Disclaimer: By this point, I sincerely hope you have realized that I am NOT Stephenie Meyer. This means, of course, that I don't own Twilight. Or any of its characters. Or that slight bit of a plot that shows up on page 372 (I actually looked that one up!). So, don't sue. Then again, if you've stuck to this story for 60,000 words, you are not likely to want to sue me anyway…But, who knows?
Chapter 15—Edward P.o.V.
Edward's bad mood had passed, only to be replaced by remorse and guilt. When he got angry and moody, his family just let it go. They never reacted too badly; they knew that it was normal for him to have bad days every once in a while. Due to their treating it as such a normal event, though, Edward had never realized that he could cause any real damage with his cold mien. Bella's reaction, however… Edward closed his eyes, his stomach churning at the memory. Bella had looked much too hurt by his actions for his liking.
Mr. Carper was sitting in the library, looking rather smug as he flipped through a magazine. Edward's eyes hardened and he tightened his fists at his sides; Mr. Carper had obviously upset Bella. He did not understand how or why, but something Mr. Carper had done had scared Bella rather badly. Her eyes had been too wide, her face too pale, for it to be simple surprise at being visited by a teacher.
Ah, Edward! Sit. I enjoyed our meeting. It was short, though, wasn't it? Maybe I should join you more often. The Hale girl and the McCarty boy don't know ASL, right? I should act as an interpreter. It's settled, then; I'll have lunch with you every day.
Edward stared at him in shock. What the heck was he talking about? No. He couldn't let him sit with them daily. Not after seeing Bella's reaction. Not after seeing the whole gang's reaction, actually. He had seen their stiffening, their getting closer to Bella, their angry expressions. He knew something was going on, and he did not want to be the one to put them through that.
Mr. Carper, I'm afraid your service won't be necessary. Bella and Alice do a perfectly good job of interpreting, Edward signed, his eyes cold and serious. Mr. Carper, however, was staring at Edward's hands, not his face, and missed this. Or, Edward thought, it could be that he just did not care whether he was wanted or not.
Nonsense, Edward! You don't want your friends to spend their entire lunch just interpreting for you, do you?
But Edward would not be swayed. He rebuked every one of Mr. Carper's points, leaving no doubt as to the fact that he would not stand for Mr. Carper joining them at lunch. At the end, even he had to get the point and accept it.
Alright. But, again, wouldn't you want your time with your friends to be spent in an actual conversation, rather than interpreting what others are telling you? Think about it, you only have 45 minutes a day with them!
Actually, Edward interrupted, trying to get him to finally drop the issue and move on to a lesson, the Hales are coming to my house for dinner tonight. Bella is sleeping over.
Edward was glad to have finally learned Bella's last name; he had learned it through Mr. Carper's comment about "the Hale girl." In his thinking about this, and storing the information, he almost didn't realize the shocked expression on Mr. Carper's face. It was quickly replaced, however, by the twisted, maniac smile that Mr. Carper had sported at lunch. Edward winced; there was something wrong with that smile.
Oh, really? That's…interesting, was Mr. Carper's only reply. After that, he moved on to the actual lesson. He looked distracted, though, and his eyes kept moving over to the clock, his face filling with something resembling anticipation. Edward tried to avoid meeting his eyes, focusing entirely on the much-too-easy bookwork. When he was finally dismissed to go to Phys. Ed., he was elated. He ran down the hallways towards the locker room, eager to get away from Mr. Carper.
Coach Clapp seemed to be in shock about Bella's fainting the previous day, and so, instead of soccer, they were playing ping pong that day. Edward rolled his eyes as he made his way towards Alice. Since Bella and Jasper were both gone, he paired up with her for the day. He won the first match, but lost the last two. Usually, Alice would have been beaming and bouncing off the walls, excited about having won, but it seemed she was just as distracted as Edward. They made their way to the locker rooms without exchanging a word and then drove home faster than usual.
At home, Esme had been going crazy preparing for the Hales' visit. The dining room was set and decorated, the table fit for a royal banquet. The whole house smelled gloriously of almond soup, honeyed chicken curry, and fresh bread. Edward was instantly soothed by the familiar smells of his mother's cooking, the same recipes that his grandmother had used so often herself. He made his way into the kitchen and kissed his mother on the cheek.
It smells delicious, Mom, he signed, but I think the chicken could use a bit of rosemary. One of the pluses of being deaf was the way in which his other senses had developed; cooking was one of Edward's favorite pastimes, and his sense of smell was beyond excellent.
Do you really think so? Esme asked, her eyes turning to the oven worriedly. She really wanted everything to turn out perfect, and Edward immediately felt guilty for making her doubt herself.
Well, you know me; I'm a sucker for rosemary. It's probably perfect as it is, just let it be, he amended his previous statement. Esme still looked somewhat unsure, though, so Edward took a piece of bread, opened the oven, and dipped it in the sauce. He chewed the bread slowly and deliberately under Esme's expectant eyes. When he was done, he smiled widely. It truly is perfect. You have outdone yourself. Just ignore me.
That seemed to finally calm Esme down, and she ruffled Edward's hair before leaning over to kiss his cheek. After their exchange, Edward made his way upstairs, to his room. On his way to it, he passed the guest room. On the first day in the house, he had thought it was too dark. Now, however, he could hardly tell how he had developed that idea. Esme had done a wonderful job decorating, and the light colors and the way the furniture was arranged made it look so much more open and welcoming. The bed was made up for Bella with midnight blue and teal sheets, contrasting beautifully with the lighter colors of the carpet and the walls. Edward could imagine Bella in there quite easily.
Happy with his examination of the room, Edward finally got to his room. He dumped his bag by the door and went over to his computer. He checked his mail, finding a reply from Tanya. She sounded slightly jealous of what he had said about his new "gang" on his last email, but Edward was quick to reassure her that she would always hold a place in his heart. Once he was done with all of that he decided to shower and change; with the level of effort Esme had put into the house and the dinner, the least he could do was dress nicely.
Once he was done, he went off in search of Alice, but she claimed to be too busy changing. Dejected, Edward wandered about the house for a while until he decided to settle in the attic to play videogames. The rest of the afternoon passed quickly with Kingdom Hearts, and, before Edward really realized what was happening, Bella and the Hales were arriving.
Alice came to fetch him, saying that a car had just pulled into their driveway. Edward saved his game and rushed down the stairs. Just as he was coming down the last flight, the door opened and in walked the Hales. Rosalie was stunning, of course, dressed in an extravagant pink dress that Alice was instantly gushing over. Edward could see that she took after her mother, who had the same tall and thin frame, the same long face, and the same blond hair. The eyes and the nose, however, seemed to be direct replicas of her father's. Jasper looked like a younger and taller version of his father.
When Mr. and Mrs. Hale had finally stepped in, Edward finally saw Bella, who had been hidden from view behind them. She was standing awkwardly, looking around the house somewhat uncomfortably. Edward noted with delight that she was wearing a blouse the same color as her bed upstairs. Unlike all the other women in the group, she had opted for black slacks and a nice blouse, and he found it remarkably appealing on her. She was wearing flats, he realized with amusement, and her hair was just in a messy bun, not a fancy up-do. She looked rather cute.
The parents were talking, and so Edward made his way to the younger group, whom he knew he could use ASL with. He knew that either Mr. or Mrs. Hale had to know ASL, since Bella's grandmother was Deaf, but he did not know who of the two did, and he did not feel like slipping up.
Hey, guys. What's up? He asked, smiling at them awkwardly. He had not forgotten about Bella's reactions before, or about Jasper and Rosalie's anger.
Edward! Are you feeling better? Bella asked immediately after seeing him, looking anxious. Edward smiled; he might have only known Bella for a school week, but he could already tell that she always put others before her; she was not doing it just because he was Deaf. He did not like to be babied, but if she did it to everybody then it was slightly passable.
I'm fine. And I am so incredibly sorry about before. Please, forgive me. I was out of line.
Bella smiled widely and nodded. Jasper looked somewhat unsure, but when he saw the honesty on Edward's face he rolled his eyes and extended his hand for Edward to shake as a sign of camaraderie. Rose, going off Bella and Jasper's reactions to Edward's signing, assumed what was being said and smiled at him. Not long after, Esme called them to the dining room for dinner. The seating ended so that Edward was sitting on one side of Rosalie and on one side of Mrs. Hale. Next to Rosalie was Alice, and next to Mrs. Hale was Jasper. Across from Edward sat Bella, with Carlisle and Mr. Hale on either side of her. Alice was next to Carlisle, and Esme was next to Mr. Hale.
So, let's dig in! Esme signed, while, Edward assumed, saying the same thing out loud. Everybody started eating happily. Edward could see Mr. and Mrs. Hale chattering away with Esme and Carlisle, and he felt rather isolated. However, Bella began to sign to him soon, and he felt much better. Halfway though dinner, everybody's heads shot up. Esme explained to Edward that it was the phone while Carlisle excused himself hurriedly to get it. Not very many people had the phone, and so when they received a call it was usually important.
Everybody was just getting back to their food when Carlisle emerged from the living room and walked over to Bella. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear, causing her eyes to widen with surprise. She excused herself as well and followed him out of the dining room. Everybody exchanged uneasy glances before turning back to their food, any previous conversations forgotten. After a few minutes, Carlisle and Bella walked back. Carlisle looked like he had a lot in his mind, while Bella looked rather scared and hurt. What had happened? Edward could not help but wonder if his father had said or done something to make Bella feel that uncomfortable.
Who was it? he asked, trying to appear light and aloof. He received a stern look from Carlisle, though, not at all like the answer he had expected.
That is truly none of your business, Edward. Go back to your food.
Shocked, Edward did as he was told. Bella still looked shaken, but she brought herself to smile for him.
Don't worry, Edward. Everything's fine, she signed. Edward could not bring himself to believe her, but at least he calmed down a little. The rest of dinner went smoothly. Edward was disappointed to find that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Hale seemed to be signing anything. When any of Edward's family, Bella, or Jasper spoke, they also signed whatever they were saying. When the older Hales or Rosalie answered, however, somebody had to interpret for them. Edward began to wonder if, maybe, whoever had the Deaf mother had never learned to sign. It was not entirely uncommon; it happened in some families. He was just surprised, since Jasper and Bella both knew ASL.
After dinner, the adults went into the living room while the teens made their way to the attic. Alice and Rosalie seemed to be enjoying themselves; they were looking through fashion magazines, the kind that only teenage girls would ever buy. Jasper had gotten distracted by the wall-to-wall shelf of videogames, and was staring at them in amazement. Edward chuckled, pointing it out to Bella, who rolled her eyes and walked over to Jasper, to smack his head.
You want to play something? Edward asked him, amused. Jasper nodded eagerly, so Edward motioned for him to choose the videogame of his choice while he walked over to the T.V. to set up the PlayStation. Much to Edward's surprise, Jasper picked a war game about the American Civil War; he had thought Jasper was a calmer, more pacifistic person. He had obviously been mistaken. Before immersing himself in the game, Edward looked around to make sure that Bella was being entertained. It seemed she had brought a book with her and she had her nose buried in it. Satisfied, he turned to the T.V. screen again.
The game was very fun. Alice didn't really enjoy playing with him, so Edward had not been able to pay any of his two-player games in a while. He was glad to be getting back to them. Much to his surprise, however, despite all his previous training, he lost to Jasper by a surprisingly high margin. Jasper just gave him a self-satisfied smile.
Want to play another round? he asked, teasingly. Edward growled and pressed the 'reset' button and quickly they were thrown back into battle. Their game was lighter this time, though; there wasn't as much stress between them. Three matches later, Edward had yet to win a game. Rosalie and Alice had gone down to Alice's room, to gush over her clothes, and Bella had finished her book, so she was sitting on the window seat, looking out at the darkening sky. It was getting dark fast, and the Hales would have to leave soon. All but Bella. Trying to get her attention, Edward stomped on the floor. Bella's head shot up and turned towards him.
Bella, do you want to play? I'm ready to relinquish my seat.
Bella laughed, throwing back her head and allowing her already-messy bun to come undone. She shook her head once she'd calmed down, grabbing at her hair for the bobby pins or hair band that must have been holding up her hair. Once she had found it, she turned back to Edward.
You don't want me to play any sort of videogame. Ask Jasper. Hand-eye coordination is most definitely not my thing, in case you haven't realized this yet.
Edward turned to Jasper for confirmation, although based on the many times he had seen Bella trip over the past four days he believed her. Jasper nodded, his eyes full of laughter and the corners of his mouth crinkling up.
You should see her when we play D.D.R. She can't deny us, because we're just too loveable, and so she loses every time. Tends to get a bunch of bruises while trying, too!
Bella stuck her tongue out at Jasper, crossing her arms across her chest and sticking her nose up in the air. The only response she evoked was laughter, coming from both Edward and Jasper. She smiled slightly as well before letting herself join them in full laughter.
Alright, no Bella playing videogames, then. But, you know, games that don't require your trying to dance are less dangerous….
Not for me, Bella answered, her amusement obvious on her face, you really do require too much hand-eye coordination for my taste. Trust me, I will get nervous and end up hitting myself with the remote. Stranger things have happened.
Edward finally relented, and he and Jasper decided that they had played enough for one day. They put away the game and the PlayStation, and headed downstairs. They had pretty good timing, too, because their parents were getting ready to go fetch them. It was late, and they wanted to leave. They said their goodbyes quickly, and soon it was just Bella and the Cullens.
Bella! Alice signed excitedly, we haven't shown you your room! You have to see it!
Oh, right, dear. Please, tell me if you like it, Esme added, looking as nervous about this as she had about the chicken curry before. They made their way up the stairs, only to stop in front of the closed door to the guest room. Bella looked nervously around her before realizing that the Cullens meant for her to open the door. Taking a deep breath she stepped closer to the door and pushed it open. Her eyes widened and she seemed to stop breathing.
Is it OK? Do you like it? We can change it, if you want, Esme stated quickly, looking about the room rather self-consciously. Bella, however, shook her head.
It's beautiful, Mrs. Cullen. Truly, I don't know if I should sleep in here. It looks too nice and elegant. Maybe I could just sleep in a sleeping bag, on the floor of Alice's room?
Nonsense! Esme replied, looking very stern, you'll stay in here. And, please, call me Esme. She showed Bella her sign name; the sign for mother made with the E-hand shape. Now, my room is the one down the hallway. Alice is on your left and Edward is on your right. If you need anything, just come fetch one of us, alright?
Bella nodded, still looking somewhat apprehensive, but much more comfortable than before.
Carlisle—she demonstrated Carlisle's sign name, the sign for a wise leader, and I are going to bed now. You guys can stay up late, but remember that you are going to leave early tomorrow. Good night!
With that she went into her room, leaving the door open for Carlisle, who was coming up the stairs.
Be good, kids, alright? I have the morning shift tomorrow, so I'll be gone by the time you start to wake up. Have a good time!
He then went into the room he shared with Esme and closed and locked the door behind himself. Bella turned to Alice and Edward.
At what time are we leaving tomorrow? Esme made it sound as if we were going to get up so early!
We leave at 9, Edward replied, with a grimace, Alice wants us to go to Port Angeles. And she'll take about two hours to get ready…Then she'll want to dress you up…so, I'd say, we have to get up at 7.
Bella stared at him in shock. She seemed to be waiting for him to tell her that he was joking, or something similar, but his face was too serious. She turned to Alice.
He's joking, right? You aren't going to take that long to dress up, you aren't going to dress me up, and we're not getting up that early. Right?
Alice didn't answer, simply wiggling her eyebrows suggestively before bidding them good night and going into her room. Bella groaned, then turned to Edward again.
Wait, you're coming with us? I didn't see you as the shopping type.
I'm not, Edward answered, his eyes serious, but Alice won't give me a choice about joining you or not; I'm the bag boy. Anything you buy, I'm stuck carrying. His eyes suddenly widened, and Bella found herself on the receiving end of his puppy eyes, Say you won't buy a lot. Please? Think of me and my poor back!
Don't worry, I'm not planning to really buy anything. I'm broke. I'll window shop while Alice enjoys herself.
Edward eyed her suspiciously, not truly believing her. He cast an eye at Alice's closed door, somewhat amused.
You realize that Alice will force you to buy things? She'll pay for you. Trust me.
But I don't want her to spend money on me!
You don't have much of a choice, Bella. Nobody gets away with shopping with Alice without coming back with, at least, two Gucci bags.
Bella groaned once again, hitting her head against the wall repeatedly. Edward held in a chortle, but he must not have disguised it too well because Bella turned an accusing glance on him and, without a word of goodbye, walked into the guest room, closing the door behind her. Edward laughed out loud now, as he too headed to his room. It had been an interesting evening, he thought. And he could not wait to get to know Bella better the next day. He was growing quite fond of her already, and he could see that his whole family was too.
Author's Note—So, guys, I actually have a favor to ask of you today. You see, a lot of what I'm learning about ASL comes from YouTube. I really enjoy watching signed songs, and they help me learn new signs. I have learned how to sign some songs myself! But, in case you haven't heard, most of the music on YouTube is being taken down. I posted two links on my profile discussing this and talking about what you can do to stop it (one is spoken, one is signed; they are labeled). Please, look at them and do what you can. I would really appreciate it.---On a brighter note, I watched Children of a Lesser God last night, and I loved it! I could even understand some of it! Yay!!! I was very proud of myself. ---Last, but not least, the reason I didn't update earlier is because I had written this whole chapter, but I ended up deciding to change it. I originally had the Hales tell the Cullens the truth about Bella. I decided against it, though, so now you have…this. Hope you enjoyed it!
Thanks to:
PlatypusFreak
KateVanGogh
GoldenRose37
iWant2BaMonsterToo
SparklingTopazEyes
SkittleySweet
DivaMercury
UltraVioletSpark
StephMeyerFan14
IHeartCSINewYork
Viper003
MusicADD
KlsyMrrsn
Emmett-Cullen-1935—I looked at The Woodbridge School…, but it doesn't seem much my style, though. Sorry. Cold and Hurting, however, is pretty cool. Your grammar and syntax, however, could be better. Have you considered getting a beta? I would offer, but I'm so busy…
Dramione12
SRK1012010
NotAWriter-Ish
A. Fire. In. The. Attic.
Runs With Horses
Reborn-Fire-Bird
Twilight Is My Second Language
Questions/Comments:
Tianna M.V.A.—Yes, Bella fainted because she was dizzy (and more than a bit tired!). Edward, however, feels as if it were his fault. He thinks that he should have been paying more attention to her, and should have realized that she was feeling badly enough to faint. Anyway, as for your confidence boost…We all need them, constantly. It is inherent in human nature to doubt ourselves. Don't let that rule your life, though. We're much better than how we see ourselves.
Mrs. Dom Masbolle—Edward's just cranky because…well, he woke up cranky, and he's just managing to find things to make it worse. Have you never had a day like that? I call them my Black Days, and you're better off if you don't come near me on them! But, now seriously, his asshole-y-ness is just his being angry at the world for a day. Nothing more. As for Jasper's behavior towards Bella…does it really seem romantic? I was trying to show how far his concern goes, nothing more.
Special Thanks to:
HONVampyreChick—how could your parents do that to you? *gasps in absolute horror* Well, I'm glad your internet is up and running again! I'm glad you liked what I put up while you were gone. I am enjoying the character development so much, in particular Rose's…I'm thinking of doing a one-shot on her view of all of this (when I have more time, of course). What would you think of that?
BeachCutie12—I know, isn't five such a horrible time? Soooo not cool. But it's worth it, because we get out of school early, so we get out of rehearsal at 5.30, so then I have time to write when I get home.
Erin Cade (and Johnny!!)—I'm so happy you're liking it! I really enjoyed writing the Rosalie/Jasper/Bella interaction, too! And I'm glad my writing was accurate and realistic. I was afraid I might be writing Edward's mood too...scattered and all-over-the-place. I'm glad I didn't. And, Johnny, please, don't be afraid to review (even if you don't have an account yet, submit an anonymous review. If you sign as "Johnny," I'll know who you are!).
Aurora C.—I'm so happy that you like this. As I've said before, having members of the Deaf community reading makes me so happy…I feel like, in a way, I am part of it. Hopefully, someday I will be. Anyway, I do not think you are being silly at all, you should see the giddy smile I got when I read your review!!!
Loveleen—I'm glad you like it, and I'm glad it's widening your interests and knowledge. That was part of the reason behind my writing this story as it is. I encourage you to learn ASL; I'm starting to learn it myself, and it is very much fun!
PrettyLydia—Well, I'm glad reviewing is fun for you! Replying is definitely fun for me as well. And I am glad you like my writing style; I'm often afraid that I write too simplistically, and that I don't express things enough. It's nice to be told that I don't! And I'm glad to have a fellow Grammar Nazi out there, in the FFN cyberspace. Sadly enough, we're highly needed! Anyway, I looked up the fanfic you recommended and read what there is so far. It's pretty good, with very few grammatical or syntactical mistakes; I added it to my alerts.
BroadwayBound96—I'm glad you liked it, and I'm flattered that I was in your thoughts! Things are great in this end of the world, how about over there?
SleepThroughTheStatic—Yay, new reader AND reviewer! I'm very, very, very happy you like my story. And I'm flattered that you think my Deaf knowledge is good! And I'm happy that you like the fact that I answer to reviews. I have gotten some bad comments about that lately…And, to answer your question…James didn't throw anything to change the ball's course, that's just Bella being a danger magnet. I'm sorry if I made it confusing.
AttackOfTheEmo—If only my plot were that simple…I'm driving myself somewhat crazy, with all the plot bunnies…Anyway, I am very flattered about what you said. It makes me feel so happy when people actually stop to think about the work that goes into writing a story. Most people never give it any thought. And I'm happy that you're happy that I'm learning about the Deaf community. As I've said earlier, I was somewhat afraid that people from the Deaf community would think it intrusive of me to write this story. Contrary to that, I have had some wonderful reader responses! It really makes my day whenever I get a review from somebody who tells me about their experience in the Deaf community. That's probably pretty silly of me, but it's the truth. I hope you keep reading and, as I have said endlessly, email me immediately if you find something that is wrong, offensive, assuming, etc.
CheesePuff311—Somebody else mentioned that Jasper seems to be turning into a romantic figure, rather than a brother. It's starting to bug me now, looking back at it. I was trying to show the degree of his relationship with her. As you very observantly pointed out, he treats Bella as if she were much, much younger than him. This is because he has had to take such a responsible and somewhat paternal role in her life. I never saw it as anything else. Any suggestions on how to keep that relationship without having it turn romantic? (Rosalie plays a similar role, but I haven't received any complaints about her.)
Absolutely Cullen—I am very happy that you like my story so far! And I'm very happy that you are so perceptive, picking up on things that nobody else has. Let's look at them, shall we? First off, Edward's words are, indeed, very important, since they are so similar to what James has always told Bella. Jasper realizes this, and that's why his reaction is so strong. Ten brownie points for you. Secondly, yay for somebody who remembers what I said about Bella and the piano. Another 10 brownie points! And, last but most definitely not least, Bella's sign name. We haven't disclosed it yet, so you haven't missed anything. I'm so happy that you took notice of them, so many people ignore them. That gives you about…hm, maybe 25 brownie points? Great for you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and will enjoy more to come!
And an ultra, amazing, macro thank-you to HANNAJAMESNIVEK, whose two amazing reviews totally made my day. I hope you don't mind, I totally had to share, so I copied them and posted them on my writing club's forum. Everybody made sure to remark on what an amazing review it was. Thank you for such an amazing, detailed, helpful review. I don't think anyone has ever taken the time to review so thoroughly. It made me so happy! I got the email with it as I finished my English exam, and I got this GIGANTIC smile on my face. My teacher thought there was something wrong with me…So there, talk about getting in trouble in class! Anyway, to discuss your actual review…
*Review1—I'm so glad you liked the Edward/Alice interaction. It was great to write…I really like writing the brother-sister relationships here, both this one and the Jasper-Rosalie-Bella one. I see what you mean about Alice's OOC-ness, though, and it makes a lot of sense. And I'm glad you enjoyed Edward's character development. That was kind of hard to write, but definitely fun, and I'm so happy you saw so much in it. Both him and Bella, actually! Your character analysis is so spot-on, it's kind of scary. Particularly with Jasper! I must say, however, that I really like Jasper. He's kind of being a jerk, and he's being too protective and overbearing, but he (thinks he) has good reasons. I like your Jasper-Alice-Emmett-Rosalie idea, and I'll probably use it at some point. I just didn't see it here. It will come soon, though…Mwahahaha!
*Review2—Aw, really, you think Jasper is a Marty Stue? I'm hurt, I thought I was doing well avoiding those…But anyway. Bella will eventually wake up and realize what's going on. So will Edward. And so will Alice and Jasper, for that matter. We just have to be patient, that's all. All will come to pass, don't worry! Back to Jasper, though, since you were so focused on him in these reviews. I understand what you mean with his criticism, and I will take it all in consideration as I keep writing the story. And I'll try and avoid cleaning closest. As for Rosalie and Bella's breakdown…thank you! I'm flattered you enjoyed them so thoroughly. And, last but not least (wow, it seems my review replies are longer than my chapter…), I'm glad you enjoyed my not-really-retelling of the previous chapter. I was kind of freaking out over that, but it got a great response. Anyway, as I said before, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!