To Take Me Where You Go

My fingers shook violently as I held the phone in my hand. Charlie went fishing which left me in the house alone. A good thing too, because if he were there, I don't think I would have been able to do it.

When I finally managed to punch in the correct numbers in the correct sequence, I held the phone to my ear and breathed in deeply. The line rang exactly twice before it picked up. "Hello?" a deep voice on the other end greeted.

"Uh, Dr. Levsky?" I croaked. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Dr. Levsky? This is Bella Dwyer."

"Oh, Bella." He sounded pleased. "What can I do for you?"

I couldn't believe I was doing this. Asking for his help felt like giving up. But if I was going to face this, if I was going to make myself worthy to be with Edward, this was what I had to do. "Um…I was kind of hoping that you could come around some time…to…to talk, I guess."

"Any particular reason?"

I sighed. "Look, Dr. Levsky, I'm tired. I'm tired of living like this, and I figure since you offered, you'd be the best person to help me through this."

He paused. "Bella, do you really mean this? Are you ready to finally face this?"

I swallowed. Was I ready to face it? No. Did I mean it? One hundred percent.

"I really mean this, Dr. Levsky. I'm…not exactly ready to talk, but I'm trying to get there. And I need help."

He paused once more. Then he said, "All right. I know that Mrs. Andrews and the Detectives were going to pay a visit to you sometime this week. I'll go with them when they come to visit you."

I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Thanks, Dr. Levsky."

"You're welcome, Bella. I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah. Bye."

The next day, I showed up at school to the sound of whispers. Predictably they were all discussing last week's accident. I hoped to have avoided some of that, but it seemed inevitable; this was such a small town that an accident (planned or not) would probably have made the front page for several days.

As I was walking to my first class, Edward walked up to me and stayed by my side. "Hello," he greeted with a small smile.

My heart thumped in my chest at the sound of his voice and the sight of his face. Would I truly ever get used to his immense beauty? "Hello," I greeted back.

"How was your Sunday?" he asked politely.

"Uneventful. How was yours?"

He shrugged. "The same. Rosalie and I fought a bit. Then Jasper and I went hunting."

My heart sank. "You fought with Rosalie?"

"It's happened before."

"But not because of me," I pointed out. "I hate that you're in an argument with your family over me."

"Not my entire family," he corrected. "Just Rosalie. Don't worry about her, Bella. She'll come around soon." Then his expression turned solemn. "So how are you?"

His concern for my well-being touched me. Every moment spent with Edward melted a little bit of the ice in my heart. "I'm better," I said truthfully. It was the first sentence I uttered in the past three months that wasn't tainted with a lie.

His expression melted into a grin as he took my hand in his. "I'm glad."

The bell rang and I felt a sense of abrupt sadness. He must have felt it too because his eyes slanted downward in a disappointed expression. "I'll save you a seat at lunch," he promised as he walked away.

An unfamiliar emotion welled in my chest; it felt vaguely like hope. But then again, I couldn't exactly be sure, since it had been a very long time since I last felt it.

The morning passed much too slowly for my taste. For the very first time since I arrived at Forks, I hardly paid attention to a single word the teachers said; all I could think about was Edward's promise to sit with me at lunch.

It was as Mr. Varner was talking about right triangles that I realized how fast all of this had happened; if you had told me two weeks ago that I would fall in love with a vampire, I would have referred you to a mental hospital. In fact, two weeks ago I didn't even think I was capable of falling in love. But Edward had this quality about him—there was something about his personality that made it very difficult not to love him. Or maybe it was just me.

When the bell finally rang to signify the end of Spanish, I rushed out of the classroom only to find Edward leaning next to the doorway with an easygoing smile on his face. "Hello," he greeted warmly.

For the very first time in a very long time, I felt myself actually smile and a part of the hole in my chest slowly mended. "Hi," I replied shyly.

There was a sudden intense expression in Edward's eyes that I didn't quite understand. He was very quiet for a few moments before he pushed himself away from the wall and gestured toward the cafeteria. "Let's go," he said. That powerful look never left his eyes.

When we went through the line, Edward started piling a bunch of food on his tray and I raised my eyebrows suspiciously at him. "Half is for you, right?"

He smirked. "Of course."

"Then you'd better eat it," I threatened jokingly.

He chuckled.

When we finished paying for the food, we walked to the very far corner of the cafeteria. My usual table was empty and I took the seat closest to the window.

"Take anything you like," he offered as he pushed the tray closer to me. My eyes examined the pile of food on the tray. After carefully considering the limits of my stomach, I pulled the plate of pizza closer to me.

"How much do you spend on food that you don't even eat?" I asked aloud.

"The usual amount any human would, I suppose," he replied with a shrug. "It's a bit of a waste, but we try to give it away as much as we can."

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but to my intense surprise, Alice Cullen appeared out of nowhere and sat down next to me. "Hello, Bella," she greeted with her own tray of food. "You don't mind if my siblings join you two, do you?"

"Uh…" was my intelligent response. Edward merely glared at his sister and huffed impatiently. "No, I don't mind at all."

She beamed. "Good." And the minute she said that, the other three Cullens set their trays down on the table and took their seats.

"Hello, Bella," a deep voice boomed quietly (if that was even possible). I looked up and my eyes widened at the largest, most intimidating figure I had ever seen in my entire life. He had the frame of an intense body builder and muscles that bulged underneath his tight clothing. But like the rest of his family, he was inhumanly beautiful with gentle gold eyes and a very wide grin. "I'm Emmett. It's nice to meet you."

"I-it's nice to m-meet you too," I stammered in slight awe. I couldn't get over how big he was.

"I'm Jasper," a quiet voice said from the other side of Alice. I turned my gaze and noticed a brooding blonde figure; he had the intensity of a male model.

"It's very nice to meet you," I said sincerely. I felt calmer when greeting him, and I had a sneaking suspicion that this would not have been my natural reaction.

"I had a vision that you would meet the whole family during lunch," Alice informed me very matter-of-factly, as if we had known each other for years.

"Because you made us," Emmett laughed.

The tiny, pixie-like creature stuck her tongue out at her brother.

Then I turned my gaze to the gorgeous creature sitting as far away from Edward as was possible. How could someone so gorgeous even exist? Her already shining blonde hair glowed in the dim cafeteria light, her pale, graceful features watching me with a strange curiosity. Rosalie's ocher eyes regarded me with a peculiar expression; almost as if she were asking me an unanswered question. Without noticing, I stared back at her, wondering what she was thinking.

Edward must have sensed my discomfort because he very suddenly broke the silence with a question. "Are you planning on going to the school dance, Bella?"

The words jumpstarted my brain and I ripped my eyes away from his sister. "School dance?" I asked bewilderedly. "There's a school dance?"

"Yeah. It's been the hot topic all over the school," Alice added. "Haven't you seen the posters?"

I hadn't. I was too focused on either Edward or myself to notice anything else at school. But when she mentioned the posters, I looked around the cafeteria and noticed the brightly colored fliers decorated with glitter and other various forms of adornment to capture the interest of the student body.

"It's girl-ask-boy," continued Alice. "The whole school's been going crazy with speculation about it. The girls are clamoring to ask Mike Newton or Tyler Crowley first."

I vaguely remembered the spiky haired boy that tried very hard to be my friend last week. Sure, he was cute, but he was nothing compared to Edward.

"Why aren't they clamoring to ask you?" I demanded, turning my attention to the man himself. He glanced away, almost as if he were embarrassed.

Emmett and Alice snickered. "A couple of the braver ones asked last year," Emmett explained, "but he just said no."

I felt jealousy flare up within me. Jasper turned his gaze to my direction and raised his eyebrows and Edward looked at him then me with a mixed expression of amusement and curiosity. "Why did you say no?" I asked, trying to smother the resentment in my tone.

"Because they were boring," he shrugged. "Anyway, you never answered my question. Are you planning on going?"

I shook my head. "I can't dance."

He scoffed. "Everyone can dance. Besides, it's all in the leading."

I sighed. "No, you really don't understand. I can't dance at all." Then I pushed the sleeve up on my right arm and showed him a long scar that ran from my elbow and wound around my forearm. "See this? This was from when I fell and broke the mirrors in my very first ballet class when I was in first grade. It took twelve stitches to close this up."

Emmett's laughter boomed through the cafeteria.

"Perhaps it's a good thing she's not going after all," he agreed through his chuckles. "The casualties would be catastrophic."

Edward sighed. "Perhaps," he mumbled.

Jasper smiled. "He just wanted you to ask him."

My eyes widened as Alice giggled and Edward glared at his brother. I could feel the red spread through my cheeks and I quickly turned my attention to my pizza.

Suddenly Edward groaned. I looked up and noticed a curly haired girl walking toward the table. I vaguely recognized her as one of the girls in my Spanish class…Jessica something. But what surprised me was the fact that her face was bright red with embarrassment.

I frowned in confusion. "What's going—?" but my question was cut off by Alice shaking her head very firmly. Then she watched Jessica's progress with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

After what seemed like years, she finally made it to the table. "H-hi," she greeted to everyone with a wobbly smile. "U-uh, Edward? Do you th-think I could talk t-to you alone?"

My heart sank with jealousy, but Edward simply gestured to the rest of us. "Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of all of us."

She obviously did not want to say whatever she had to in front of us, but she had no choice. Jessica took in a deep breath before finally spitting it out. "Edwardwillyougotothedancewithme?"

Her words were so shaky and so fast that I hardly understood a single syllable, but I had gathered enough information from the awkward social situation to surmise her purpose. On my left, Alice's lips quirked upward and she looked away from the poor girl.

Edward, on the other hand, smiled very charmingly at Jessica. For a brief moment, I saw her eyes light up with something that looked like hope as my heart sank deeper into my chest.

"I'm sorry, Jessica, but I'm afraid I can't." He sounded only politely apologetic.

Her face fell and a small part of me sympathized with her. However, the greater part of me was rejoicing much too loudly to acknowledge the former part. "That's all right," she murmured. "Did someone else ask you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," he replied. Then he threw a mischievous grin in my direction before continuing. "Bella asked me the day before yesterday. I hope you understand."

My jaw dropped in horror, so I was too preoccupied to notice the look of unadulterated loathing Jessica shot at me. "Don't worry about it, Edward. I understand. After all, there's always prom." Then she turned on her heel and practically ran away.

The moment she was gone, Edward's polite smile turned into a grimace.

I, however, was still reeling in shock, bordering on slight rage. "Why in the world did you tell her I asked you?" I hissed. "Now she'll be expecting us to go!"

Edward and the rest of his siblings snickered. "That was the point."

"But I wasn't even planning on going!"

"Bella, I saved you. Just because the dance is billed as a girl-ask-boy affair doesn't mean that the boys weren't going to ask you." His expression suddenly darkened. "There were several boys that were planning on asking you, actually. Jessica Stanley has the biggest mouth in the entire school, so by the end of the day everyone will know that you asked me to the dance and you're already taken."

I wasn't aware that my jaw was dropped wide open until Emmett reached over and closed it for me. "You looked like a blowfish," he informed me.

I was too shocked to even reply. Too much had happened too quickly.

"I'll take you shopping for a dress," Alice chirped. "It'll be fun!"

"That's not what I'm worried about," I muttered, finally over my speechlessness. The initial shock gave way to my intense embarrassment and a dark red spread across my face.

"Then what are you worried about?" Edward asked in a voice that made him too irresistible. That velvety tone mixed with the grip of his eyes pulled me into a trance so complete that I couldn't possibly look away.

There were many things I was worried about: I was terrified of tripping and falling on my face, of causing a mass casualty at a high school dance. But chief among these terrifying scenarios was the fact that Alan Vickers might find me. He could find me and take me back. It didn't matter that he had been arrested; no amount of concrete and steel could hold that monster. He was hell bent on finding me and imprisoning me once more.

Edward seemed to understand my quiet desperation because he took my hand in his. "Bella, I promise you that you will be safe the entire night. I won't let you out of my sight for even a second. No one will be able to get to you without having to go through me first."

"We'll keep an eye out for you too, Bella," Alice promised. "And I don't foresee anything happening at the dance. You'll be fine." All around her, the rest of her family nodded their reassurances…even Rosalie.

My throat swelled with emotion at the thought of his entire family watching out for me. I was so incredibly grateful that I couldn't find the words to express it.

"Thank you," I finally whispered hoarsely. "That really means a lot."

Alice immediately clapped her hands. "Oh, this is so exciting! I have to take you shopping sometime. Where will we go? We can't go to Port Angeles…maybe Seattle. Or Olympia!"

I was saved from having to answer her. The bell rang and we all stood up to throw away our unfinished lunches. The moment we were out the door, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper all went their separate ways while Edward and I trekked through the drizzle to our biology class.

"So does this mean you'll go?" Edward asked the moment his siblings were gone.

I sighed. "You didn't leave me with much of a choice."

He grinned widely. "Don't worry about it. You'll have a great time."

"I hope so. When is it, anyway?"

"Next Saturday," he replied. "That gives you enough time to find a dress."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you have any preferences?" I asked sarcastically.

"I'll just let Alice surprise me."

By that time we already reached our classroom. When we took our seats, Edward started laughing. "Mike Newton's disappointed," he informed me when I raised my eyebrows at him. "He was so sure that you would ask him to the dance."

I rolled my eyes. "Not likely. I wasn't even planning on asking anyone."

At that point, Mr. Banner walked into the classroom and started the lecture. Edward handed me a copy of immaculately written notes from the classes I had missed so I was able to follow along. I spent the next hour trying to pay attention to what the teacher said as opposed to the beautiful creature sitting on my left. It was especially difficult whenever tingles crawled across my skin, telling me that he was watching my every movement.

All too soon biology was over and I had to go to gym. We had already moved past the rules of badminton and Coach Clapp armed me with a racquet. I tried my best, but my natural clumsiness got in the way. Eventually, I stood to the side and let my partner field all of the shots so as not to cause anyone anymore physical harm.

When I was finished changing, Edward was already standing outside the changing room waiting for me. My heart sped up at the sight of his lovely face and his mouth broke out into a wide, uneven grin. "Hello."

"Hi," I replied breathlessly.

"Would you like me to accompany you home?" he asked. "I gave Alice the keys to take everyone else back to our house."

I nodded as we walked to the parking lot. "Whose car did you use today?"

"Mine," he replied. "I bought a new car."

I looked over at the spot next to mine to see a shiny, dark blue Honda Acura and my heart sank with guilt. "So I take it that the Volvo was beyond repair?"

He growled. "Unfortunately, yes."

"I'm so sorry," I murmured with my head down.

But Edward wouldn't let me look away. I felt his cold fingertips reach underneath my chin to force me to look into his eyes. "Why are you sorry?" he asked.

"It's my fault that you had to buy a new car," I explained. "You had to waste a bunch of money all because of me."

"No, it's not your fault," he insisted firmly. "It's that cretin's fault. You are not to blame. Besides, the money was never an issue."

"But—"

"No buts. Now are you going to drive, or will you allow me?"

I sighed, but didn't say anything. Instead, I pulled the keys from out of my backpack and climbed into the car. Edward was on his side in less than a second, waiting patiently for me to start the engine.

"You're such a show off," I muttered as I stuck the keys in the ignition and turned. The corners of his mouth simply curled into a self-satisfied smirk in reply.

When we got back to Charlie's house, Edward was at my door in an instant, opening it for me and helping me out of the elevated seat. My heart started to pound furiously in my chest and continued to do so long after he set me on the ground. I was sure he could hear it because he had a very smug look on his face.

"Would you like to come inside?" I asked breathlessly.

One corner of his mouth lifted upward into a crooked, uneven smile and my pounding heart abruptly stuttered. "I never thought you'd ask."

I led the way up the porch and unlocked the door. He followed me through the hallway and into the tiny kitchen table. "Would you like to work on some homework?" he asked.

If it meant he would stay here longer, then absolutely. "Sure," I nodded as I unzipped my backpack and pulled out my trig book. "There were some things in class that I didn't understand. Could you help me?"

"Certainly."

I suddenly felt a little lighthearted, despite my nervousness. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not being a very good host," I said a little mockingly. "Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

He rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, come on. That wasn't the first time someone's made that joke, I'm sure."

Edward's already light eyes warmed and his expression softened. My heart picked up a few more paces and I had to remind myself to breathe. "Emmett makes the joke often, but Rosalie doesn't find it very funny."

The mention of his sister reminded me of the incident at lunch. "Rosalie didn't seem…as opposed to me at lunch as she did the other day." I tried to word my comment as inconspicuously as possible.

He nodded. "I noticed this as well."

I turned my gaze down onto my notebook, trying to play off the flush that crept up my neck. "Why is that, do you think?"

I could hear the frown in his voice. "I'm not quite sure. I doubt that she's resigned herself to the fact that you know about us. She's very stubborn and very averse to change."

My heart sank. "I wish there were some way to make her not hate me."

"She doesn't hate you," Edward said very gently. "After today, I'm certain of that fact."

I wasn't quite as sure about this, but I didn't continue the subject further. We both turned to our homework; he finished in a matter of minutes while he helped me trudge through my trigonometry problems. I probably would have completed the assignment much faster if I wasn't so distracted by the sweet scent that wafted off his skin.

I finished the last problem right around the time I started to grill the chicken for dinner. Edward helped once more and I watched as he chopped up the vegetables with speed and skill in slight despair. He was too…too perfect. I could hardly find anything wrong with him and it disconcerted me.

He noticed I was staring at him. "Bella? What's wrong?"

I struggled to find the right words. "Is there anything you can't do?" I demanded in frustration.

He smirked in a very self-satisfied way and I crossed my arms over my chest in annoyance. "I'm sure there is, but nothing comes to mind."

I grumbled. It wasn't very fair.

Suddenly, Edward's expression melted from self-satisfied to very uncertain. "Bella?" he asked hesitantly, so much so that I immediately dropped my arms to my sides. "Bella, do you mind if I try something?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all."

Then slowly and ever so gently, he took my face with his ice cold hands and I felt a shiver run down my spine. I half expected to flinch violently at his touch, but I didn't. Instead, I stood perfectly still as his face descended lower and lower until his lips touched mine.

A/N - I hate to leave you guys at such a cliff hanger...but my personal research has proved that cliff hangers tend to produce more reviews. So please review!

If you want more information, you can visit my writer's blog. I also put up a sneak peek of next chapter, so go take a look.