Until now, he'd been the only one to see this particular sight, but when the first happiness tear crept down her porcelain skin and her eyes glowed like that, Carlisle didn't care if he was first, last, or somewhere in between. Bella was truly beautiful, and she didn't realize it. He managed somehow to pry his eyes away from her and look at his wonderful family. Esme, her hand on his arm, was smiling at him like she knew what he was thinking.

"So I guess the week went well," she whispered, low enough that only he could hear it. He turned to her, catching her lips in a kiss that was sweet and hot and felt like perfection.

"Have I mentioned how amazing you are, or how much I love you?" he asked, kissing her again.

"Well, you've been gone a week, and even though I've been able to...keep myself amused...we've got a lot of catching up to do. You can tell me then." Her grin crept into his heart and his libido simultaneously, and he held her close. It was good to be home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I...you..." She was smiling through the soundless tears creeping down her cheeks, not noticing them at all, as she took in the room beyond the door they'd just opened. It was gorgeous - rich mahogany bookshelves around the walls, a thickly plush persian carpet stretched tastefully over the darkwood flooring. There was an enormous cabinet on one side. The walls were bare save for a few wall sconces that held realistic-looking torches. And seeing as how the ceiling was at least twenty feet above her head, that was a lot of wall space. A desk sat in the middle of the room, delicate yet sturdy, looking old enough to be an antique. At one side of the room was a six foot high, French paned window, a staircase beside it leading up to a platform that wound around two sides of the room. She looked back at her family, unable to speak. Alice gave her a little push.

"Go explore." Stunned, Bella did just that, walking slowly around the room, her fingers trailing gently over the soft wood of the desk, picking up a masterfully carved Bengal tiger that rested just beside the desk lamp, tracing the exquisite markings and marvelling at the beauty. Placing the tiger back in its place, she began looking at the rest of the room. She looked over the dozens upon dozens of books of all type and subject. The torches were actually real, as she found on closer inspection. The cabinet, when opened, proved to be an entertainment center with a flat-panel television and various other items ranging from a VCR to a DVD player, to her very own Wii. The window looked out onto the back of their property, the forty yards or so of lawn that was neatly manicured before blending gently into the surrounding woods. Slowly she climbed the stairs, her eyes widening as she caught a glimpse of the dresser and vanity, the enormous wardrobe that was, upon inspection, full of clothes that were both beautiful and functional...and the bed. She stopped short, unable to do so much as blink.

It was made of the same dark wood as the rest of the furnishings, with delicately decorative headboard and footboard, the four posts reaching overhead to hold a sheer canopy of gauzy cream fabric. As she looked closer she could see the perfectly carved flowers and vines twining the entire length of each post and extending along the top of the headboard. She touched the comforter gently, her breath catching at how soft the cream-colored quilt felt beneath her fingertips.

"This was all Edward's idea. And he made the bed himself." She looked in awe at Alice's smiling face, only then realizing everyone had followed her upstairs. Her eyes shifted to her beloved as he looked somewhat sheepishly back at her. In that moment, she understood exactly what he was saying, what he was offering, and she felt her heart swell with love for him until she thought it would burst.

"I didn't do all of it. Everyone helped." It was obvious he wasn't used to the look in her eyes, but she didn't care as she walked over to him. Standing about a foot from him, from the infuriating, gorgeous, absolutely incomparable vampire that had unintentionally rocked her world, she reached her hand out to touch him, running her fingertip over his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed, then back open. "Do you like it?" he asked, his voice tentative, and she realized he thought she meant to turn it down, to turn him down. Very carefully she stepped away from him, ignoring the look of hurt on his features. She would take care of that in a moment.

She walked over to Esme first, throwing her arms her and hugging her tightly, feeling the embrace returned.

"Thank you for this - I know it wasn't the guys that did the decorating." Esme laughed lightly.

"Of course not. You'd have ended up with Lara Croft on one wall and Hello Kitty on the other, most likely." Bella laughed with her at that. "However, we left the wall space bare, for you to add whatever you'd like, to make the room your own." Bella, ridiculously touched, hugged her again before turning to Rosalie.

"Thank you for the books - it's an amazing collection. I can't wait to get started!" Rose looked both pleased and confused.

"How did you know I picked out the books?"

"Because you, more than anyone, used to catch me in Carlisle's office poring over the books on his shelf while Edward was gone." Rosalie grinned, her beautiful face glowing with happiness.

"Well, there's plenty there for you to sink your teeth into." She chuckled, as did Bella before turning to her husband.

"Emmett - I know I have you to thank for the electronics and the Wii - and the very obviously reinforced safety straps on the Wii-motes." He chuckled, pulling her into his arms for a hug.

"Can't have you breaking anything in here - we all put too much effort into it!" She nodded agreement and turned to Alice.

"What can I say but thank you for the clothing...and for not making it all look like something out of a magazine?" Alice laughed, throwing her arms around Bella.

"Well, it still all looks that way. But at least it could be a magazine with Chip & Pepper advertisements." She smiled, her voice more serious. "I know you're annoyed by me playing dress-up with you, so I thought I'd give you some clothes you could escape into when you just want to feel like a typical girl for the moment - though you really are anything but." Bella grinned before turning to Jasper. His eyes were wide as she walked towards him, and her smile was tender.

"You know, the look in your eyes right now reminds me of our first night...a bit shy and stunned and absolutely terrified. I'm not sure who was more scared - me or you."

"Me. Definitely me," he muttered.

"You were so warm, so loving...it's you I see in the carvings. The tiger on the desk, the scrollwork on the bookshelves...the vines on the bed. Thank you, Jasper, for everything." She hugged him then, her first, her friend, and he let her feel what he was feeling as well while they embraced.

"We all love you, Bella darlin'. We just wanted to show it somehow. And Edward thought you would like a room to call your own, a place to escape to if you need a moment away from everything." Eventually she let go of Jasper, then faced the entire group. She could feel Edward staring at her, hurt and neglected, and she smiled knowing he couldn't see it. Everyone else did, however, so she met no resistance with her next words.

"I'd like to talk to Edward for a moment now, if that's okay. We'll be out to join you all whenever I'm done speaking my piece." Begging them with her eyes to not give away her true mood, she was thankful when, one by one, they nodded and began to head down the steps. Carlisle was last, stopping to kiss her softly.

"Welcome home, Bella." His lips moved from hers to her neck, and she gently ran her fingers through his hair. He knew what she was playing, and was willing to go along with it. "Don't make him wait too long, love," he whispered too low for Edward to hear before turning and - in a flamboyant motion completely unlike his usual self - jumped over the edge of the platform to land, panther-graceful and snowfall-silent on the floor below. As soon as he'd shut the door behind him, she turned to face Edward.

"Edward...we need to talk."