally be sated.

Today was Thursday, which meant I'd be meeting with Bella shortly to go over our notes for the radio show. To say I was apprehensive about the show would be an understatement. Bella and I were finally starting to relax around each other, and even though I really liked her, I still wasn't entirely sure how a relationship between us would develop.

I mean, some of the things Alice had said the other night kept bothering me, and I wasn't sure what to think. I obviously couldn't just come right out and ask Bella if she expected me to change for her, but I wasn't too excited at the prospect of getting in even deeper with her without knowing what her expectations were.

We were meeting thirty minutes before the show so that I could show her the set up and get her comfortable with the booth. I knew from talking to her about it on the phone last night that she was nervous, but I assured her that everything would go smoothly.

Now if I could just convince myself of that, we'd be good to go.

There was a soft knock on the window, and I turned to see Esme standing there with a hopeful look on her face. I felt my shoulders go stiff as I considered what she could possibly want at this point. I wondered if my father sent her, and if so, if he really thought she'd be able to fix this clusterfuck between us.

I sighed wearily and stood up to open the door. I looked up and down the hallway for Bella, but she wasn't due to be here for another ten minutes, so I stepped out into the hall and looked at Esme. "Hi," I said guardedly.

Her soft brown eyes were lit with concern. "Hi, Edward. I know you're probably wondering what I'm doing here..." I nodded as her voice died away. She took a deep breath and looked around her. "Is there somewhere we can sit and speak privately?"

I led her down the hallway to the radio station break room. It was currently abandoned and I breathed a sigh of relief. I closed the door behind us and gestured her over to the sticky table covered in crumbs leftover from lunch. She sat down in one of the creaky vinyl-covered chairs and crossed her legs. She looked so classy against the grimy, forlorn background of the break room that I couldn't help but feel her nervousness. "So, why are you here?" I asked, trying to keep any of the hurt and anger out of my question.

Esme stared down at her heels and appeared to consider her words carefully. Finally, after I'd begun to wonder if she'd even speak at all, let alone answer my question, she looked at me with great sadness in her eyes. "I thought you might need a friend," she said softly.

I was completely floored. "But...what about my father?" I asked hoarsely.

She sighed and pinched her lips together. "I love your father, but I don't think he's ready for the kind of relationship I'd expect with him. I think he still has a lot of healing to do. I know that Elizabeth, your mom, was the love of his life, and I wouldn't ever want him to deny that...but I also know that he has to move on, or he'll never heal his broken relationship with you."

I sat, unmoving, as her words penetrated the anger I felt against my father. "I don't know if..."

She leaned forward and I trailed off, wondering what she wanted to say. "You and I don't know each other that well, but I feel like...like it's within my power to help you in some way. I recognize myself in you in so many ways, and I'm entirely aware of how crazy that sounds, but I just couldn't get rid of the feeling that I could be here for you, in whatever way you'd like me to be." She drew in a deep breath and held it as she looked up at me as if embarrassed.

I was once again stunned by her words, wondering where someone like her came from. I didn't even really know what to say, but I was saved from that when she spoke again.

"I knew your mother quite well through the church, and I know she would be completely heartbroken to see you and Carlisle like this. I guess, in a way, I want to be here for you so that you know you're right; you need to be who you are, no matter what anyone, even your father, says. I just need you to know that."

"What about my dad, though?" I asked suspiciously.

She grumbled. "To be frank? I think he needs to pull his head out of his ass and realize that he's going to lose you completely if he doesn't. Pardon my language," she said as an afterthought.

I was so surprised that I couldn't help the short, snorting laugh that came out. "I'd agree with you, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't agree with either of us."

She laughed, but her eyes were still sad.

"...So, where does this leave us?" I asked after awhile.

She stared down at the sticky ring left by someone's pop can. "I guess it leaves us as friends, if you'd like. I'm not really speaking to your father, so you don't have to worry that I'm here to do any fishing for information for him."

I felt my shoulders relax slightly, and I realized that she'd just relieved one of my lingering concerns. "Do you...think he'll ever be okay?" I asked sadly, my heart so full of pain for him that I felt as if it were cracking into pieces.

Her eyes teared up and for the second time this week, I felt helpless against a crying female. My hands felt large and clumsy and I questioned what I should do, because I didn't know Esme the way I knew Alice; she probably wouldn't welcome a hug from me.

"I don't know," she whispered. "But I hope, because that's all I can do."

"I know exactly what you mean," I replied quietly.

BPOV

The radio station was small and threadbare. The hallway I was walking down in search of Edward had plain white walls and that standard dingy blue carpet that tried to hide the stains. I peeked through the small window on each door before I came to the fourth one down. I spotted the back of Edward's head and relaxed as I knocked on the door.

He spun around and I watched him get up to let me in the small studio. "Hey," I said.

"Hey," he replied. He sounded distracted. He stepped back and turned around to pick up some papers, so I took the opportunity to get a good look at him.

He wore a plain black military cap on his head, a black zip-up Champion hoodie with a white t-shirt peeking out from underneath, and dark jeans cuffed at the bottom. His black and white sneakers looked new. When he bent over the desk, his keys jangled on the clip hooked to his belt loops. His studded belt glinted in the dim light and I tried to see what his belt buckle said, but he looked up.

Shit. He caught me staring at his crotchular region. Fantastic. Now he'd be all "Blah, blah, God hates boners!" and all that, and then I'd never get my hands in his pants.

Sigh.

"Uhh...sorry, I was just trying to see what your belt buckle says," I stuttered awkwardly. I ran a hand through my choppy hair and wished that it would just grow the fuck back out so I wouldn't feel like Sinead O'Connor or crazy-ass Britney Spears anymore.

He smirked and lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, is that what you were doing?" he asked in a husky, amused voice.

My jaw dropped. Did he just say that? "Did you just say that?" I gasped.

He laughed. "Oh no! The Christian boy made a joke! Someone call Jesus and tattle!"

Now my jaw dropped and my eyes bugged out of my head. I choked and coughed a little bit.

He shook his head at me. "You look like you just saw the pope drop an f-bomb, you know."

I swallowed and wiped the tears from my eyes that had been brought on by my coughing fit. "That's because I thought the chances of hearing the pope cuss were better than the chances of hearing you say what you just said," I rasped out.

He crossed to me and curled his long hands around my hips to pull me close. When he bent his head down to brush those fucking amazing lips against mine, my knees wobbled. I felt my pulse pick up as his warm hands gripped my hips so temptingly. I pushed up on my tiptoes and sank into the kiss. I moved my lips, opening them slightly so that I could drown in his addictive taste.

He backed me up against something and I gasped when his tongue probed my mouth, bringing my blood to the boiling point. My nipples hardened and ached, chafing against my clothes. He angled his head, sinking deeper until I whimpered against the onslaught of lust bombarding my system.

I pulled away and came up for air, but it still smelled all spicy and cinnamony, just like Edward. "I...umm..." I said.

He laughed softly and brought his hand up to cup my cheek, pulling me back. "Shut up," he said with a sexy smile against my lips.

So I did.

The next kiss was hotter than the last, but I was all too aware of where we were, and it affected my ability to lose myself completely in the Edward Experience. I didn't have the willpower to pull away again, so I waited until he withdrew.

"I guess I should prepare you for the show, or you'll be totally clueless when it comes time to start in..." he checked his phone, "ten minutes."

I gasped and flattened my hands against his chest, resisting the need to molest the fuck out of his sexy ass. "Ugh. I can't believe we just wasted all of our prep time making out," I grumbled.

He shot me the sexy raised eyebrow. "Excuse me? 'Wasted' time making out? You really know how to flatter a man," he said sarcastically.

I scrunched my nose at him and huffed. "You know what I mean," I griped.

He leaned in to bury his nose in my neck, and I shivered when he brushed his lips across the sensitive skin. "I don't think I do," he murmured.

I pulled away and swallowed all the drool that just pooled in my mouth. "Where the hell did Seduceward come from?" I demanded. "This is an outrage! I thought I was supposed to be the skanky one, luring you away from your wholesome ways."

Edward frowned down at me. "Don't say that about yourself," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Your friend Alice seems to think I'm out to corrupt you, and while that sounds really appealing, I doubt you're even willing, so that'd be pretty difficult to do, y'know?"

His heated gaze grew calm and cool as he stepped away from me. "Don't worry, I talked to her about it. I think she's going to make an effort to be on her best behavior now."

I was surprised. "Did you go through the Spanish Inquisition with your friends, too?"

He smirked. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I think they're supportive, though."

"Mine too, kind of," I said.

There was an awkward moment as we both considered the fact that telling our friends about each other meant that this wasn't just a dirty, shameful little friends-with-benefits situation anymore...if that's what it ever was to begin with, anyway.

Whatever this was between us, I already knew that I wanted to really be with him...and I hoped he wanted that, too.

He shuffled his feet and looked down at the papers he'd picked up again. "Crap, we need to get ready for the show!"

He showed me to one side of the table with a microphone and handed me a pair of headphones. I watched him walk around to the other side and pick up his own headphones. "Okay, so wear these and just follow my lead for now. Next time, I promise we'll go over more of the stuff beforehand so you don't feel out of it, okay?"

I nodded and tried not to panic as he flipped a series of switches and messed with some dials. Music piped through my headphones, and I looked at him in amazement when I recognized OCS playing. "Are we on air?" I mouthed to him. He nodded and smiled reassuringly at me.

Once the song clip ended, he pulled the big studio mic toward him and winked at me right before he spoke. "Welcome to a new show, listeners! The young Republican show has been replaced with a new show with an all-new format. We're calling it Young and Opinionated. With us now is Bella Swan, a liberal democrat who will be engaging in discussions with me on all the hot issues in politics today. So...welcome, Bella. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

My eyes had to be as wide as saucers. "Um...hey!" I said into my microphone, my voice coming out as a pathetic squeak.

Edward chuckled and slid a piece of paper in front of me. On it was a list of our proposed topics for the discussion today. "A little story about how Bella and I met: we're in this political science class together, and she hated my guts at first...but once I unleashed the power of my dazzling smile, she was like putty in my hands."

I forgot my nerves at his words and scoffed loudly. "Yeah, I don't think that's quite how it happened, chief. It went more like this: Edward was an uptight dork, but since I'm awesome, I pissed him off with my inflammatory political views. True story."

Edward smirked at me and I had to blink. I realized then what he'd done: make me forget my nerves. I was acting naturally, and I was amazed to find myself being...well, myself with him.

"So let's talk about the health care reform. What's your opinion on..."

And on the show went, effortlessly. Our time flew as we debated, sometimes hotly, over things like health care, gay marriage, and taxes.

At the end of the show, he looked at me with relief. "Well, listeners, what did you think of our first show?"

The phone rang and Edward answered the call, greeting the caller on air.

"Yeah, I was just wondering what song you played at the beginning of the show," the caller asked.

I wondered if Edward would reveal himself. He smiled as he turned to the microphone. "That was my band, OCS. We're a vegan straight edge hardcore band. You can find us on Myspace, Facebook, and the Northwest Hardcore boards."

We went through another few calls before our time was up. He flipped the switches and turned the dials, and when he took off his headphones, I knew we were off the air. I took my headphones off and took a deep breath.

"You did awesome," he said with a reassuring smile.

I grinned back at him and stood up, stretching my legs and back. "Thanks."

He offered to walk me out to my truck, and I accepted. We walked side by side, quiet in the darkness outside. I wanted to ask him so many things, but I didn't know where to begin.

Most of all, I wanted to know where we stood. Were we just "hanging out," or were we actually heading toward a real relationship?

I had no idea how to ask, so I just kept my mouth shut until we reached my lovable rusty heap. I shivered in the chilly air and huddled into my thin hoodie. He must have noticed, because he frowned slightly and reached out to hug me close to him. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"I'm okay, I'll be warmer once I have the heater on," I said.

He pulled back and unzipped his hoodie. "Come here," he said. I stepped close to him and he wrapped the sides of his hoodie around me as I wrapped my arms around his waist. He held me closely while I soaked up his warmth. "You're too skinny. Let's go get a Big Mac and fatten you up," he joked.

I smiled into his shirt and peeked up at him, but all I could really see from this angle were his lips and jaw, and that just made it hard to focus. "When did you get so snarky, mister?"

He hummed and backed us up against my truck. "Believe it or not, my friends tell me I've got a great sense of humor. I think it just never got a chance to show up around you before now," he said.

I considered this and began to regret more than ever our first impressions of each other. We'd wasted so much time on hating each other that it was amazing to see how far we'd come.

"I guess you're right," I conceded. "I wish I'd given you a chance in the beginning," I said sadly.

He rocked us back and forth, and I was incredibly soothed by the motion. "I think maybe we weren't ready to appreciate each other's differences yet," he replied.

"Maybe," I agreed. "But...we still have a long way to go," I said honestly.

He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. "That's true," he agreed. "I wonder if we'll ever get there."

We pondered this for awhile and I tried to think of what he wanted to hear. Finally, I just pulled him down for a kiss. He let me lead without taking over, and when it was over, I swallowed my pride and decided to just be honest with him. "I...like you a lot, Edward. I know we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, and that I was a total bitch to you in the beginning, but I can't help it; I really like you. There, I said it," I finished with a blush and a rush of air exhaled from my lungs.

Edward smiled and brushed a fingertip across my cheek. "I think we have a lot to learn from each other, you know what I mean? I like you, too. You make me feel good...well, when you're not chewing me out over something," he quipped.

I scoffed and pushed at him playfully. "You seem a lot more comfortable with this...with us...since the other day," I said.

He looked thoughtful. "I guess I had a realization," he said cryptically.

"About...?" I pushed.

He pulled away and stuck his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. I shivered at the loss of his heat, but I knew he needed to have his distance for whatever he was about to say.

"I realized that there's this huge part of me that isn't even really run by me, but by my dad, that I need to work on. I also realized that this life is short, and it's ridiculous to push away the people who make me feel good, no matter what they believe or don't believe in."

His words hung in the night air with weight and significance. I heard them, but I also felt them. He was giving me an insight into who he has, and that was infinitely precious to me at this moment.

"That's a good way to look at it," I said quietly, my breath escaping in a white puff in the chilly air.

His brilliant eyes locked on mine, and I felt that if I could freeze time, I would want to freeze the sight of him right now. He had such an breathtaking mixture of painful confusion, exhilarating relief, and achingly beautiful hope on his face.

"Thank you," he whispered.

A/N: The "God hates boners" line is from my friend Derek. He's an awesome writer and I loved that line so freaking much I had to steal it. No, I'm not making fun of anyone…Bella's a character, and it's meant to be funny, not insulting.