A/N: Sorry for the delay. RL has been a bit busy for both Ladyrip and me. I had a baby at some point while we were writing this chapter, that's right I said we. This chapter has Bella and Edward points of view. The next two chapters should be on their way in less time than this one took (hopefully). Most of the delay was my fault with the whole having a baby thing and everything.

Thanks, as always, to EchoesofTwilight for being our beta. :)

Music:

"Drive" by Incubus
"Slow Show" by The National
"You and I" by Ingrid Michaelson
"Float On" by Modest Mouse

BPOV

"Oh, Bella, I'm so proud of you!"

It was just as I had predicted. Alice was thrilled that I had stepped outside of my self-imposed bubble and spent the evening hanging out with Edward. She had just finished quizzing me on everything we had talked about and was now in full-on gush mode.

I smiled at my phone, glad I was being spared the bouncing and silent clapping thanks to the distance between us.

"So how was the graduation?" I asked, trying to change the subject to neutral territory. I had suddenly realized that she hadn't said anything about it whenever we had talked in the two weeks since she had returned to New York. Although she hadn't actually been there, I knew she would've grilled Jasper thoroughly and could tell me all the details as if she'd witnessed it for herself.

Alice delivered her monologue for a solid ten minutes, and I paid just enough attention to respond in all the right places and grasp the gist of the event. It seemed that Hannah's graduation had gone off without a hitch, and the time spent with the family had been both enjoyable and enlightening.

"Really?" I murmured half-heartedly when she shared that the oldest Whitlock child, Esther, was expecting her first child in a few months.

And then my breath froze in my chest.

I mentally counted backwards.

No. It couldn't be.

"Alice, I'll call you right back," I said, cutting her off mid-sentence, and hung up.

I pulled up the calendar on my Blackberry and did the math again.

Yes. It could be.

Holy crow! I thought as the tears began to flow. The phone slipped from my suddenly nerveless fingers onto the comforter. I sat down heavily on the bed.

I had been on Tybee for almost a month. It had been almost three months since... since the accident. And in all that time, I hadn't once had to think about or purchase feminine hygiene products. Alice had thoughtfully packed them; I had seen them when I unpacked my toiletries. However, I hadn't even thought about them since then... because I hadn't had a period in about three months.

And I'd been eating more than usual and having cravings lately...

Taking a shuddering breath, I touched my abdomen lightly as the pieces seemed to fall into place.

Another thought struck me, and the tears came even harder.

I had been drinking steadily-excessively-for two of those three months.

My other hand rose to cover my mouth as I collapsed sideways on the bed. I curled my legs up in the fetal position, worrying that my baby-our baby-might be physically or mentally damaged by my inability to cope with my husband's death for those first two months.

I vowed right then and there not to take another sip of alcohol until I was finished nursing. Maybe not even then.

I lay there for who knew how long, terrified and elated by turns. I was terrified for the health of the baby and elated at the thought of carrying our child. Terrified just thinking about raising a baby alone; elated that some part of him would live on. Terrified that I wouldn't be a good mother; elated that I would get the chance to try.

It seemed like I lay there forever, but it was very likely only a couple of minutes before the phone began to ring.

I sat up and brushed the tears from my cheeks, smoothing the hair off my forehead as I picked up the phone.

Alice, the screen flashed before showing that I had missed the call. I quickly dialed her back, trying to steady my breathing.

"Bella, are you okay?" she demanded, in lieu of a hello.

"Alice, are you sitting down?" I responded immediately, adding on, "I'm fine."

"What's going on, honey? You scared me."

"Alice, I think I'm pregnant," I whispered.

"What?" she shrieked. "Since when? What have you been doing since I left, Bella?"

"Just listen," I pleaded.

"I'm all ears, honey."

I took a deep breath and plunged in. "When you said that Esther was expecting, it got me thinking... I haven't had a period in three months! I guess I hadn't really noticed it because of-because of everything else that was going on," I stuttered. "But now that I think about it, I've been eating a lot more than I normally do, and I've been craving stuff I don't usually eat. That's how I ended up hunting down that Kroger in Savannah yesterday."

"Okay, so wait a minute," Alice interjected, taking advantage of my need to breathe. "You haven't taken a home pregnancy test, and you haven't been to a doctor."

"Right. I only just realized it while I was talking to you," I explained.

She was silent. Once again, Alice was at a loss for words.

"Alice, I'm really scared," I confided. "And worried. After Ja-after the accident, I drank all the time. And I wasn't eating. What if the baby is-I don't know-deformed or-or mentally retarded or something? It'll be all my fault. And what if I'm not a good mother? I don't know anything about babies. I just-"

"Bella! Stop, honey; slow down," Alice commanded gently.

I inhaled slowly and let it out again. "Okay."

"Don't borrow trouble," she said calmly. "First things first. You need to find out if you really are pregnant; then we can figure out the rest."

"Al-iss! How could I not be? Didn't you hear what I said? I haven't had a period for three months! Three whole months! That's a pretty good indicator," I argued testily.

I could hear Alice tapping a manicured nail against her teeth as she thought. Then she said, "You need to find a doctor. Don't bother with the home pregnancy test kit thingy; I don't trust them."

"Me either," I agreed. "But I don't know any doctors in the area. Maybe I should just come back home."

"No," she said right away, and I could imagine her shaking her head vehemently. "I will find you an OB... in Savannah, because if it was that difficult to find a good salon on the island, I can only imagine how hard it would be to find a decent doctor!"

I chuckled at Alice's lack-of-civilization rant.

"In the meantime, Bella," she continued, "you should just try to take it easy: get plenty of rest, eat healthy foods, no strenuous activity or heavy lifting-"

"What am I going to lift, Alice? I'm staying in a hotel where my every whim is catered to."

"Good point." I could hear her smile. "Well, that's good. Just make sure you eat right and stop drinking-"

"Already done," I assured her. "Alcohol won't pass these lips until this baby is weaned," I promised.

"Good. Alright. Well, um, let me see what I can find for you, and I'll get back to you soon, okay?"

"Alright. Thank you so much, Alice," I said. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"That's what a best friend is for," she answered.

We said our good-byes, and I hung up the phone again. I curled back up on my side on the bed, smiling and crying simultaneously. What a roller coaster of emotions I was on. The terror and elation of before were now replaced by joy and sadness. I was overjoyed that I would still have a piece of him in my life, but I was also overcome with sadness that he would never see his child. I wanted to call him and tell him the good news, but I couldn't.

)ooOoo(

I must have cried myself to sleep. The next thing I remembered was waking up to a pitch black room with only the sound of the waves coming through the open balcony door.

My eyes felt gritty, like they had sand in them. I rubbed my fists against the lids, feeling the salt from my tears crusted on my lashes. I scrubbed my cheeks, wiping off the grainy residue there as well. Stretching the stiffness from my limbs, I sat up and crossed to the open door, looking out on the dark beach.

A couple crossed in front of my room, walking barefoot and hand-in-hand. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table, tamping down my jealousy. It was only ten o'clock. Too early to try to go back to sleep, but too late to get something decent to eat. I wandered into the living room and flipped on the TV, using the remote to surf through the channels. There was nothing good on.

I opened my laptop and booted it up. I got myself a bottle of V8 Splash from the wet bar-plenty of vegetables for the baby-and settled down on the sofa to do a bit of Internet surfing. I read my personal emails and ignored the business messages. I checked out a few sites I used to frequent, avoiding my social networking pages so that I wouldn't have to see all the sympathy wishes posted by friends and colleagues.

When I finally ran out of things to catch up on, I Googled baby names and moused over the first site that popped up. My finger hovered over the left button for a few seconds before I finally clicked it. I pulled up a list of the most popular names of the previous year and immediately scrolled down to the less popular names. Some of them were positively hideous, and I couldn't believe that people actually gave their children names like those. Others were decent, and I found myself writing down my preferences to look up their meanings later.

It was eleven o'clock by that time, and I had started to feel a little bit sleepy, despite my tear-soaked nap earlier in the evening. I shut down the computer and made my way back into the bedroom, turning off the lights as I went. I finished off my bottle of juice, brushed my teeth, and snuggled into the soft mattress. I flipped off the bedside lamp and pulled the cool sheet over my shoulder, settling in for the night.

Resting one hand over my belly, I closed my eyes and whispered softly, "Oh, Jake, I wish you were here for this..."

)ooOoo(

The clock read ten thirty-five when I woke up next. I had slept nearly eleven hours, and now I was starving. I called room service and ordered scrambled eggs, a bagel with low-fat cream cheese, yogurt with fresh berries, and orange juice. While I waited for my breakfast to arrive, I booted up my laptop and checked to see if Alice had emailed me a list of doctors yet.

Bingo! It wasn't her usual annotated listing but a link to an exact replica of the yellow pages for Savannah OB/GYNs. She had added the message: Check out the ads and websites and see which one appeals to you.

I spent a few minutes scanning the ads and listings. Some were more appealing than others, so I checked out the websites of those that caught my interest. They all looked professional, and some even emphasized that they were "caring" and "compassionate." However, I kept going back to the All Women's Health site.

I couldn't really explain it, but I had always been uncomfortable-unnaturally uncomfortable-with going to male gynecologists. Of the three ads featuring an all-female staff, the website of one seemed too institutionalized, the second I couldn't even pronounce the doctor's first name, and the third made me smile. That was All Women's Health.

I clicked the link for Registration Forms and was instructed to download and print nine forms. I hadn't thought to bring my portable printer with me, since most of the things I did for work were done online.

Plan B, I decided, was to download the forms to my flash drive and hope the hotel had a printer for guests to use.

After saving all nine forms onto my flash drive, I wrote down the address and phone number of the office and shut off the computer. Then I showered quickly, pulled on shorts and a blouse, and slid my feet into a pair of sandals. A short ride on the elevator brought me down to the main lobby where I found... no guest computers.

Plan C, anyone?

I walked over to the front desk and asked the clerk, "Is there a FedEx Office anywhere near here?"

She smiled apologetically and replied, "There are several in Savannah but none on Tybee."

I sighed. I really didn't want to drive all the way to Savannah just to print out forms I would need to have filled out before going to an OB appointment... in Savannah. Frustrated, I ran my hand through my hair.

"Can I help you with something?" the clerk asked, eyeing the storage device in my hand.

"Uh, yeah. I, um, need to print out some documents, but I don't have a printer, and I really don't want to go all the way to Savannah..."

She held out her hand and offered, "I can print them for you here, ma'am."

I handed the drive over and smiled as she printed all nine files for me. "Thank you so much-" I glanced at her name badge "-Charlotte. You're a lifesaver!" I added as she gave me the small stack of papers and my flash drive.

"It's no problem." She smiled brightly and nodded to someone behind me.

"Hey, Bella," said a voice I was coming to recognize. And I barely jumped at all this time. "Work stuff?" he asked, indicating the papers I held.

"Edward," I greeted. "No, just... uh... just had to get some things printed out."

I folded the papers over so he wouldn't see what they were for, wishing I could hide my blush as easily. He raised one eyebrow at me but didn't press for details.

"So what brings you here... during the day, I mean?"

He held up an envelope and said, "Just picking up my paycheck."

We smiled at each other and then just stood there like awkward adolescents, each of us shifting from one foot to the other.

"I guess I'd better-" I started.

Simultaneously, he said, "Hey, would you like to-"

I blushed again and said, "You first."

Edward rubbed his free hand on the back of his neck and said, "I was going to ask if you wanted to grab some lunch."

"That's really nice of you, Edward." I nearly cringed when he smiled widely. "I just ate breakfast, though," I continued. "And I have some things I need to take care of right now."

"Oh, okay. I, uh, I guess maybe some other time?"

I nodded quickly but non-committally and made a hasty retreat back up to my room.

)ooOoo(

By one o'clock, I had filled out all but one of the registration forms. I figured it was past the traditional lunch hour, so I picked up the phone and dialed the number for the doctor's office.

"All Women's Health; this is Brenda; how may I help you?" said the voice on the other end.

I cleared my throat nervously. "Um, yes, I need to make an appointment, please." My voice was barely above a whisper.

"What is the nature of the appointment, ma'am?"

I could hear her tapping on her keyboard in the background. Somehow that gave me my voice back.

"I think I'm pregnant," I said.

She then asked a series of questions. I responded as best I could and assured her that I had already downloaded the registration forms from their website and that I would bring them with me to my appointment. The earliest they had available was in two weeks. Since I didn't have much of a choice, I said that would be fine and thanked her for her help.

I entered the appointment into my Blackberry and flopped back on the sofa.

There really wasn't anywhere I felt like going at that point, so I powered up my laptop and began to research the names I had jotted down the night before. Of the ten names I had chosen, I really only liked two of the meanings. Aimee meant "beloved," and Blake meant "dark." This child would certainly be loved, and since both of us had dark hair, our child probably would, too.

I pulled up the Most Popular list again to go over it one more time and had to chuckle when I realized that, while fairly low in popularity, both Alice and Jasper's names were new to the charts last year. I discovered that Alice meant "of a noble kin," and Jasper meant "treasurer." Neither of their name meanings were particularly fitting, but it was fun to look them up anyway. I also noticed that both my name and his name were rather high on the list. Again, the meanings-"God is my oath" and "supplanter"-weren't very suited to us.

With a sigh, I shut the computer off and glanced at my phone. It was only two. Since I'd eaten such a late breakfast, I had skipped lunch. I wasn't really hungry yet anyway, so I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I crossed to the balcony and opened the glass doors.

I breathed in deeply, reveling in the scent of the salty air. A light breeze was blowing, and from time to time I could hear the faint sounds of an acoustic guitar. I stepped out onto the balcony and scanned up and down the beach.

I finally located the guitarist off to my left, his back to me. The breeze played havoc with his naturally mussed bronze hair. His body moved with the rhythm of the song he played, lost in the music.

"Edward!" I called, but the breeze was blowing my way, so he didn't hear me.

Without another thought, I slipped my sandals back on and left the room, tucking my key card into my pocket. I took the elevator down and exited the hotel, hurrying along the beach, hoping I wasn't too late to catch at least part of the impromptu concert. He had a small gathering, mostly teenage girls but also some boys who watched his fingers hungrily, perhaps hoping to pick up some skills. I hung back on the fringes, facing his t-shirt-clad back.

He finished the song and glanced around at his audience and did a double-take when he saw me.

"Bella!" He smiled and beckoned me closer.

"Hey," I said as he reached back to grab my wrist and pull me down onto the blanket where he sat.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked, strumming random chords.

"Not long. I heard you from my balcony," I explained. "Just bits of the song... on the breeze... so I thought I'd come down and listen."

He smiled again and continued strumming. He looked around at the crowd again. But it wasn't a crowd now. There were only a few people left as most had gone when we began to talk.

"What would you like to hear?" he asked then.

I shrugged and tucked my feet up under me on the blanket. "Pretty much anything," I said.

"Pretty much anything," he repeated with a chuckle. He strummed a few more chords, then began to pick a couple of individual notes and strum some more, and eventually a recognizable rhythm emerged. It was a bit bouncy and more mellow than the recorded version because it was acoustic. He played the same phrase several times before his voice joined the guitar.

Sometimes, I feel the fear of

uncertainty stinging clear

And I can't help but ask myself

how much I let the fear take the wheel and steer.

It's driven me before, and it seems to have a vague

haunting mass appeal.

But lately I'm beginning to find that I

should be the one behind the wheel.

He glanced up at me before the chorus, and I found myself joining in without really meaning to.

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there

with open arms and open eyes, yeah.

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there,

I'll be there...

Edward looked at me sharply when I let him take the second verse alone, but I shook my head and listened.

So if I decide to waiver my

chance to be one of the hive

Will I choose water over wine

and hold my own and drive?

I chimed in on the bridge, thinking that I had begun to drive my own life again, not simply drifting in the wake of the accident that had changed me forever.

It's driven me before, and it seems to be the way

that everyone else gets around,

But lately I'm beginning to find that

when I drive myself, my light is found

The chorus, which I belted out accompanied by Edward's smile, seemed like an affirmation that I was not going to let myself fade away but that I would join the living again. After all, I had a reason to live again.

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there

with open arms and open eyes, yeah.

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there,

I'll be there...

He played an instrumental interlude, cutting it shorter than it should be, and when he sang, "Would you choose water over wine? Hold the wheel and drive..." it felt like a challenge that I answered with the last chorus. I would be present, no matter what tomorrow brought. I had things to live for. Without even realizing it, Edward had once reminded me of what I had lost. Now he made me realize all that I still had in my life.

He watched my face as he closed the song, and I wondered what he saw. I gave him a tentative smile and thanked him for the song.

"My pleasure," he said.

/*/*/*/

Edward

It really was. I hadn't anticipated seeing Bella. She still seemed to be doing well. Running into her in the lobby was a surprise that I hadn't expected. She obviously didn't want me to know what the papers in her hands were, as she'd hidden them. When she went back to her room, I figured that I wouldn't see her again for a while.

Charlotte had given me a scathing look from the desk. I wondered what her problem was, and tried to ask but she waved me off while answering the phone. That was when I decided to go play on the beach. I was already blowing off class to pick up my check, so I might as well have some fun with my day off.

When Bella found me on the beach I was pleasantly surprised. I was also shocked that she sang along with me. I had picked "Drive" as a challenge to her, and it seemed like she was up for it.

She was living, and it was a relief. There was still a little edge of something that I couldn't identify in her behavior, but overall she seemed well. I didn't know why I obsessed over her well-being. I wanted to check on her every day but felt like it wasn't my place, so I sat with her on the beach and idly plucked out chords on my guitar.

Bella lifted her head and inhaled deeply. I couldn't help but smile at her, with her hair blowing around in the wind. This was the most relaxed that I'd ever seen her, at least while she was conscious. She was beginning to recover. The next thing she needed was a local support system, friends. What I could offer in that area probably wasn't as cultured or upscale as she was used to, but perhaps...

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" She turned so that she was facing me, cross-legged in the sand with her hair now blowing directly into her face. She battled it with her fingers for a moment, before grasping it in her left hand over her shoulder to hold it in place.

"Some friends and I are getting together on Wednesday night. Really, we're having a jam session. I know that it's probably not your thing but seeing as you're still fairly new in town, and Alice is back in New York... Would you like to come?" Could I sound any more like a prepubescent boy?

Her brow furrowed slightly when she asked, "A jam session?"

"You wouldn't have to sing or anything, unless you wanted to. I just thought that you might like to get out and be around people, maybe make some friends," I explained.

She smiled a little, and nodded.

"So, that's a yes?"

"Yes," she mock groaned, her smile widening just a bit. "At your place?"

"Yeah, there won't be that many of us. Rosalie, Emmett, a couple of friends from school..."

"Are you sure I wouldn't be intruding?" she asked.

"Of course not," I responded. "Anyway, at some point you're going to move out of this hotel, and having friends in the area will be helpful."

She nodded.

"That is, unless you intend to become a hermit," I added.

"You mean I can't just stay in my shell all the time?" she asked playfully.

It didn't happen often but when Bella smiled it made my day. I wished that I could keep her happy all the time, but I knew that it would be unhealthy. She still had so far to go.

"Do you want me to come get you, or do you think that you can make it to my place on your own?"

"Um... I hate for you to have to come pick me up and bring me back, but... I'm not sure I can navigate Savannah on my own. Even with a GPS."

"Wednesday at six it is then." I stood up and dusted myself off before collecting Veronica. I was beginning to think that Bella might be starting to heal. I left her on the beach with a small smile playing around her lips.

/*/*/*/

I had to admit that having Bella attend the jam session made it a little bit stressful. Tanya and I ran into each other a couple of times on campus, and by "ran into" I mean that I asked Tyrone to find out what her schedule was and I lurked in the hallway both Monday night and Tuesday morning until she showed up. Yes, I was pathetic, but once a man decides that he needs a little female companionship, the act of finding it tends to take on an all-new importance - don't judge.

Tanya was a big Modest Mouse fan, which didn't surprise me. They retained a little bit of that indie vibe that she seemed to like. My issue was that I kind of wanted to please Bella a bit too, and I knew that she probably wouldn't be willing to make many music suggestions. I wondered if she'd join in and sing. Tanya and Rose would also want to work on some original music, and I wasn't sure if Bella would be comfortable with that.

Thus, I found myself in the predicament of trying to please two women at once. I hoped that they got along. I could see Bella being a big part of my life, which meant that her and Tanya forming a friendship would become crucial.

I was quite busy planning things.

"What do you want to do about dinner Wednesday?" Emmet asked from the couch, feet propped on the coffee table while he tried to shoot at some imaginary foe.

Dinner. I hadn't thought about dinner. I shot him a blank look.

"People are coming to our house near dinner time, yes?" he said condescendingly.

"I forgot about dinner," I admitted. "We should do something traditionally Southern for Bella."

"Shrimp and Grits?" Rose piped up from down the hall.

"The way Emmett makes grits, that'll be too heavy," I complained.

"I make the best grits in this house, thank you!" Emmett looked up from the screen and promptly got shot. I snickered.

"Fried chicken?" Rose suggested.

"Never again, Rosie... Never!" Emmett stretched his neck around the corner to call down the hall. A small object flew and narrowly missed his face. "You nearly burnt down the house!"

"Not my fault!" she screamed back.

"Those who are easily distracted should not cook with grease," Emmett made the worst attempt ever at some form of an Asian accent.

Rosalie made her way down the hall and leaned up against the counter between the den and the kitchen. Her arms were crossed. I immediately stepped back about a foot to avoid any of her impending wrath that could fly in my direction. I intentionally never asked about the day that Rose set fire to the kitchen. I had an inkling of what might have occurred but the details were completely unnecessary. I noticed that Emmett often disappeared with his woman after eating his favorite meal though, and as a smart boy, I could add two and two.

"Low Country Boil," the words rolled out of my mouth before I'd even thought them.

"Now, that's a good idea." Rosalie visibly relaxed, and looked over her shoulder at me.

"Saves money, too," Emmett chimed in.

"That's not why we're doing it," I groaned. "It's something that she's probably never had before."

Emmett paused his game and turned to face me. He was giving me that look again; the look that says, 'Hey Edward, what do you think you're doing with this woman?'

I levelled my own look back at him in response, 'Not what you're thinking.'

"Am I missing something?" Rosalie snapped.

"No, babe, nothing at all." Emmett went back to his game.

"I've got some phone calls to make," I excused myself, leaving one frustrated Rose in my wake.

Tuesday night was kind of short notice for this kind of thing, but I had faith in my friends and their ability to scrounge together pound upon pound of ingredients. Emmett even dug out the Turkey fryer and the gas burner so that we could make it outside. If we weren't careful, the rest of the neighborhood would show up for dinner and a concert. I had to admit that the concept was exciting. It'd been years since we'd had a Low Country Boil.

After lining up people to bring a few items, I set to work on finding crab. It wasn't a traditional ingredient. Usually, people brought sausage, potatoes, corn, and shrimp, but there were enough of us that I felt like the addition would be good. Rosalie and Emmett were going to handle a couple of sides, most likely some rice and maybe slaw because Emmett had a fascination with cole slaw whether or not it actually went well with the meal.

I wondered if I should ask Bella to bring anything. Everyone had pretty much agreed to bringing beer, which wasn't a shock. Would she want something different? I paced back and forth for a few minutes before finally calling her.

"Hello," she sounded groggy. I checked the clock and realized that it was past eleven. I'd woken her up.

Crap.

Had it not been Charlotte who connected the call, then I would have hung up and pretended that it never happened. However, Char would rat me out in a heartbeat, especially given the disapproving little tisk that she made under her breath when she put the call through.

"Hi, Bella, did I wake you?" I tried to make my voice less cheerful since people, particularly northerners, are likely to get a bit irritated at a happy voice waking them up. I went for concerned instead.

"Um, I'm not really sure. I must have dozed off," she yawned.

"Sorry, I'll just let you sleep -"

"No, Edward, it's fine. What did you need?" she yawned again, and I really felt like garbage for waking her up. She was obviously exhausted.

"I was calling about tomorrow. We're having dinner beforehand, a Low Country Boil, I think we have all of the ingredients covered, but I didn't want you to feel left out... everyone's bringing something." I sounded like a prepubescent boy. Again.

"A what?" she asked, sounding just a bit more lucid.

"A Pre-," I started, then caught myself. "A Low Country Boil, it's kind of a tradition around here. Friends get together and we each bring one of the ingredients in mass quantities. It's a seafood boil that usually has shrimp, vegetables, and sausage. There's also beer involved - lots of beer."

"Oh," she hesitated for a second and I wondered why. "Um... would it be okay if I, um, brought some soda? Or would that seem out of place?"

"Oh, no, that's fine. Do you want me to come get you a bit early and we can drop by the store?" Choosing soda over beer seemed a bit odd given the activities planned for the evening. Loosening her inhibitions would probably appeal to Bella if she planned on singing. Had she given up drinking? In truth, the way I'd seen her look at her wine glass at the restaurant the day I first met her led me to believe that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Would you?" She sounded shy.

"Of course, so five-thirty?" I asked, still pacing a track into the carpet of my bedroom.

"Five-thirty," she confirmed.

"Okay, sleep well," I said, stopping to sit down on my bed.

"Thank you, goodnight, Edward," she said before hanging up.

I pressed the end button and flopped back onto the comforter. Why did I turn into such an idiot just talking to her?

/*/*/*/

Wednesday evening arrived before I realized that the rest of the day had passed. Esme acquired my contribution to dinner. The crab legs came from her favorite "fish guy" as she called him, so I had to head over to the island early to get them before dinner. I met Bella in the hotel lobby and drove back to town with her. She still seemed happy, which in turn put me at ease and made me happy. I wanted her to have a good time, and get along with my surrogate family.

Emmett and Tyrone already had things set up by the time we made it back to the house. Bella had taken forever to pick out "soda"; she insisted that it was not all supposed to be called "Coke." I rolled my eyes and let her continue thinking that, but all carbonated beverages are Coke. I feared that she was going to give a repeat performance of her argument with the Haagen Dazs display. She ultimately picked up a case of Sprite after meticulously studying labels and mumbling incoherently for several minutes.

The guys had a gas burner set up outside with the largest pot we owned, one of those ones used for frying turkeys, situated over it. A large cooler sat between the door and the patio table. I opened it and dropped Bella's Sprite in to cool. She had already been subjected to an awkward handshake/hug hybrid by Rose, followed by Emmett lifting her off the ground. Tyrone was "checking out her trunk" while she was distracted. He caught my eye and gave me a thumbs up. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Esme came through," I announced, indicating the bag of crab legs in my hand. Emmett put Bella down and practically ran over to me to check them out.

Tyrone took that opportunity to introduce himself to Bella. If she hadn't been in an emotionally vulnerable state I probably would have enjoyed watching her shoot him down. Instead, I worried about whether or not I should have asked her to come or if I should have waited and just introduced her to the girls and Emmett. Ty brought Shatika along and some of their friends from the marching band.

"Edward?" Emmett was waving a hand in front of my face.

"What?"

"Is someone bringing potatoes, or do we need to run back out?" he asked.

"Tanya's bringing potatoes," I responded.

"You are way too distracted, man," he chuckled. "You should resolve that before the lovely Tanya gets here."

"Did I hear my name?" Tanya called as she walked through the backdoor onto the porch.

"Tanya!" I extracted myself from Emmett and rushed over to her. He was close on my heels though.

"I have potatoes," she sang. Emmett held out his hand for the bag, and she passed it to him.

He didn't move. He was waiting for an introduction.

"Emmett, Tanya. Tanya, Emmett." I rather awkwardly attempted to bring myself back into reality where people do things like introduce their friends. So. Not. Smooth.

"Good to meet you, Emmett." Tanya smiled.

"Pleasure's all mine." Emmett gave her a smile that I'm sure would have gotten him slapped had Rose witnessed it.

"Yo T!" Tyrone called from his spot next to Bella. "Come here, girl!"

"This was a great idea, Edward," Tanya said. She brushed her hand across my shoulder and walked over to our other friends who were in the middle of a lively conversation. Bella was smiling and shaking her head. I followed Tanya like a lost puppy dog.

"T, this is Edward's friend, Bella. Bella, this is Tanya," Tyrone made introductions.

Bella held out her hand and Tanya laughed.

"Bella, dear, this is the South; we hug." She pushed Bella's hand to the side and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Bella tentatively wrapped her arms somewhere between Tanya's waist and back and patted gently.

"Edward, get your butt over here and help me cook!" Emmett called. I nodded to my friends and excused myself to help Emmett do what little prep was required for dinner. I lined up the ingredients in order while Emmett fiddled with the gas for the burner. The water was already boiling, so as soon as I had things lined up he dumped in the seasonings and started the potatoes. He set the timer and double checked my work to make sure that I'd put everything in the right order. Emmett was a bit anal about Low Country Boil. The food had to be lined up according to cooking time. Of course, I had the shrimp and the crab legs in the wrong order; he huffed and corrected it.

"Would you mind de-veining these?"

"I'm on it," I said and got to work.

The thing about cooking Low Country Boil is that once the potatoes and sausage start to cook, the rest of the ingredients get added relatively quickly. It's not something that you walk away from for a long period of time, so I didn't get much of a chance before dinner to introduce Bella to my friends since I was playing sous chef to Emmett. Fortunately Tanya and Tyrone seemed to be looking out for her. Tanya was particularly enthusiastic about it; she retrieved drinks for Bella and hovered next to her. Meanwhile, Tyrone's friends were hovering around Tanya in a much more predatory manner.

I needed to make a move on Tanya before someone else snatched her up. She was kind, polite, and sexy. Tyrone decided to mess with me by flirting with her a bit more than he normally would. I glared at him from across the yard.

"Edward, the crab legs!" Emmett shouted frantically from next to the pot. I shook my head and passed them over. "If you're not going to help, don't stand there," he scolded me.

"Sorry, Em" I apologized and went back to the shrimp; I had a handful left to de-vein.

The shrimp went in last and, as soon as they were pink and curled in on themselves, dinner was served. We drained the pot and dumped the contents onto newspaper in the middle of the picnic table. Everyone gathered around and began to pick through and pull out what they wanted. Bella hung back, watching carefully for a few moments before Tanya pulled her down onto the picnic bench.

I slid in between Tanya and Bella at the table. Bella carefully picked through the pile of food, putting very little on her plate at first. She eyed the newspaper suspiciously.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said. She cut up a potato and took a bite, chewing slowly. She hummed noncommitally.

"Here, try the shrimp," Tanya leaned over me and dumped a size-able portion of shrimp onto her plate.

Bella popped one into her mouth and hummed. "These are good," she mumbled through a mouthful of shrimp, covering her mouth with her hand.

We lounged a bit and ate before instruments began appearing. It started softly at first, just Tanya and Rose, as predicted, working on something that Rose had been toying around with on Monday. Tanya strummed a guitar and improvised a harmony to Rosalie's song.

The noise level went up a bit when Shatika and Tyrone decided to start playing Edwin McCain, mainly to taunt me. I merely smiled at the two of them. Thankfully, Shatika took over the vocals before Tyrone called all of the stray cats from the neighborhood into our yard. Instead, Tyrone struggled with Rosalie's guitar. He knew the basics, but not enough to really keep up. Eventually, I pulled out Veronica and took pity on him.

It wasn't long after that that a few large drops of rain decided to crash the party. Fortunately, Emmett had a sixth sense about the weather and suggested that Tyrone set up his drums inside the house rather than in the yard. The rest of us shielded instruments as we scrambled inside. Emmett hauled the cooler up closer to the house but left it on the porch. The bottom was slightly muddy and neither of us wanted to deal with cleaning the carpet later.

We settled into the den and took turns picking songs. I held back and watched, chiming in where my voice was needed, until Tanya had a request.

"Ed-ward," she called me as I ducked my head back in after grabbing myself another beer. "You haven't really sung anything. I'm kind of disappointed."

"I'm open to suggestions." I grinned at her.

She paused for a moment before her eyes lit up and she gave a little hop. "I know! 'Slow Show'!"

"Okay," I agreed easily and picked up Veronica. The song was going rather well. I caught myself checking on Bella a lot while I sang; it was the first thing we'd played around with as a group that I didn't think she'd know. She closed her eyes and swayed a little bit, just listening. She seemed happy, and for that I was grateful. Still, I found myself wondering what she was thinking. I pondered it as I sang.

I wanna hurry home to you
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up
so you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
god I'm very, very frightened
I'll overdo it...

Then she opened her eyes, meeting mine directly. When I sang the next line, it came out with more intensity than I'd meant, and it shocked me. I hadn't realized I'd been singing to her.

You know I dreamed about you
for twenty-nine years before I saw you...

It felt true, like something snapping into place. I felt like I'd known Bella for much longer than a couple of weeks, like I'd dreamed about her, or I'd known her before. I'd found her physically attractive from the start-I mean, who wouldn't?-but there was something between the two of us that just clicked into place, and when I sang to her it felt right. The only problem was that I couldn't ask her for anything. She was still Viola, lost at sea and washed up on a foreign shore. It would be ungentlemanly of me to ask for anything, so I wouldn't. I finished the song, looked away, and tried to lock up that feeling by refocusing myself on Tanya.

"I love that song," Tanya sighed.

I slunk off to the kitchen and downed my beer. I fought with myself for a bit longer before rejoining the group. Tanya was singing one of my songs. She had an arm around Bella and swayed a bit back and forth. The two really were getting along rather well. The song wound down, and Rosalie set down her guitar.

"Very nice." I nodded at Tanya.

"Rose told us there wasn't a chance of getting you to sing any of the songs from your band," Bella said.

"I volunteered since I'm the only Banana Sidecar fan." Tanya giggled a bit. She was obviously feeling a bit warm and fuzzy. She was curled around Bella, who didn't seem to mind. Tyrone was watching the two of them intently.

"Whose turn is it?" Rose asked. "Shatika?"

"Oh, hell if I know," Shatika said.

"It's Tanya's turn to pick," Bella volunteered.

"Oh! I know!" Tanya jumped up. "Edward, you have to help me on this! Do you have a capo?" Tanya was suddenly shouting everything and jumping up and down like a little kid.

"I do," I answered. "What do you want to sing?"

"'You and I'!" she shouted.

I started fishing through Veronica's case for my capo.

"You can't play that on a guitar; it's meant for a ukulele," Tyrone complained.

"I can make it sound..."

"I have a ukulele," Emmett piped up.

Rose and I turned to look at him in unison.

"You have a ukulele?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Why?" she asked.

"Chicks dig it."

"Then why is this the first I'm hearing about it?" Rose sounded offended.

"Well, it's kind of a cliché, the big guy playing a tiny ukulele. I didn't figure you'd go for cliché, so I haven't pulled it out around you," he defended.

"Around her? I'm your best friend, and I never knew you played an instrument," I scoffed.

"I picked it up while you were on tour; haven't touched it much since," he said.

"Well, go get it," Shatika ordered. "I want to see this; maybe I'll steal you from Rosie over there, baby."

"You know you're my girl, Shatika," Emmett joked before he ran off to his room to retrieve his instrument.

"You think you know somebody..." Rose commented.

Emmett returned with a small, dusty case and opened it up. The ukulele was horribly out of tune. He fumbled with it for a few minutes; the rest of us just watched until I finally took pity on him and tuned it. However, sure enough, Emmett actually knew how to play it.

Tanya started with a playful little smile on her face. She was singing to Bella again.

Don't you worry there, my honey,
we might not have any money
but we've got our love to pay the bills

Maybe I think you're cute and funny,
maybe I wanna do what bunnies do with you,
if you know what I mean.

I waited patiently for my part. She danced around a bit, blonde hair swinging around her.

I grabbed her hand, "Well, you might be a bit confused."

"And you might be a little bit bruised," she sang back at me, playfully pulling my arm.

"But baby, how we spoon like no one else..." I spun Tanya around in front of me and sang the next part into her hair, "so I will help you read those books."

She stayed in front of me for another moment or two, but when we reached the chorus she grabbed Shatika and Bella by the hands. Shatika, Rose, and Emmett sang it with us.

Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France
let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters
and teach them how to dance
let's get rich and build our house on a mountain
making everybody look like ants
from way up there you and I, you and I, you and I...

Bella was humming along quietly by the end. However, she quickly returned to the couch. Tyrone magically appeared with a couple of beers and handed one to me. I thanked him and drank it a bit too quickly.

Tanya and Rose had moved on to shots. The two were becoming more and more giggly by the minute. Shatika was laughing at them more than with them as she nursed one of Bella's cans of Sprite. Bella appeared to be simply observing for the moment. She was starting to look a bit tired, and I regretted having driven her over. It was highly unlikely that I'd be able to drive her back. However, that was seeming less and less like a bad thing.

"Bella, come sing with me," Tanya slurred slightly as she hung onto the slightly smaller woman. Bella shot an uncomfortable glance at me. I smiled, trying to reassure her.

"I don't really know anything that you're singing," Bella stalled.

"You'll know this one," Tanya smiled. "Anyone up for 'Float On'?"

I found myself smiling at the predictability that was Tanya's musical taste.

"Edward, 'Float On'?" Tanya's smile broadened when she noticed that I'd been inadvertently staring at her. The woman was entirely too gorgeous. The song wasn't a favorite of mine, but I was helpless to resist whatever she asked, as evidenced by the fact that I'd agreed to sing "Slow Show," which wasn't really my speed and resulted in that awkward moment between Bella and myself. I'd definitely be mulling that one over later.

I dreamed about you for twenty nine years before I saw you...

"Edward?" Tanya snapped her fingers in front of my face.

How many beers did I drink?

Five?

Yeah, five.

"Yeah, sounds good," I agreed as soon as I remembered the question.

Tyrone rolled his eyes and started playing. I picked up my guitar and joined in before taking the lead vocal line. Our version was going to sound nothing like the original since I couldn't even attempt to sound like Isaac Brock.

I backed my car into a cop car, the other day.

Well he just drove off, sometimes life's okay.

Tanya leaned heavily on me and picked up the second line in a gravely alto, "I ran my mouth off a bit too much, oh what did I say. Well you just laughed it off, it was all okay." She pulled Bella to her other side, "Bella, the chorus!" she announced.

Bella looked terrified.

"I, um, I don't know it," she eked out.

"And we'll all float on, okay

And we'll all float on, okay," I supplied, wanting to help her out.

"And we'll all float on, okay

and we'll all float on anyway?" Bella asked.

I nodded and started the next verse. Tanya was swaying between the two of us, leaning more towards Bella. She almost sang to Bella.

"Bella!" Tanya yelled when we hit the chorus. She was ready this time.

And we'll all float on, okay.

And we'll all float on, okay.

And we'll all float on, okay.

I caught her eye before the next line because it changed. Bella smiled and quickly adjusted.

"Alright don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy." Tanya separated herself from me and led Bella off singing and dancing. I continue to play, dropping out of the song vocally and watched. I figured out what Tanya was doing. She had a message for Bella: everything was going to be okay. By the end of the song Bella was flushed and giggling like a kid. Tanya pulled her into a hug and spun her around. I turned to Tyrone and Shatika, both of whom shrugged.

Emmett and Rose slunk off to his room during the song. I was willing to bet that we'd bored Rose. She liked her music a little more mainstream and generally favored older songs with a more polished feel. If I knew anything about Emmett though, it was that he was a good host and would probably be returning before too long.

"My turn to pick!" Shatika piped up before Tanya could throw out another song suggestion. I didn't recognize the song that she wanted to sing, but Tanya did. I passed the guitar to her and watched Tanya fumble around for a minute before getting it right.

Bella was tapping out the rhythm by stomping her feet while she swayed slightly. My brain brought me back to that stupid song lyric. What was it exactly that made me feel odd? Were my feelings for Bella more in line with love than friendship? Was that why singing "Slow Show" had felt right and wrong at the same time?

Bella cocked her head to the side and looked at me.

I was staring again. Crap.

"Anyone want a drink?" I asked over the music. Tyrone and Tanya both nodded. "Bella?" I prompted.

"Just some water, please," she answered.

Shatika was shooting me a death glare, but I had to find an excuse to get out of the room and stop staring at both Bella and Tanya. The two were going to be the death of me. I slunk out to the porch and pulled drinks out of the cooler.

"You should really pick one or the other, you know," Rose's voice floated from behind me. She had Emmett's window open. I smelled smoke and cocked my head to the side. Rose had quit smoking, or so I thought. She hid something as I got closer.

"Rose, are you smoking?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Don't know what you're talking about..." she hummed.

"Rose," I chided.

"Only when I'm drunk, and bored, and my stupid boyfriend refuses to come to bed because we have company," she whined.

I shook my head. "You're going to ruin your voice."

"Oh, get over it." She stuck out her tongue. "Besides, you're changing the subject. You need to pick: Bella or Tanya. Choose wisely, grasshopper," she teased before giggling and closing the window.

"Yep, she's drunk," I laughed to myself and went back inside with the drinks.

I found that things had wound down significantly in my absence. Shatika, who was sober, was packing Tyronne up to head back to the dorms, their friends had already left. Suddenly I felt like a complete and utter ass. I'd most certainly consumed too much alcohol to drive Bella back to the hotel, and people were leaving.

"Bell-la, you should stay," Tanya slurred.

"The couch folds out, or you could take my room," I volunteered.

"I would really like to get back," she said quietly, biting her lip after her admission.

"Do you want to take my car?" I asked. I was concerned about whether or not she could make it back to Tybee on her own in the dark, but if she wanted my car then she could take it.

"Does Bella need a ride?" Shatika halted on her way out the door.

"Yeah, but she'ssss all the way on Tybee," Tanya said as she flopped down on the couch.

"I don't mind," Shatika said. "I'll just charge Tyrone for the extra gas, cause he's gonna fall asleep in the car anyway."

"You will not, woman," Tyrone protested.

"Oh hush, Ty, you aren't even going to remember this conversation by the time we get to campus." Shatika less-than-gently smacked Tyrone on the back of the head.

"I'll give you gas money; it's not a problem," Bella said.

"I'm going to collect it from Ty anyway. It's the benefit of being the designated driver: I get to take his money tonight and then again tomorrow morning."

"You're sure you don't mind?" Bella verified.

"Come on, girl, let's get you home." Shatika smiled warmly and gestured toward the door.

"Well, that's settled. Goodnight, Edward, Tan-" Before Bella could finish, Tanya had jumped off the couch and wrapped her into a hug.

"Call me, okay?" Tanya searched around for paper but ultimately gave up. "I'll have Edward give you my number."

"Okay." Bella smiled and followed Shatika out the door.

"Goodnight," I called after them.

When I closed the door, Tanya had resumed her spot on the couch.

"Are you staying?" I asked.

"Yes, because I am in no condition to operate a motor vehicle," she deadpanned before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

"I'm off to bed," Emmett announced. I merely nodded in response before taking a seat next to Tanya.

"Night, Em," Tanya sang like a doorbell. "Night, Em," she repeated.

"Are you ready for bed?" I chuckled.

"Uh huh." She leaned her head onto my shoulder and snuggled up to me. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her a bit closer. She hummed in response, and I took it as encouragement.

I kissed the top of her head, burying my nose in her fruit scented hair. She didn't object, so I ran a hand gently down her side and found a sliver of skin between her jeans and T-shirt. I didn't move my hand under her shirt but let it settle there where I could feel her warm skin against mine. She hummed again and burrowed into my chest. I grew bolder after a few moments and decided to kiss her, really kiss her. I repositioned us so that we were facing each other only to find that her head flopped uncontrollably to the side.

She was asleep.

I was relieved that Emmett had already gone to bed and was, therefore, not a witness to my embarrassing drunk groping of the intoxicated, sleeping woman on our couch. I carefully laid her down on the couch and tucked a blanket around her. The walk to my room was cold and lonely, as was my bed.

Fortunately, I wasn't awake long enough to think about it too much.

End Note:

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