AN:

I loved all the reviews…so many of you are so panicked about Edward and Rachel. Sadly, that won't be revealed in this chapter, BUT I will say that no cheating will happen in the fic… well, besides Bella's ex-husband, but that's not a main point.

Lovely thanks to my amazing prereader who got this chapter sent to her multiple times, Lizzylillyrose.

Special thanks to my betas SparklingTwilight and ginginlee for their amazing work with the mess of my words

Chapter 7

1987

I would have felt a lot better about holding Edward's hand if I didn't feel like mine kept slipping out of it every ten seconds. The sweltering hundred degree heat, on top of my already sweaty, nervous palms, didn't make for a good combination. Add to that my inability to walk in a straight line, and it all combined to a stumbling, embarrassing mess. A few times he even reached out to grab my arm instead, since my hand had obviously failed as a secure gripping post. Stupid, faulty hands.

But the walk to the river wasn't all too bad. There were some really great moments, like when I would pretend not to notice Edward staring at my barely covered chest when he would pick me up to carry me over a particularly rocky patch so my feet wouldn't get cut, or when he would take a few steps ahead of me and I could see the strong muscles move in his back. Yeah, my whole "friends-only" notion never really stood a chance when a half-naked Edward was involved. I did credit myself for a good effort, though. Well…kind of.

Reaching our spot didn't take as much time as I had expected. We had to swim through part of the river to reach the island so we were already wet by the time we hit our destination. I regretted wearing my yellow bikini, though, because the force of the current seemed to make it its personal mission to remove it from my body while we were swimming. It was all worth the struggle when we got there, however. There were three parts to the spot: an area with branches you could climb up and jump off of, a large tree with wooden steps nailed to it that led to a rope swing, and then just an area where the current wasn't bad that we could swim in.

"Are you ready, Bella?" Edward asked me as we reached the tree with the rope attached. "Or are you too scared?"

His eyes crinkled on the side as he looked at me, and his lips curled into a teasing smirk.

"You don't think I can do it?" I asked in disbelief, crossing my arms over my chest, making the girls extra visible for his wandering eyes.

"Oh, I think you can do it. I just don't think you will."

I wanted to smack the smug look right off of him. "And why is that, exactly?" I stood just a bit taller, playing along with his taunting.

"It's just…so high, and dangerous, and, who knows, there might be fish you could land on," he mocked, being extra dramatic about it.

"So, you think I'm afraid of heights and fish, is that right?" I asked sarcastically, keeping just a hint of a smile on my face.

He just laughed and looked at the other girls in the group who had found a small area that wasn't shaded by the trees to lay out by. "It wouldn't surprise me."

Before I could respond, my head snapped to the side to the noise of an ear piercing scream. All I saw by the time my eyes could focus was a huge splash in the water.

"Must have been Rachel," Edward commented casually.

"So I take it Rachel isn't scared of heights or fish," I said with slight bitterness, unsure of where it came from.

He just laughed and looked back at me. "Nah, Rach isn't scared of anything."

I turned on my heel and walked right up towards the large tree. Before I started climbing I turned around to look at him. "Don't be so quick to generalize me or put me in any sort of classification with those girls," I said, motioning to the sunbathers. "I've never been the kind of girl who just fits a mold. It's best if you learn that sooner rather than later."

I didn't give him a chance to respond; I simply just started climbing until I reached the spot where the rope was dangling. With a deep breath, I grabbed on to the scratchy pale material and pushed off as hard as I could, screaming the entire time my body swung through the air. I finally let go, and it felt like I was flying, the whipping air feeling cold on my wet skin, before I eventually hit the water. My body sank pretty deep since I hit the water with such force, and it took me longer than I expected to break the surface.

I gulped in a huge breath of air as soon as I was able to, only to then be pulled back down into the murky darkness. I felt hands around my torso, except they weren't the calloused, strong hands I was used to. I fought to get back up, panicking, but the harder I tried to swim back up, the tighter the grip got around me. It was getting to the point where I couldn't breathe, and I really started to panic, whipping my arms and legs wildly under water. My lungs started to burn, and I tried to open my eyes, but I wasn't able to see anything. I gripped the arms that held onto me, trying my hardest to pull them from my body, but to no avail.

Finally, another pair of arms grabbed a hold of me, and I was pulled to the surface, gasping for breath.

"What the fuck, man!" I heard Edward yell from behind me as I swam towards the land, no longer feeling safe in the river.

I turned my head around for a second to see Riley laughing beside Edward. "Chill out, dude; it was just a joke," he dismissed.

"A joke? Are you kidding? You could have killed her!"

"Edward, relax," Riley said more defensively. "We do this to every newbie out in the water. You know this! Besides, no harm, no foul, right, Bella?" he yelled over towards me.

I was just pulling myself back onto the island, my anger at what he did finally registering. "Don't touch me again," I said icily. "I couldn't breathe."

"Whoa, didn't know you would be so upset about it. I didn't mean to upset the princess," he mocked, swimming back over to where some of the other guys were. I rolled my eyes and shivered involuntarily.

I waited by the tree for Edward as he made his way to me. "Are you okay?" he asked as he climbed out of the water, the water dripping from his wet bathing suit, turning the dirt into a puddle of dark mud.

"Yeah, thanks for helping me," I said earnestly while wringing out my wet hair.

"I'm really sorry he pulled that shit. He can be a real asshole." He looked nervous and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, avoiding looking in my direction.

"Yeah," I muttered, not really knowing what else to say.

"Look, we can leave if you want. I would totally understand."

He finally looked at me again, and I looked him in the eye, knowing from his expression that he was being sincere. But when I looked around at how beautiful it was, I really didn't want to leave. We didn't have anything like this in Ohio, and I didn't want one jerk to keep me from enjoying myself.

But I must have taken too long to reply because Edward quickly said, "There's another spot we could go to."

That got my attention. "Really?"

A smile lit his face as he nodded. "We have to swim a little ways. Are you up for that?" he asked.

"Uh, sure," I complied, shrugging my shoulders.

"Great." He turned and yelled to the group that we were going to the falls and that we would be back later.

After the nods of recognition from the group, Edward walked ahead of me. "Come on."

I eagerly followed behind him, happy for one that I got to stare at his broad shoulders again.

We eventually reached the end of the island and Edward jumped into the water, waiting for me to join him. I saw him look over my practically naked body again as I stood at the edge of the land, and with a wink in his direction, I dove into the river.

He and I leisurely made our way through the river, switching from actually swimming to lying on our backs as we gently drifted toward his spot. The sun felt hot on my face as I lay face up in the flowing water, riding the current as it took me where it wanted. I shut my eyes and let the orange color fill my eyelids, enjoying the cloudless blue sky. My ears were submerged in the water, blocking out the noise, allowing a real sense of peace to take over.

I eventually felt droplets on my face, and I moved my position so I was vertical again, looking for where they came from. Edward was beside me and he motioned his head to what was coming up soon. It looked like the water just cut off, stopping mid-stream. As I got closer, I could see that it was a waterfall. Well, actually it was a wall that was built in the river, and the excess water flowed over it, creating a small waterfall with a cave-like area underneath.

Once we reached the edge, Edward actually stood up on it and helped me to my feet to join him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked as we looked around.

The woods seemed to encase us, and looking back towards the river, it seemed like it went on for miles. The sun glistened beautifully on the rippling waves, and the sound of the falls behind us only added to the beautiful picture.

"I can't believe more people aren't here," I said in disbelief. "This is awesome."

He laughed quietly and nodded. "Yeah, I like that it's quiet, though. Too many people would ruin it for me, I think."

I looked at him and smiled. "Can we go underneath?" I asked.

"Of course! That's the best part!" He climbed down the rocks that were off to the side, and I went slowly behind him, knowing full well that he was getting a lovely view of my ass the entire way down.

The waterfall was only about fifteen feet high, creating a flowing wall from the outside and the man-made cave beneath. I walked right after Edward into the cave, and the noise of the water bouncing off the walls was almost deafening. We had to yell at each other to hear anything the other was saying, but it was so exhilarating. It felt like we were trapped, separated from the rest of the world.

"This is sweet, right?" Edward asked as he walked through the cave area.

"Perfect," I agreed. "Just perfect," I said softly, those words only loud enough for my ears.

"My dad used to take me here as a kid," he admitted, taking a seat on one of the rocks, patting a spot next to him for me to join.

"Oh, really? I bet that was a lot of fun."

"Yeah," he said, this time more somberly, "it was."

He sat quiet then, just staring at the waterfall.

"Do you guys still come here often?"

"Um," he mumbled, looking down at his hands. "Not really," he finally offered.

"Oh," I said stupidly, not knowing what else to say.

"I don't know," he relayed eventually. "My family just isn't how it used to be anymore."

I sat quietly, knowing that he would offer more when or if he wanted to.

When he never said anything, I finally chimed in. "I never really knew my dad."

He turned his head in my direction, but it was my turn to keep my head down.

"He and my mom were never married. They had one of those 'all or nothing' kind of relationships. It was either really great or really horrible between them. When I was born, it was during one of those really horrible times so that's why I don't have his last name. But, um, he died in a car accident when I was really little, so my memories of him are really fuzzy at best."

"That sucks, Bella. I'm really sorry."

I shrugged my shoulders and picked at the smaller rocks beneath my feet. "Charlie was there a lot when I was growing up, for both me and my mom, I guess. I remember he lived with us for a few years before he had to get back to Clayton."

"He's a good man," Edward agreed.

"Yeah. I just feel bad because I feel like it's my fault he's never met someone and settled down with a family. My mom on her own is a full time job, and then with me on top of that, Charlie never stood a chance to have his own wife and kids," I explained guiltily.

Edward just laughed. "You don't actually think that way, do you?" he asked incredulously.

I shrugged my shoulders again.

"Bella, that's just ridiculous. Charlie is a grown man who has made his own choices his life. Besides, he's been living back in North Carolina for at least ten years now; he has had plenty of time to settle down and find a family if he wanted to."

"I guess."

"Well, you are definitely not the reason he doesn't have kids. Or," he said after a minute, "maybe you are."

I looked at him and raised my brow.

He casually swung his arm around me and scooted closer. "Maybe having you in his life was enough for him," he said in my ear, just loud enough that I could hear him over the rushing water.

I turned my head to look at him, not realizing how close our faces would be. His lips hovered just a few inches away, his blue eyes burning through my own. I caught him glancing down towards my lips, and I ran my tongue across them instinctively.

"I have a feeling that you would be enough for anybody."

I laughed nervously and scooted away, wanting to put a few more inches between us. "You're just full of those one-liners, aren't you?" I joked, my eyes focusing back on the water.

He laughed, too, but I could tell that it was forced. And with a touch of bitterness he said, "It runs in the family, I suppose."

I looked over at him, then, my facial expression telling him to continue and explain the thought.

"What you said back there, about not fitting a mold," he said instead, taking the conversation in another direction. "What did you mean by that?"

"Oh," I said, trying to think back to why I had told him that. "I guess I just don't want to be treated like how you treat everyone else. The whole stigma of a typical seventeen year old girl doesn't really apply to me. I'm not into makeup and fancy clothes, or gossiping about boys to my girlfriends." He laughed at my admission. "But it goes further than that, too," I said a bit more seriously. "I don't want to be just a girl you spit charming pick-up lines at. I'm not that girl that can be caught with smooth words and a pretty face."

I sat there nervously for what seemed like eons waiting for him to respond, hesitant that I stepped over that line from cool chick to crazy lady.

"I don't get you, Bella. For the life of me I can't seem to figure you out." Crazy lady it was, then.

"Um, okay?" I practically asked, not knowing where he was going with that.

"The other day, by the horses, you were strong one second and begging me to get you off the horse the next. And then you couldn't put a whole sentence together, rambling on about riding my horse and how Charlie would kill me for it." His arms rested on his bent knees and his face was turned in my direction as he broke a smile. "Now today, I hear you talking about your favorite books and your dreams, and then your family… and then you say how you don't want to be 'picked-up' or whatever. I'm just at such a loss on how to do this." He ran one of his hands through his wet hair, making it stand up on ends.

"How to do what?" I asked as quietly as the loud rushing noise of the water would allow.

In what seemed the most genuine gesture, Edward gently picked up my hand that was resting on my thigh and laced his fingers between mine. I could practically feel his pulse through the pad of his thumb…or maybe it was just my own because my heart was beating so fast.

"This," he said, holding our hands up in the air between us. "I want this," he added on more quietly, not once breaking eye contact as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

"Why?" I finally asked, my question barely audible.

"Because you don't fit a mold."

Our eyes were locked, and even though it was darker in the cave area, I could still see specks of light shine in his blue eyes. I, for the life of me, couldn't find the right words so I did the only thing I could think of. I brought the hand that was still being held in midair closer to me and gently loosened our grip, taking his one hand in both of mine. With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and placed a soft kiss in the middle of his palm.

When I looked back to him, I swore I had never seen him smile so big.

O.o

The mood, of what I now refer to as "The Cave of Admission," lifted and we spent probably another hour exploring the area and just getting to know each other a little bit better. Edward told me how he was going to UNC Chapel Hill in the fall to study law, and how he wanted nothing more than to get out of this small town and start a life of his own. He wanted to move to a big city and make a name for himself. If he stayed here, he had said, he wouldn't be remembered for anything. His legacy, according to him, could only be made outside the confines of Clayton, North Carolina.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't agree with him at all.

I personally didn't believe in the whole legacy idea. I just thought that you are who you are. What is a "name" without a family? What good is a life without someone to love?

What good is a legacy, I thought, if there's no one there to care enough to remember it?

We eventually walked down the long wall that led to original path we hiked on earlier that day. We opted to go back to the truck and wait for his friends there instead of going all the way back to the rope swing. But, when we got back to the parking lot, we saw Rachel sitting on the back of Edward's truck bed.

"Hey, y'all," she said cheerily as she saw us.

"Hey, Rach," Edward greeted a bit confused. "Where is everybody?"

He looked around and saw the car that the other group came in was gone.

"Oh, they left probably a half hour ago, or so. I told Riley I would ride in here with y'all, since I didn't think Bella would want to ride all the way back with him after the stunt he pulled today."

I smiled softly and blush rose in my cheeks. "Thanks," I offered. She just smiled widely and hopped down.

"So, are you guys ready?"

"Mmm hmm," we murmured in agreement. Edward dropped my hand and pulled out our belongings from the bed of the truck and handed them to me. I quickly pulled on my shorts, but opted to keep my shirt off so the warm air could dry my still wet bathing suit.

After I slid on my sandals, I went to go climb into the middle seat of the truck, but, to my dismay, Rachel had beaten me to the spot.

I climbed into the side passenger without a word and shut the door soundly behind me as Edward did the same before starting the engine.

"So, are you coming over tonight, Bella?" Rachel asked about halfway through the trip. "I'm having a party since my parents are out of town."

"Oh," I started. "I don't think so."

"I actually invited her earlier," Edward chimed in, his fingers tapping to the beat of the music on his steering wheel.

"Well, Bella, don't be ridiculous. Of course you're coming."

"I don't…I wouldn't know what to tell my Uncle Charlie. Maybe next time," I said awkwardly, looking out the window.

"Just tell him you're sleeping at my house-a girls night," she offered, her natural enthusiasm breaking through.

"Come on, Bella," Edward pushed, and I looked over to see him smiling wickedly at me.

I eventually sighed in defeat and shrugged. "I'll try, but he's a lot more intuitive than he leads on," I said about my uncle.

"You just leave it to me, and we'll be all set." Rachel sat smugly in the middle seat, ending the conversation as she started singing along with the music on the radio.

We eventually made it back to Charlie's house, and I climbed out of Edward's truck with a promise from Rachel that she would pick me up around eight to take me back to hers.

I couldn't help but feel sick to my stomach about the whole idea. Something just didn't feel right about it, but I brushed it off and waved goodbye, agreeing to her plans.

I thought back to what Edward and I had talked about by the waterfall, about making a legacy for ourselves. As I reached the top step of the porch, I turned my head around and saw the blue truck drive away and I thought, well, might as well start now.

O.o

End Notes:

So, I have an entry in the Love Like Fire contest called There You'll Be, and lizzylillyrose made an AMAZING banner to go with it. If you all would care to check it out and review for me, that would be awesome! It's just listed on my page under my stories.

Okay, y'all, I'm going to try to get another update to you soon, but I have finals these next two weeks, so I'm super stressed. However, summer is right around the corner, so I'm really planning on updating once a week starting in early May.

As always, please review!