Disclaimer: I'm out of witty comments, let's just leave it at "I do not own Twilight" for today, while I recharge batteries.

Chapter 16—Bella P.o.V.

Upon seeing the Cullens' house, Bella had felt the blood leave her face, leaving her pale, shaky, and feeling quite nervous. It was a very large house, larger even than the Hales'. She looked at what Mrs. Hale and Rosalie were wearing and then looked down at herself, feeling quite self conscious. She trudged up the three steps to the Cullens' front door, though, still looking around nervously. She almost hadn't noticed when Mr. Hale rang the doorbell and the door opened, but when she had seen the inside of the house her eyes had tripled to three times their original size.

Despite her feeling so entirely inadequate, Bella had been having a lot of fun. Edward had apologized for his behavior, and it seemed everybody was getting along. Dinner had been delicious, and the conversation had been going wonderfully until the phone had rung. Mr. Cullen had excused himself to go get it, and everybody had begun to play with their food, unsure of whether they should wait for him or not. And then, when he had come back, much to Bella's surprise, he had asked for her to follow him. She did as he asked and followed him into the living room.

"Bella, there's a man on the phone for you. His name is James."

Bella froze, staring at Mr. Cullen in horror. No, it couldn't be. Could it? She reached for the phone, which Mr. Cullen handed to her graciously. Trying to stop her hands' shaking, she brought the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice weak and thin.

"Well, if it isn't my ungrateful little daughter. Having fun? I suppose you are, hanging out with your little friends. Are these the people you spend all your time with? A fucking deaf kid and his family? Is he a good lay, at least? No, don't answer, I don't really care. Just, when you end up like your mother did, don't come to me. Now, put the deaf kid's father back on, will you?"

Mutely, Bella handed the phone back to Mr. Cullen. She was quite shaken, and very surprised; how had James known she was going to be at the Cullens'? How had he gotten their number? And, most importantly, was he going to tell? But as she watched Mr. Cullen's face, she saw that he most likely wasn't hearing anything unexpected. It didn't seem like James was saying anything. Had he just meant to scare her? To show her his power over her? Well, she wouldn't let it bother her.

"Please, don't worry, that's quite alright. Alright. Thank you, have a good evening," finished Mr. Cullen before hanging up the phone. He turned to Bella, "shall we go back to dinner?"

Bella nodded, and they went back into the dining room. Everybody looked rather curious, but it was Edward who asked the question that had to be in everybody's mind.

Who was it?

Bella stiffened, looking over at Mr. Cullen. If he said that it had been James, the Hales would freak out. Jasper was likely to try and take her home, to 'protect' her. But, thankfully, Mr. Cullen did not tell them who it was. Edward looked put off by his father's coldness, and so Bella made it a point to comfort him, but he did not seem to be too reassured. The rest of the dinner went by rather quietly and awkwardly; it seemed the phone call and Mr. Cullen's cold answer had damaged the atmosphere, and Bella felt guilty. She could only hope the tension would fade when they finished eating.

It seemed as if the tension really did dissipate then, because the adults were having a nice conversation downstairs, Jasper and Edward were playing videogames, and Rosalie and Alice were gushing over clothes and shoes. Bella relaxed, watching them all have fun, and took out her battered copy of Emma. It was not one of the novels she liked best, but she had not read it for a while. They stayed like that, in comfortable silence, until it got too late and the Hales had to leave.

"Remember to be careful tomorrow, alright? Keep your phone on, and, if anything happens, tell Edward. He's a good guy. OK?" asked Jasper before leaving. Bella made a show out of rolling her eyes and nodding, but inside she was very pleased that Jasper seemed to be accepting Edward. "And don't be too mean to Alice. She's really excited about taking you shopping," he added. Bella brightened up at that.

"Ooooh, somebody has been paying attention to Alice," she teased, delighting when, for once, it was Jasper who blushed crimson. He shoved her shoulder playfully before hugging her once more and following his parents out the door. Rosalie simply hugged her and wiggled her eyebrows at Bella before leaving. Now, Bella was alone with the Cullens.

Bella! We haven't shown you your room! You have to see it! Alice signed, looking much too excited about something as simple as a guest room. Having met Mrs. Cullen, Bella could now see where some of Alice's energetic spirit had come from. It was still somewhat tiring, nonetheless.

Please, tell me if you like it, Mrs. Cullen had added worriedly. Bella smiled widely at her. She liked Esme, with her shy quietness that could turn into a passionate speech when the right topic was reached. Bella was thinking about this, following Alice, Edward, and Esme up the stairs without much thought, when they got to the door to the room. When they all just stood around it expectantly, Bella realized they were waiting for her to open the door herself. She took a step towards it and pushed the door open.

The moment Bella set her eyes on the room she felt the wind being kicked out of her. It was amazing. It was beyond amazing. She could not believe what she was seeing. It was the most beautiful room she had ever seen, decorated in light pastel tones, without too many ostentatious decorations. And the bed…it was beautiful, with a delicate carved headboard in mahogany and the most beautiful dark blue and teal sheets. Bella blinked repeatedly and quickly, trying to blink her tears away.

Is it OK? Do you like it? We can change it if you want, Mrs. Cullen hurriedly signed. Bella shook her head, not even wanting to think about the possibility of changing a thing about the room. It was so beautiful she could not even really contemplate the idea of sleeping in it. When she mentioned this, however, Mrs. Cullen instantly chided her. She also asked that Bella call her and Mr. Cullen—Carlisle—by their first names (or their sign names). Bella felt so flattered and welcome, she almost started crying then and there. Once Esme and Carlisle had gone to bed, Bella turned to Alice to find out about their plans for the next day. If she'd ever thought Alice was crazy, that one single conversation provided all the proof she would ever need; who the heck got up at seven in the morning to go shopping? It wasn't natural.

After discussing this with Edward, Bella finally headed in to the guest room. She changed into her pajamas and got in bed, her mind full of the day's activities and thoughts. Her thoughts turned to James and his phone call, but she did not have time to dwell much on it; not an hour after she had gone to bed, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in."

"Hey!" it was Alice, "you didn't think you were going to get away with any actual sleeping at a sleepover, did you?"

Bella groaned, covering her face with the pillow. Alice giggled and ran over to the bed, jumping on it and laughing out loud when she bounced on it.

"Come on, Bella! We need some bonding time!"

Reluctantly, Bella sat up; she was in Alice's house after all, and she was her guest. She could not disobey or be rude.

"Don't put on such a long face! We're going to have so much fun. Come on, I have to do your nails, and your hair, and we have to talk about boys!"

Bella was too used to Rosalie's moods to disobey Alice. She knew that what usually followed disobeying such orders during a sleepover situation was an even larger makeover.

"Alright, Alice, bring it on. But take pity on me!"

With a gigantic grin on her face, Alice lunged for Bella, opening a large pink makeup kit that Bella hadn't even seen before. Alice began to pull out tubes and bottles of cream, lotion, blush, lipstick…Bella stared at it all with horror.

"You're not going to put all of that on me, are you? I don't know if I trust you to do that without going overhead. I don't want to look like a skank!"

"Bella! You wound me. Come on, don't you want to look pretty for Edward?"

Bella felt the blood rush to her cheeks and heat build up in them. She stared at Alice, her throat and mouth dry.

"What are you talking about? I don't like Edward!" Bella hissed back, whispering Edward's name. Alice just laughed in response.

"So you say. And, why are you whispering? Esme and Carlisle are asleep, and Edward can't hear you. But, anyway, you soooo like my brother. Don't worry, I don't mind. I think it's cute how neither of you seems to realize it, though."

"I don't like him! We are friends. F-R-I-E-N-D-S. That's it. Just ask him, I'm sure he'll agree!"

But Alice was not listening, she was too busy pulling hair curlers out of the seemingly never-ending makeup bag.

"So, we really should have had you wash your hair before so that this would work better…But don't worry, I won't make you shower now. We'll just do it with your dry hair. It should have some sort of effect. You're going to look so pretty with defined curls. Edward won't be able to tear his eyes away from you!"

Bella wanted to protest again, either at the fact that Alice was putting curlers in her hair or at the comment about Edward, or at both. She really wanted to. She did. But, for some reason, the thought of Edward staring at her and only her made her feel warm inside, and made butterflies start to flutter in her stomach. But that did not mean that she liked him, did it?

"You are crushing soooo badly on him, Bella. Look at your cheeks, they're red as tomatoes just at the mention of his name. It is so incredibly adorable."

Bella's blush only deepened when she realized that the conversation was leaning towards centering on her. She quickly thought of something else to talk about, anything that would take the attention from her, and she finally decided on something.

"Well, you like Jasper!"

Much to Bella's horror, however, Alice did not blush, she did not stutter, and she did not deny it. She shrugged, trying to hold back a smile, and, when she realized she really couldn't hold it, smiled widely while bouncing up and down on the bed.

"I can't help it! He is so amazing. He's cute, and he has a nice fashion style, and he he's smart, and he's a senior, and he's so caring, and so protective, and…. He's just amazing. And, look at it this way, if you hook up with my brother and I hook up with yours, then we're all related. We'll be one big happy family!"

Alice's words did not have the desired effect, however. Bella did not join in her happiness, nor did she blush or try and deny her affection for Edward. She just remained absolutely still, the smile on her face having fallen away to make room for an expression of utter sadness. 'Yes,' she thought, 'one big, happy family.'

"Bella, are you OK? Look, I'll stop teasing you, alright? It's just… I can already see you and Edward together. You'll make a wonderful couple, believe me. You're both so incredibly nice-looking as it is, if you add my choosing your clothes for you, you will be perfect. I bet you I can make you Prom King and Queen."

"Alice, we're juniors! The Prom King and Queen are always seniors!" Bella exclaimed, "Besides," she added as an afterthought, "Edward and I aren't going to the Prom together. We're not going anywhere together. I don't like him, and he doesn't like me. We're just friends. That's it."

But, of course, Alice ignored Bella's claims altogether and simply continued playing with her hair. They stayed up late and ended up falling asleep over the sheets, Bella's head resting on Alice's lap. That's how Edward found them the next morning when he went to wake Bella up. He stood at the door for a couple of minutes, watching Bella with a smile on his face. Her brows were furrowed, her whole frame rather tense, and her lips were moving, as if she were talking. Was she talking in her sleep? Edward wanted nothing more than to know what she was saying, to gain a little bit of insight into her mind.

He finally pulled himself away from the doorsill and walked over to the bed, careful to avoid all the makeup bottles, cans, and tubes that had fallen off the bed and onto the floor while Alice and Bella slept. He shook Alice awake first, instantly motioning for her to remain quiet before pointing at Bella. Alice's eyes weren't on Bella, though, but on the clock on the nightstand. Her eyes widened.

Edward, why didn't you wake me up earlier! I won't have time to get ready now! We're going to be so late!, she exclaimed before jumping off the bed and running off to the bathroom. That left Edward to wake Bella, so he shook her gently. She stirred, rolling over to the other side, and giving Edward a rather nice look at her legs and her butt. He pulled his eyes away and shook her again. Her eyes fluttered open this time and they moved about the room, unfocused, until the fell on Edward. Bella gasped.

"Edward?"

Edward cocked his head to his side. Of course, he knew enough lip reading to recognize his own name, but not much else. Bella seemed to realize that she had spoken out loud, not signed, because she blushed deeply and sat up so she had both her hand available.

Hey, what time is it? Are we running late?

It's eight, you and I aren't late. Alice, on the other hand…

Bella stifled a giggle and a strand of hair fell over her eyes. When she went to push it away she realized that she was still wearing the blasted curlers. When she realized that Edward was sitting on her bed, chatting with her, while she wore them, she blushed, openly embarrassed. She quickly reached up to take them out of her hair, but it was harder than it had looked. Alice had made it seem so easy, but they were really stuck to her hair.

She was about to give up and go find Alice when Edward leaned over to help. She closed her eyes, focusing on the feel of his hands on her hair. When she realized what she was doing, however, she opened her eyes wide, mortified at her own reaction. Edward was better at it than she was, though, and her hair was soon curler-free and, as Alice had predicted, all curled up.

You look very pretty, Edward signed, amused. Bella blushed once again, shrugging.

Alice must have done something right.

Oh, no, it's not Alice's doing. You are very pretty on your own. Trust me, Edward answered. Bella sighed. He was so perfect he was practically making her insides turn into goo! She ignored the rush of blood coloring her face and looked up at Edward, thinking of something appropriate to say, something that would tell him how much he meant to her without telling him what she truly felt—she was not ready for that yet—, but before she could say anything she heard somebody run into the room. It was Alice.

"Bella!" she said out loud, unable to sign due to the fact that she was holding up her towel with her hands and she was entirely bare under it, "It's so late, and I can't find my hair iron!"

"Alice," Bella groaned, "you brought it in here last night, when you couldn't decide if you wanted me to have straight hair or curly hair," she said, at the same time as she signed it for Edward's sake. "It's probably under the bed."

Alice looked down at herself—only covered by her little towel—and back up at Bella, her eyes pleading.

"Can you look for me? Please?"

Rolling her eyes, Bella got on her knees and looked under the bed. As she'd predicted, the hair iron was there, just out of her reach. She sighed and crawled under the bed, groping for it. When she'd finally gotten hold of it, she began to pull out from under the bed, but somehow managed to hit her head against the edge of the bed. She grunted, holding her head gingerly as she finally got back out. When she looked up at Alice and Edward she saw them drop their hands quickly, guilty looks on their faces, as if they'd been discussing something they did not want her to know about.

"Here you go, Alice," Bella said, handing the iron to her. Her eyes, however, widened, and she backed away.

"Oh, I…well, I thought about it, and I realized I don't really need the iron. Haha, silly me. I'll just go change now, OK?"

And with that she turned around and ran out of the room and towards her own. Bella groaned, falling backwards onto the bed. When she looked up at Edward, she saw that he was staring at her with a strange expression on his face. She blushed, realizing how weird she must look to him. She sat up, straightening her clothes slightly before realizing that she was still wearing her pajamas.

Edward? I'm sorry, but would you mind leaving so that I can change?

Edward blushed and shook his head, obviously uncomfortable with the topic. He said his goodbyes and hurried out the door while Bella made her way to her bag. She rarely ever slept over at anybody's but Jasper's and she felt awkward. She wanted to shower, but would it be strange for her to ask? Would they think she was being a pig if she didn't, when they realized that she had not showered at night and she'd obviously not showered in the morning? She didn't know what to do!

For a second she debated just sitting on her bed and waiting for either Alice or Edward to come; if they offered her a towel, she could shower. If they asked her why she wasn't ready, she wouldn't. Unfortunately, nobody came by the room. Finally she groaned and walked over to her bag, taking out her change of clothes and setting it on the bed. She was going to the bathroom before changing; maybe they had set out a towel for her.

About time! exclaimed Edward, who had appeared by her room immediately, I thought you said you took less time than Alice to get ready? You haven't even changed yet!

Sorry. I got…she struggled to find an excuse other than 'I was waiting to see if you were a courteous host,' distracted. That really is a beautiful room. Is it done up for anyone in particular?

Yes, Edward replied, his lips curling into a smile and his eyes shining with laughter, for you. Esme worked so hard to try and make a good room, based only on what we had told her. Alice picked the designs, I picked the colors. Do you like it?

Bella could not help but simply nod, staring at him. It seemed rather unbelievable that somebody would spend the time and money required to make a room special for her. Even the Hales had not gone to so much effort, and they had only made up the room once her sleeping over had become a regular habit, only two or three years before.

I'm glad, Esme said, having finally emerged from her room. She was already dressed for the day and she was carrying a set of light-colored blue towels under her left arm. She walked towards Bella.

"Here you go, darling," she said, handing the set of towels to her, "go ahead and shower. The bathroom is the door right across from Alice's room."

Bella filled with gratitude as she took the towels. She could not believe Esme's thoughtfulness as she headed to her room, gathered her clothes and bath things, and went into the bathroom. She showered quickly, not wanting to hold Alice and Edward back. For all she knew, Edward had not showered yet! As soon as she was finished showering, dressing, and fixing her hair (to the best of her abilities, since corkscrew curly hair was not something she usually had to deal with), she got out of the bathroom. There was nobody waiting by the door, though. In fact, she could hear people downstairs, probably in the kitchen. She made her way there only to be met by the most delicious scent of pancakes.

Sit down, Bella! Would you like some orange juice? I'm just finishing these pancakes, Esme signed hurriedly, keeping an eye on the pancakes so they wouldn't burn while she signed, and there's some cereal and some coffee on the table. Just ask Alice or Edward for anything you need!

With that she turned back to the pancakes, removing them from the pan in the perfect moment, just as they got delightfully golden. Bella sat at the table with Alice and Edward, smiling shyly at them while pouring herself some cereal and milk. She ate quickly, feeling somewhat awkward about sitting while Esme cooked. She was usually the one doing all the cooking, even at the Hales' house, where Mr. and Mrs. Hale got home late from work at their law firm. Breakfast passed quickly, however, and soon they were ready to leave.

Are we all ready? Alice asked, giving both Bella and Edward a once-over before allowing them to head towards the garage. Once she was satisfied she let them through.

We're taking Edward's Volvo, alright? she asked, already getting on the back seat, "you can take the passenger seat," she said out loud, since Bella could no longer see her, "I have more room back here, so I won't wrinkle my clothes."

Rolling her eyes, Bella got in the car, feeling, once again, awkward. What was she supposed to do? Should she try and sign to Edward? Just keep a conversation going with Alice? Would it be OK if she turned the radio on? There were so many situations she had never faced with her grandmother, situations that she had never had to consider. She did not want to seem rude, but she did not want to just sit there, looking like a decoration. Much to her amazement, Edward must have noticed how uncomfortable she was, because he leaned over, took her hand, and squeezed it gently. He set it back down to sign something to her.

Just relax, alright? You can play music if you want. If you really need to say something, I can see your signing out of the corner of my eye, I just don't like to get distracted. You can talk with Alice, though. I won't mind. Alright?

Bella nodded, most of her doubts cleared, and her whole self feeling lighter and much more relaxed. That is, of course, until Edward started the car and pulled out of the garage. Who knew somebody could drive that fast?

Author's Note—sorry I haven't written in a while. I got some dumb virus on my computer that killed my beloved Microsoft Word and I lost everything I'd written. Thank God the new FFN allows you to upload files for recovery later on…Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks to:

SparklingTopazEyes

SkittleySweet

GrlWithoutAName

IHeartCSINewYork

ReaderOfTheClassics

CabTwilighter

Viper003

Tianna M.V.A.

DivaMercury

SingerOfHeartSongs—you remind me of me when I first went to Starbucks. My friends regret taking me to this day. It was the day after my first swim practice, so I had gotten up at 4….I had two Venti Mocca Frappuccinos. Oh, it was soooo much fun.

Reborn-Fire-Bird—I had actually never played until last weekend. All of my friends love the game (some even write fanfics for it), and I had heard a lot about it, but I didn't really know what it was. It was pretty damn cool, though!

Music ADD

LoveLeen

KateVanGogh—Patience, young grasshopper, patience! xD

Dramione12

HarryEdwardGirl93

CuteyAngel2008

CullenLuv01—wow, you're the first to realize that. Yay!

Mrs. Dom Masbolle

Questions/Comments:

GoldenRose37—The Warner Music Group has decided that they want people to buy the CDs before having even heard the music. They're stuuuupid.

SleepThroughTheStatic—everybody in Forks knows that Bella is actually James' daughter, so the Hales have never had to claim her as their daughter. For this reason, they have not even thought about the fact that the Cullens might not know the truth.

PrettyLydia—I'm glad you liked it, and I'm glad you enjoy my writing style in general. =] Aren't sign songs fun??? Again, look up AllyBallyBabe, she has amazing songs up, and they're very easy to understand and copy back. Anway, as you said, back to the story. Or, at least, back to FFN. I do like AU fics, but not for all fandoms. For HP, I tend to like timeturner fics, but not AU…For Tolkien, however, there have been some awesome AUs!!! Oh, and about the alternate P.o.V.s….what would you think of an Alice P.o.V.? I've been toying with the idea. And, please, don't kill me for taking so long to update!!!! I swear I didn't mean to, it was the effing virus!!!!

HorseCrazyJr—I'm glad you thought Edward was so in character! I'm happy I got it right. Oh, and about the "Hale girl" comment…I meant it as the "Hale girl" being Rosalie (James says that she "doesn't know ASL"). Edward assumes that Bella's last name is also Hale because he thinks that Bella and Rosalie are sisters. That's all. I'm sorry if it was confusing.

Special Thanks to:

AttackOfTheEmo—I know! I have had to start an "Ideas" file, in which I write every plot bunny I get in a very, very summarized way (for example, if I thought of Bella going to a dance, tripping, and pouring all the punch all over herself, I'd write "Punch" (not to worry, that is not an actual idea, I just wrote it for the example)). If I go back a few days later and don't remember what it means, I just get rid of it altogether. That way I can keep the ideas that have some sort of lasting impact. Anyway, as always, thank you, I am quite highly flattered with your compliments and comments. I'll do my best to be worthy!! And, w00t, exams are over!!!!

CheesePuff311—is this making the Jasper-Bella-Edward situation better? I really hope so…*Grrrr* Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter and keep reviewing!!

Erin Cade—I'm glad you liked it! I had lots of fun writing reluctant Edward. He's so cute!

Johnny (yup, you get your own reply!)—I'm so happy you are liking my story! And, as I have said many times before, don't be afraid to correct me if I make a mistake. I was unsure about Esme and Carlisle's sign names, so the fact that you liked them is quite a relief! Please, keep reading! It's always nice to have a reader who is not only form the Deaf community, but also a male!! That doesn't happen very often around here.

HannaJamesNivek (aka, my favorite reviewer in the history of ever!)—yay, I'm done with exams! It is such a relief. Now I have a breather until March, when I have my IB Orals and the National Latin Exam. *Shudder* So, Jasper…I am giving it so much thought, trying to come up with ways to get myself out of the hole I've dug with him. Goodness, rereading the chapters, you're right!!! *Grrrr* I'm trying to do as you said, and have more Jasper-Edward befriending scenes. Also, I'm starting with the Jasper-Alice relationship, so that should help. I hope. As to the whole thing with Jasper never asking Bella for permission to pick her up, carry her, kiss her, etc, I was kind of trying to show how he treats her as if she were so much younger and weaker. Edward will sweep in and show her that is more than that later on. I think. Then, with Rosalie…I'm trying to see if I want to give her a back story similar to the one in the book. It doesn't seem to match her personality here, though. What do you think? Oh, and I'm thinking of sticking her in a cleaning closet. Would you object to that?---As to the other P.o.V.s, I have been considering putting one in for Alice every couple of chapters. Particularly now, as there begins to be more to the story than just Bella and Edward. I'll have to find a good place to write her in…---Esme…I love Esme just as much. She's a very sweet character to write. And you're right, there are lots of parallels to take advantage of, I just need to figure out how.—"The Hale Girl…" a lot of people have misinterpreted that, and I was wondering what you had thought of it. "The Hale girl" is supposed to be Rosalie, (Carper says that she doesn't know ASL), and so Edward assumes that Bella's last name is also Hale, because they're "sisters." Is that how you saw it? Did I make a mess out of it? Argh, I don't know!!!---So, as you could see, the bedroom was made specifically for her. It's not relevant to the plot, but I thought it would be a nice detail. Very Esme-ish, don't you think?---The Edward-Bella interaction was fun. I was trying to write them as awkward teens trying to be as relaxed as possible. Did it come out as that? I don't really know.---Anyway, you don't get your James-in-Port-Angeles-Plot-Revealing-and-Solving scene, but I hope you liked this nonetheless (even if I kept you checking your email inbox compulsively). If not, again, don't be afraid to tell me!!!! Lots of love!!

HONVampyreChick—glad you liked it!!!!