*Disclaimer - Sadly, I own nothing of Twilight with the exception of merchandise, bought and paid for. I do, however, own my love for borrowing the characters and playing with them however I choose to. I thank Stephenie Meyer for creating the TwiWorld and for allowing us to have our fun with it. She owns Twilight, the insanity it created in my mind is my own.

Thanks to Shug, my fabulously busy beta reader.

Whatever Works

Settling In

Over the next several weeks I confirmed that Emily had been right – an occupied Edward was a good Edward. Unless he had a late shoot, he spent his evenings with Esme and I, working on our puzzles or playing Scrabble. Sometimes he would just lie out on the couch and read over his lines for the next day while Esme and I worked on our knitting. The brat in him rarely reared its head, and he was actually pretty good company when he wasn't pissy.

Esme was more agreeable to deeper massage, and we began exercises as well. I had been suspicious from the start that for some reason, she was hesitant to begin true rehab. My gut feeling proved correct – her legs were far from dead, as she proclaimed them to be. Damaged, yes, but not beyond repair, and certainly not without feeling. She flinched when I began the deeper massage on the more tender areas, and there was resistance with the light exercises when I moved her legs. I played along with the hope that soon, she'd reveal what she was up to and let me help her as I knew I could. In the meantime, Edward played a huge role in keeping her lively spirits up.

On the weekends, she insisted on giving me "time off," and hanging out at the pool with Emily, Sam, Jake, and Emmett became part of my routine. Sometimes Edward would join us, bringing his script or a book along with him to read while we all frolicked. Occasionally he'd snicker at us or toss out a teasing remark, but mostly, he sat quietly on his own.

One Saturday, he appeared mid-way through our gathering and was particularly amicable.

"Did you get laid or did you just hit the bong?" Emmett teased him.

"Fuck off!" Edward laughed and shoved him into the pool.

Jake approached him with a big grin. "Think you can push me around now?"

"It's never been a problem," he replied as Emily moved stealthily into position in the pool and gave him a nod. She yanked at her brother's ankles as Edward shoved, and moved quickly out of the way for him to splash into the pool.

Sam dunked him back under when he surfaced, and Emmett climbed out, dripping wet. I was soaked from all the splashes as I sat on the edge laughing at them all. "I think someone's too dry," Emmett winked at me as he stood behind Edward. Only then did I realize that they were the same height. Emmett always seemed so much larger because of his girth, whereas Edward had a lean frame.

"I'm doing just fine as I am, thank you," he chuckled, sidestepping away from Emmett's clutch but not completely out of reach. Emmett grabbed hold of his shirt and tugged him back, bracing him just enough to stop him from tumbling in without warning.

"Easy or hard?"

Edward rolled his eyes as he let out an evil snicker. "Easy always gets me hard."

It was strange observing Edward behave like the rest of us – like his friends. It was then that I realized he was just like us. He was still barely an adult, just like us. I had been forced to grow up quickly; Emily, as well. I could now put Edward into our group of older-than-we-are twenty-somethings. He needed to let loose and just play sometimes too.

He held up a finger at Emmett as kicked his shoes off. Then he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it towards the chairs with his shoes. I felt strange watching an impromptu striptease, so I quickly moved my eyes. I found Emily, watching me. She'd seen me watching Edward. We both giggled as the guys let out a whoop, and another piece of clothing was flung that I assumed was his pants. A streak of white skin flew past me in a much more graceful cannonball dive than I had attempted that first day. He still coughed and sputtered when he rose and pushed the wet hair from his face. He was dripping, and smiling, and… beautiful.

My eyes did a rapid dip to check out below. He was in his boxers. Whew! And damn. Emmett backed himself up against the pool where I was very casually checking out his best friend and draped my legs over his shoulders before hauling me in with others, atop of him.

"Not fair! You're one hundred times my size!" I smacked at his shoulder with one hand while the other gripped his head so I wouldn't lose my balance. "Beast!"

"She's a little too dry," Edward taunted with a twinkle in his eye.

"I agree. Should we…"

"Make a transfer?" Edward dipped below the water and swam towards us, coming up as Emmett dropped me. And then, holy mother of GOD! I was on Edward's back! Not his shoulders, as I'd been with Emmett – his back.

I gasped at the sudden turn of events and realized I had a death grip around his neck. I loosened and tucked an arm under his, then back over, then switched, and then gave up and grasped his neck. I was falling. The other guys all laughed at our pool dance, and I heard Edward chuckling along. He hitched me up and turned his head. "Can you get a little more comfortable? I'm not letting you go."

I ended up hugging him in a sling – one hand over his shoulder, the other under his arm and he held onto my legs. Thank heavens I'd gone for a full leg/bikini wax! I tried to return to my thoughts of him just being one of us, but da-yum! I was on Edward Masen's back! And he was in his underwear! Not that my bikini was much more than underwear… gah!

"I missed my workout at the gym this morning. This feels like an apt substitute." He eased himself further down in the water, pulling me along. His hand slid further up my legs as he kicked off the side of the pool and then let go to swim across; me dragging along on him.

Panicking with the movement, I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist. "Relax, Bella," he murmured to me when we got to the other side. "I won't let you go, but if you continue with that, we're gonna have another whole problem."

My cheeks were about to send out flames, but for some reason, I didn't immediately release his hips from the clutches of my thighs. He chuckled when I finally did and slid his hand up the back of one of them before hitching me back up. I think he gave my butt a squeeze, but I was pretty much a melted pile of goo by that point. He wasn't Celebrity Edward anymore; in my mind he was a hot hunk of maleness who was actually touching me as we played around. He did a few more laps before swimming up to Emily. I didn't let go even though I had plenty of opportunity. His back and chest were toned to perfection. He smelled soooo good. And his fingers were stroking my calf as he carried on a casual conversation. I was too focused on breathing to listen to what was being said until Emily snorted and pushed him away.

"Come on, Em!" he pleaded. "Be a sport!"

"I'm not going, Edward. Sam can go, but I'm not going out with you."

"I'd feel bad taking Sam from you, but I hate being a third wheel. Fifth is more comfortable. It would be even better if you came too." His head was twisted around to look at me.

Me? Come? Uhhhh… "What are we talking about?"

"A club. With Fancy Pants here. No thank you," Emily retorted.

"It's not a club-club… things are different. We'll just hang out, have some dinner, drinks… it's private. It'll be fun."

"And cameras and chaos and –" She cut herself off and shook her head. "Not a good idea."

"I don't have time to beg, Em."

"You already are!"

"No, this is the precursory beg. The real begging has not yet begun. Come on! I have to go to the airport!"

"Airport? Where's this club?" He turned his head as I began to speak, and my lips ended up pressed against his ear.

He hissed and shifted my weight on his back, now holding onto my legs again. "The club is here. I have to meet with my sister first. She's arriving this afternoon."

Ah! That was the urgency for a night out – he would want to avoid Alice.

"Well if you're going to the airport, then go," Emily said in an icy tone.

"Ummm… I can't get out right now." Edward's voice cracked, and he laughed at himself. Emily did not laugh with him. She rolled her eyes and climbed out in a huff. She may have muttered "asshole" as she did.

"See why I prefer nights out with the guys? One, I'm surrounded by women who don't hesitate to call me an asshole – the guys know I am, but don't feel the need to tell me constantly. Two, it's just not simple to get women to go out with me. It should be simple. 'Hey, Em, Bella… want to go out with us tonight? Have some drinks and laughs? Sure, Edward. That would be fun.' But no, I'm an asshole for asking and an asshole for going out on my own. It shouldn't be this difficult."

It felt awkward to still be hanging on him as he expressed his disgust with Emily's refusal. I released my grip on him, but he merely shifted his hands up to my waist as he spun around to face me. "It doesn't have to be difficult," he said to me softly. "Think about it. You can let me know later if you want to come with us." He leaned in and spoke into my ear. I felt his fingers splay on my hips, his fingertips digging into the flesh on my backside. "I won't be completely offended if you say no. But I'd appreciate an 'another time' at least."

I smiled at him, wanting to uncurl my fists that were pressed against his chest and dig my fingers into his flesh. His body was… incredibly touchable. "I will agree to not call you an asshole, either way. Not today."

Uttering a sound that was part laugh, part moan, he closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm letting you go now, just so you know. I have to go. I'm sorry."

I nodded, feeling like moaning myself when he released me. His hand grazed mine as we parted, and he gave my fingertips a little squeeze before swimming off. Emmett tossed him a towel when he hauled himself out, and he quickly wrapped himself, grabbing another to rub on his hair. There was a deafening silence as they all rushed out in a mass, leaving Emily and I alone.

"I warned you," she said quietly as she sat on the edge that I clung to. "It's not a good idea to go out with them, Bella. You can decide for yourself and I won't judge you either way, but I'm just letting you know. I don't want to see you get hurt."

In my mind, I pictured a wild night of drunken debauchery. Wasted Edward, misbehaving. Is that what she worried about me seeing? For some reason, I didn't think he'd get that way with me around. I actually thought it might be fun to see him out with friends, having fun like we just were. "He really wants us to go, Em."

She smirked at me. "He's done it already. I did warn you… if you start to care about him, there's no turning back. He's got you already, doesn't he?"

"I work for him. He's been good to Esme these past weeks; I see a change in both of them. It's better if we all get along…"

She gazed at me thoughtfully. "You didn't answer, and there's no need to. I see it. And good luck. I mean it."

~ 0 ~

The last thing I wanted was to hurt Emily's feelings by ignoring the warnings she issued. I was thrilled with how our friendship had blossomed. However, it felt like I was on a new plateau with Edward as well, and I didn't feel I should push him away. She was right about that – I did care for him already. Especially when I didn't see him as Celebrity Edward Masen. When he was just Edward, dozing off on the couch with his mouth hanging open, he was adorable. And when he made Esme laugh until tears came and her stomach hurt, he was precious. When he looked a million miles away, completely lost in his own thoughts, he was huggable. Yes, I cared. He had me that way already.

I distracted myself from thoughts of Emily and Edward by watching a chick flick with Esme. She paused it partway through so I could go get used some iced tea. I was about to round the stairs to head for the kitchen when Edward came thundering down. "I've got it!" he called out. Jessica was headed for the front door. What was she doing here on the weekend again? It didn't seem like she was here with him. He put his hands on her shoulders and moved her aside. "I've got it. Thank you."

She snuffled and stormed off as Edward opened the front door. A goddess was on his front step and soon, her arms were around him and he was laughing and hugging her in return. "Where are your bags? You're staying, aren't you?"

"In the car. I didn't know what you'd want to do –"

"You're staying, of course. We'll get them later on."

"This is some house, Edward," she commented dryly.

He snickered. "Wait until you see upstairs. Come on…"

The two of them ascended the stairs, talking quietly and laughing loudly. I waited until I heard the distinct sound of a door closing before completing my mission. "Well, I guess he found his partner for the night. My services are not needed," I muttered to myself, completely dejected.

When I got the iced tea, I also removed a facial scrub – a concoction of Sue's that she always left in the fridge. I decided I'd treat myself and Esme to facials while we were weeping over Julia Roberts' dilemma in whatever it was we were watching.

I was quite comfortable with my feet up, my face covered in mush, eating imported chocolates supplied by Esme. She had a never ending stash that I assumed was kept replenished by Edward. I was tempted to refuse my share at first, out of spite… and to prove he hadn't gotten to me so much that I associated imported chocolate with him. Once I started, I ate more, to prove to myself that I wasn't upset that he had a fucking goddess as a date for the night out he originally asked me to. Whatever. It wasn't a date… it was a drinking/hanging out thing. It didn't matter now anyway. The caramel fills were particularly good…

As the movie came to an end, there was a soft knock. I assumed it was Emily collecting our dishes. We had a light dinner early on rather than a full meal. I continued tending to my toes – along with the facial, I had painted our toenails. Mine were just getting the second coat. My eyes drifted from my toes to the TV to see what was coming up next, and that's when I spotted Edward walking in, not Emily. Edward. Shit!

I dropped the bottle of nailpolish. "Shit!" Penguin-walking on my heels, I raced to grab nail polish remover and returned with it, pulling toilet paper off the roll that I had on the coffee table. I realized my mistake instantly. The tissue stuck to the nail polish, leaving a nasty little clump of peach-tinged fibres. My brain apparently was on break when I poured more of the acetone over it to remove the clump. The clump did come away, but the finish came off the floor with the polish. "Oh god… I'm sorry! I'll pay to have that fixed!"

Edward watched on with calm amusement. "I'll throw a rug over it… Mum can make one. Don't worry about it."

"This… is bad," I stated. "And my toes are… oh, hey! They didn't turn out too bad!" I tugged at the toilet paper that separated my toes and wiggled them once they were free. Esme agreed, with a snicker, and even Edward came over to nod his approval.

"So… I take it your answer is 'another time'?" he grinned, barely able to contain his laughter.

A piece of hair dropped down in my face, and I wiped at it to push it aside. "Oh, my god," I moaned, feeling the gunk on my face. I looked at Esme, wearing the same masque. She giggled, and I groaned, rolling off more toilet paper and wiping the bulk of it off my face. I left to get a warm cloth for Esme and grimaced upon my second return. It wasn't only Edward here to witness my mortification. The goddess was here as well, and she was crouched by Esme, talking quietly as he watched on. It didn't seem like a first meeting. She'd been around before, just not in this house. I double-backed and washed my own face free of mud before heading back out with a little bit of dignity.

"Ah, Bella… I wanted you to meet my sister." The blond goddess released Esme's hand, and smiled as she stood. I was never more confused in my life. Edward and Alice weren't on friendly terms from everything I'd gathered until now. Wow. He's an exceptional actor! I would never know there were problems between these two. But then there was the matter of appearance. Esme had told me Alice was a 'tiny little thing', like me. Edward's sister was tall. And nothing like me.

She held her hand out to me. "Hi, Bella. I'm Rosalie. I've been hearing a lot about you. I hope we can spend some time together before I leave. I'd love to get in on the spa action here!" Her laugh was kind, and she seemed so sincere… wait, Rosalie? Not Alice?

Not Alice!

Not an old girlfriend… Rosalie! Another sister that, for some reason, I hadn't heard about.

"I was hoping you could get to know each other tonight, but I guess Bella made other plans," Edward cracked, nudging me as I stared at the bleached out spot on the floor.

"Oh! You're going out with Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie tonight Bella? Good for you!" Esme jumped right on it.

"Well… I don't want you to be alone…"

"Sue can come up," Edward remarked. "Emily won't come out, and if you don't, I'll be alone."

Rosalie stepped in front of us and took my hands. "Please come, Bella! It'll be fun."

"Told you," Edward nudged me again. "Fun. Go get dressed. We'll wait."

A/N ~ Everybody waiting with Edward? Thanks to everyone who sticks with me through my love of UST and the utter confusion in Bella's mind.
We'll see more of this version of Edward for a while - more to muddle Bella's thoughts. I want to slap her, and tell her to speak up and ask him directly about what's on her mind (Edward really does like that ;) ) but that's not how the story goes.
Out of curiosity... how many of you would take Emily's warnings and steer clear? It's not as though Bella will ask Edward to explain himself, and no one in his posse will speak out - so, if you were Bella, would you take Emily's advice or go with your own intuition?
Thanks for waiting... er, reading. ;) XX ~ SR